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J UST LIKE in the story books, 18- year-old Norma Jean Speranza, a Pittsburgh singer with a take-home pay of $6 a night, was heard by the manager of a local radio station, War¬ ren Korbele. He called her to his of¬ fice, taped her voice without benefit of an accompanist and mailed it off to a friend at Columbia records. Within days the recording was on Mitch Miller’s turntable and Norma Jean was in his office. Also present was publicity man Lloyd Leipsig, a friend of Dave Garroway. Within days after that, Norma Jean had a contract with Columbia records, was featured on The Dave Garroway Show at 50 times her Pittsburgh salary, was photographed for the cover of a na¬ tional magazine and was having her Italian name changed. She held out for Hope, the translation of Speranza but ended up with Jill Corey. Ex¬ plained Leipsig: “The name Jill is cute but not too cute. After all, we have to look ahead to when she’s 20.” Her first record, The Robe of Cal¬ vary, has already begun to appear on scattered best-seller lists, and Colum¬ bia, certain it will sell over 100,000 copies, is hopeful of a million. This is good-sized hoping for a newcomer. Of the 1500 pop records put out yearly by the major companies, only TO hit such heights; 200 may make the profitable 100,000 mark. Away from home for the, first time, Jill lives in a mid-town Manhattan hotel for women, but wants an apart¬ ment with another girl. Used to a large family, she finds hotel living “friendly but not homey.” The movies have already tried to sign her but the petite, pretty Jill says, “Not now. If I go to Hollywood, I won’t be able to do much TV. No one will know me and my records won’t sell. First, I want to be liked.” So far, Jill is thrilled by everything —Dave Garroway, New York, “fa¬ mous people like Perry Como and Tony Bennett,” making money and making friends. To Lloyd Leipsig and Mitch Miller, such freshness is re¬ garded as something special. “We get a kick out of watching her grow up.” 12