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Peppi Borza (22 October 1936 – 24 July 1990) was a British-American dancer, entertainer, songwriter, composer, actor, and circus performer.[4][5][6]
Born to a circus performing family and brought up in Sarasota, Florida, Borza performed in a double act with his sister Nita.[1][7][8][9] The siblings were acrobats and performed with the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Benny and Judy Garland, as well as appearing twice on The Ed Sullivan Show.[10][11][12] One of their acts was Stars of the Future, a balancing and tumbling act with Polack Bros. Circus.[13]
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Encouraged by Sammy Davis Jr. and others that told him he had a good voice, Borza decided to become a singer. He came to England and formed the group Peppi and the New York Twisters. They performed in England, Ireland and New York.[14][15][16][17]
Borza also performed at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, teaching a young Cilla Black how to dance the Twist, having learnt himself from Chubby Checker. The dance was the inspiration behind his former group.[11]
Despite recording several singles including The Skip (an attempt to start a new dance craze) and Pistol Packin' Mama, Borza's singing career was not a success.
In Britain, Borza became lifelong friends with singer Dusty Springfield (having first met The Springfields when they toured with Del Shannon[18]), accompanying her on tours, as well as being a dancer on Ready Steady Go!.[19][20] Borza was the partner of Dusty Springfield's brother Tom, and the couple collaborated on the writing of four songs: No Tears for Johnnie, Chain Gang Blues,[21] The Skip[22] and O Holy Child[23] (recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1964 as a Christmas charity single for Barnardo's). In 1965, Borza co-wrote Matt Monro's single Before You Go.
Borza also worked as a composer on Dusty Springfield's The Christmas Album and several other projects, including with Matt Monro.[24]
Borza performed on stage in London and New York. He appeared on Broadway in the original cast recording of Evita.[25][26] He played a Muleteer in the original West End production of Man of La Mancha[27] as well as the 1972 film version.[28] He also appeared in Intimate Games (1976). Other roles include a pirate in the 1976 musical Peter Pan[29] and a policeman in Gilbert and Sullivan's 1983 musical The Pirates of Penzance[28] as well as playing a Vervoid in parts 11 and 12 of the Doctor Who saga The Trial of a Time Lord (segment: Terror of the Vervoids).[30][31][32][33] He was in the 1985 cast of On Your Toes at the Palace Theatre, London.
Among Borza's final work was an appearance in the 1987 West End revival of Follies.[34]
Borza died from AIDS. Dusty Springfield frequently visited him at the hospice as he neared the end of his life. Borza left money to his closest friend in his will.[18]
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