Photo: Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Cyndi Lauper placed her handprints and footprints in cement in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre Tuesday, honoring a career as a singer and songwriter known for her iconic voice, influential punk glamour and infectious live shows.
The ceremony coincided with Paramount+ beginning to stream "Let the Canary Sing," a feature-length documentary on Lauper's meteoric rise to stardom, her impact on the public through her music, ever-evolving punk style and advocacy on behalf of women's rights, gay rights and fighting against HIV/AIDS.
It also came just days after Lauper was honored in the WeHo Pride Parade as a Lifetime Ally Icon, noting her contributions to LGBTQ advocacy.
"It's a little surreal," Lauper told the cheering crowd outside the famed Hollywood theater. "... It's been a whirlwind. But thank you very much, I'm honored. All those times bowing in front of my shower curtain when I was 9, and here I am."
Lauper was introduced at the event by iconic singer/actress Cher.
"I'm so happy that Cyndi's asked me to do this, because she's my dear friend," Cher said. "I love her and she's a wonderful, wonderful crazy, crazy person."
On Monday, Lauper announced the 23-stop Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour, which will include stops Nov. 23 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood and Nov. 24 at Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms.
Born on June 22, 1953, Lauper left her childhood home in the New York borough of Queens when she was 17 years old and began her career performing as a vocalist with various cover bands.
In 1978, she met saxophone player John Turi through her manager Ted Rosenblatt. She and Turi formed with the band Blue Angel and recorded a demo tape of original music. Steve Massarsky, manager of The Allman Brothers Band, heard the tape and liked Lauper's voice. He bought Blue Angel's contract for $5,000 and became their manager.
Lauper received recording offers as a solo artist but held out, wanting the band to be included in any deal she made. Blue Angel was eventually signed by Polydor Records and released a self-titled album on the label in 1980 which received critical acclaim but sold poorly.
The band had a falling-out with Massarsky and fired him as their manager. He later filed an $80,000 suit against them, which forced Lauper into bankruptcy. Lauper then temporarily lost her voice due to an inverted cyst in her vocal cord.
Lauper's financial problems forced her to work in retail stores, as a waitress at an IHOP and singing in local clubs. In 1981, while singing in a local New York bar, Lauper met David Wolff, who took over as her manager and had her sign a recording contract with Portrait Records, a subsidiary of Epic Records.
Lauper released her first solo album, "She's So Unusual," in 1983 which made her the first female artist to have four top-five singles on a debut album -- "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time," "She Bop" and "All Through the Night."
"She's So Unusual" brought her the Grammy in 1985 for best new artist, beating out Sheila E., Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Corey Hart and The Judds, and a nomination for album of the year. Lauper also received nominations for record of the year and best pop vocal performance, female for "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and song of the year for "Time After Time."
Lauper won a second Grammy in 2014 for best musical theater album for "Kinky Boots," for which she was the composer, lyricist and a producer. Lauper is a 16-time Grammy nominee.
Lauper won the Tony Award for best original score in 2013 for "Kinky Boots," the first woman to win the category by herself.
Lauper won the outstanding guest actress in a comedy Emmy in 1995 for a performance as the on-again, off-again girlfriend of Ira Buchman (John Pankow) on the NBC comedy "Mad About You."