Betty   and   I   met   in   boarding   school   up   in   Tuxedo   Park,   NY.   Betty   is   the   daughter   of   Jim Ameche,   a   popular   radio   personality   on   New York's   WHN   back   in   the   60's   and   70's.   She   is also   the   niece   of   the   famous   actor   Don   Ameche   who   is   best   known   for   his   film   portrayals in   The   Story   of   Alexander   Graham   Bell,   and   for   his   role   in   Cocoon,   for   which   he   won   an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.   I   was   born   and   raised   in   Englewood   Cliffs,   NJ   of   an   Italian   immigrant   Dad   and   a   very   Irish Mom.   Betty   and   I   met   at   school   and   became   instant   friends,   partly   due   to   our   'prankish' sense   of   humor.   One   day   while   sitting   in   the   dorm   room   with   a   guitar,   we   just   started   to create   some   music   -   then   came   the   words   -   and   the   rest   was   history.   Betty   insisted   that     we   sing   the   songs   for   her   Dad   and   the   next   thing   we   know,   we   are   sitting   in   a   recording studio   in   NYC   in   the   CBS   building.   We   recorded   the   music   under   the   direction   of   Pat Jacques,    a    great    guy    with    a    lot    of    patience,    and    Richie   Tee,    a    very    talented    music arranger.   They   brought   in   a   band   and   within   5   minutes   they   were   playing   the   song.   I   was dismayed   as   I   thought   the   music   was   a   bit   more   complicated   than   that.   But   when   you   have talented   musicians,   anything   is   possible.   Then   the   two   of   us   spent   the   next   two   weeks singing   into   a   microphone   with   headphones   on.   Poor   Pat.   He   had   to   listen   to   the   songs over   and   over   again,   as   either   our   voices   'cracked'   or   we   started   laughing   for   some   silly reason.   Jim Ameche   got   us   an   appearance   on   the   Clay   Cole   Show   in   NYC   the   same   night as   Stevie   Wonder.   That   I   will   never   forget. All   in   all,   we   wrote   18   songs,   but   the   only   ones which   received   air   time   was   Stop   and   Listen,   and   I'm   Not   Satisfied.   MGM   picked   up   the songs   and   they   were   recorded   on   their   label.   I   still   have   the   original   45   today.   It   was   a   brief but fun time for 2 teenagers who really didn't know what they were doing.             Karen Segalla (2014)

It   is   with   great   sadness   that   we   inform   you   Betty   Ameche passed   away   after   an   illness   on   Wednesday   January   28th 2015.   Karen   said   “ So   very   very   sad.....   great   memories   of my teenage years .”

From the end of December 2016 the Betty and Karen web address will change to: www.bettyandkaren.somen.co.uk