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==Biography==
Gale was born as Selma
Gale's manager Gary Romero secured a recording contract with [[Derby Records]] in 1951. In accordance with Romero's suggestion, Gale recorded "[[Wheel of Fortune (1951 song)|Wheel of Fortune]]", a song written by [[Bennie Benjamin]] and [[George David Weiss]]. However, as soon as other rival record companies saw the potential of a hit, several artists recorded the composition in rapid succession, including [[Sammy Kaye]], [[the Bell Sisters]], and [[the Cardinals]]. Gale's rendition, nonetheless, managed to chart at number 13 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], but was soon overtaken by [[Kay Starr]]'s novelty take on "Wheel of Fortune", which became a number one hit.<ref name=retro/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.home.earthlink.net/~v1tiger/sgale.html|title=Remembering Sunny Gale|website=home.earthlink.net|author=Marion, J.C.|accessdate=October 18, 2016}}</ref>
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Gale's chart battle with Starr resulted in bookings across the East Coast, including a stint at the [[Paramount Theatre (New York City)|Paramount Theater in New York City]]. Gale recorded two additional singles for Derby, "A Lasting Thing" and "My Last Affair", but the small label could not effectively promote the releases as well as "Wheel of Fortune". Despite the commercial successes of Gale and label-mates [[Trudy Richards]] and [[Bette McLaurin]], Derby filed for bankruptcy in October 1954, although by then Gale had already signed with [[RCA Records]] two years prior.<ref name=retro/> With RCA's backing, Gale recorded a string of national charting hits between 1952 and 1956, including "I Laughed at Love", "Teardrops on My Pillow", "Love Me Again", "[[Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite|Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight]]".<ref name=pop>{{cite book|author=[[Joel Whitburn]]|title=''Pop Memories 1890-1954''|publisher=Record Research Inc.|isbn=0-89820-083-0|year=1986|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/167 167]|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/167}}</ref><ref name=top>{{cite book|author=Joel Whitburn|title=''Top Pop Singles 1955-2002''|publisher=Record Research Inc.|isbn=0-89820-155-1|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/270 270]|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/270}}</ref> During this time, Gale appeared in clubs operated by business owner [[Frank Palumbo]], including his entertainment complex [[Palumbo's]], and at the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]] in an all-star benefit show which also featured [[the Ink Spots]], [[Red Buttons]], [[Lena Horne]], and several others.<ref name=retro/>
By mid-1956, Gale had signed with [[Decca Records]], debuting with a rendition of [[Otis Williams and the Charms]]' "Two Hearts". But for Gale, subsequent releases on Decca, [[Warwick Records (United States)|Warwick Records]], and Blaine Records could not propel her back into the national charts as she suffered the fate of most pre-rock pop singers. Also in 1956, she appeared on the Dorsey Brothers’ stage TV show.
As of 2015, Gale was resided in a retirement home in [[Florida]]. Despite
In January 2023, theatrical producer and press agent [[Alan Eichler]] revealed that Gale died in Florida in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sad to report that singer Sunny Gale, who had several hit records in the 1950's, died this past year at a Florida nursing home, where she was living under her real name, Selma
==Charting singles==
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