Gloria Loring | Talking Friends & Lovers and Singing The Facts of Life, Part 1

“When I sang, I knew who was on the stage. When I got off the stage, I was very shy, couldn’t look people in the eye. But when I was ON the stage I was just filled with my own light.”  - Gloria LoringSusan and Sharon welcome Gloria Loring -- singer, song-writer, actress, author and diabetes advocate.  Known for her Number One hit “Friends & Lovers”, Gloria is also the legendary co-composer and singer of the impossible to forget Facts of Life theme song!THE CONVERSATIONWHERE THE MUSIC COMES FROM: Five generations of musicians -- all the way down to her son Robin Thicke, and grandson.Slamming doors, thrown dishes and late-night fights -- learning that her father, a brilliant musician, was also an alcoholic.ON SINGING: “It was the only thing that made me feel important or valued. When I sang, I was beautiful, I was powerful, people watched me, people listened to me -- every kid wants that."THE GLAMOROUS LIFE: Gloria’s early days as a singer -- living in a cheap motel room and surviving on a quart of milk, a box of cereal and a can of peas!Arranging a “chance” meeting with Ed Sullivan -- and four years later she’s on his show!Future husband Alan Thicke brought something special along on his first date with Gloria: his parents!THE DAYS OF “THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES”: Laughs, pranks, songs, love -- and a steady job for six-and-a-half years!SETTING INTENTIONS: Gloria says out loud to the universe: “I want to record a hit record” -- and a week later she’s recording “Friends & Lovers”.ON COINCIDENCES: “I left ‘Days of our Lives’, my divorce from Alan Thicke became final, my first book was released and “Friends & Lovers” hit number one -- all in the same week.” BECOMING A DIABETES BOOKWRITER: When her son Brennan was diagnosed with diabetes, she (and Alan Thicke) became creative fundraisers, spokespersons and she became an authorCOOKING ON DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Recipes traded by cast members led to the Days of Our Lives Celebrity Cookbook to raise money for Diabetes Research Foundation.So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Gloria -- as they talk Tommy Dorsey, Thicke of the Night, Carol Burnett, advocating for diabetes, Merv Griffin -- and hiding runaway potatoes under lettuce leaves at the White House!AUDIO-OGRAPHYWatch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay.Visit the official website for GloriaLoring.comVITAL READINGCheck out Democracy Docket here.Learn more about the ACLU here.Let your voice be heard! Call your reps. Make 5 Calls makes it easy.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. Visit 80sTVLadies.com for more info.Listen to 80s TV Ladies at YouTube. Subscribe and help us grow.Don’t miss out. Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list!Help us make more episodes and get ad-free episodes, video interviews, and exclusive content on PATREON.