Little Eva

Her full name was Eva Narcissus Boyd; she was the tenth of 16 children. She was born in Belhaven, North Carolina but moved to Brighton Beach, New York at a young age. As a teenager, she worked as a maid and earned extra money as a babysitter of Louise Goffin (the daughter of songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin).

Eva was named after her aunt. As a result, her aunt became "Big Eva" and she became "Little Eva."

Before her success as a solo artist (and with the connections of King and Goffin), she worked as a backup singer for various artists and as a stand-in for a girl group called The Cookies.