Karen Kamon

{{Short description|American singer and actress (1951–2020)}} {{Multiple issues| {{More citations|date=May 2008}} {{unreliable sources|date=September 2022}} {{notability|biography|date=September 2022}} }} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Karen Kamon | image = | image_size = | landscape =  | alt = | caption = | background = solo_singer | birth_name = Karen Ichiuji | native_name = | native_name_lang = | alias = Karen Ichiuji-Ramone | birth_date = {{birth date|1951|5|15}} | birth_place = United States | origin = | death_date = {{death date and age|2020|3|25|1951|5|15}} | death_place = United States | genre = | occupation = | instrument = | years_active =  | label = | associated_acts = Karen Carpenter | website = }}

'''Karen Ichiuji-Ramone''' ({{nee}} '''Ichiuji'''; May 15, 1951 – March 25, 2020), known by her stage name '''Karen Kamon''', was an American singer and actress.

She is perhaps best known for her performance of "Manhunt" on the soundtrack to the movie ''Flashdance.'' In 1984, her recording of "Loverboy" reached #88 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref>{{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|year=2003|title=Top Pop Singles 1955-2002|edition=1st|publisher=Record Research Inc.|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|isbn=0-89820-155-1|page=373}}</ref> She also sang "Squeeze Play" on the soundtrack to the movie ''D.C. Cab'' and provided additional voices for the movie ''Oliver & Company.''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Karen Ichiuji-Ramone|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1972513/|access-date=2021-05-22|website=IMDb}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=IMDb not a viable source|date=September 2022}}

In television, she appeared in one episode of the U.S. TV series ''T.J. Hooker.''

She is listed as a production associate on Karen Carpenter's solo album and credited, on the Carpenters' compilation album ''Lovelines,'' as a friend of Karen Carpenter. She was also interviewed for the installment of VH1's series ''Behind the Music'' that dealt with "The Carpenters" and appeared in a segment in the VH1 documentary ''100 Most Shocking Moments in Rock and Roll History.''

==Personal life== Karen Ichiuji-Ramone first met music producer Phil Ramone while working as a tour publicist for Peter, Paul and Mary in 1977.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New On The Charts: Karen Kamon|date=August 11, 1984|magazine=Billboard| page=53}}</ref> Ramone produced the first of two albums in her known discography, ''Heart of You,'' in 1984. She was married to him from 1984 until his death in 2013 at the age of 79. They had three children, including Matthew Ramone, general manager of Phil Ramone Incorporated.

On March 25, 2020, it was reported that Ichiuji-Ramone had died.<ref>{{cite web|title=Karen Ramone Passes Away|date=March 25, 2020|url=https://forum.amcorner.com/threads/karen-ramone-passes-away.17373}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Karen Kamon {{!}} Discogs | website=Discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/125449-Karen-Kamon?srsltid=AfmBOornOSWjRg4A9ehYYCGLp5sQ9_fne98a1p2-FCrt67m5zocPZnYQ |access-date=November 20, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Karen Ichiuji-Ramone - IMDb |url=https://m.imdb.com/name/nm1972513/ |access-date=November 20, 2024 |website=IMDb}}</ref>

==Discography== ===Albums=== *1984: ''Heart of You'' – Label: CBS-26017 – included the single "Loverboy," which reached #88 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart *1987: ''Voices'' – Label: ATCO-90575 (including a cover version of the Russ Ballard classic "Voices")

===Soundtracks=== *1983: ''D.C. Cab: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' *1983: ''Flashdance: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture''

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name|nm1972513|name=Karen Ichiuji-Ramone}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamon, Karen}} Category:1951 births Category:2020 deaths Category:20th-century American women Category:21st-century American women Category:American women pop singers Category:American actresses of Japanese descent