Norma Tanega

Who is Norma Tanega?

Norma Cecilia Tanega was an American folk/pop singer. She was a camp counselor in the Catskills when she signed to New Voice Records in 1966. Her debut single, "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog", reached #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, but she never came close to charting there again. She retains her one-hit wonder tag to this day. The title equally applies in the United Kingdom, where her only hit also peaked at #22 on the UK Singles Chart.

The tune was a novelty song and was quickly forgotten, but Tanega continued recording folk and folk pop material, including an album for RCA Records after moving to the United Kingdom in the 1970s. When she returned to the U.S., she got her Master of Fine Arts in painting and began teaching art in Claremont, California. She also began working with ceramic percussion instruments, and recorded with Brian and Amanda Ransom. She was also a member of world music ensemble Hybrid Vigor.

During the late 1960s Tanega had a close friendship with singer Dusty Springfield. Tanega wrote the lyrics to various songs that Springfield recorded during this time and they remained friends until Springfield's death in 1999.