Norma Cecilia Tanega (born 30 January 1939, Vallejo, California) was an American folk/pop singer. Tanega's big break came as a result of her job singing at a summer camp in the Catskills Mountains in New York. "One of the other counselors at the camp was teaching at a high school in Brooklyn, New York. Another of the instructors at that high school happened to be a part-time record producer with connections to Bob Crewe, by the name of Herb Bernstein." (Bernstein later arranged and produced the Happenings and Laura Nyro). It was suggested that Tanega play Bernstein some of her material. He liked what he heard, and took Tanega to Crewe, who also was impressed. At that time, along with writing for and producing the Four Seasons (among others), Crewe was running his own boutique labels, Dyna Voice and New Voice. Crewe signed Tanega to New Voice and to his publishing company, Saturday Music. The result was the album Walkin' My Cat Named Dog, produced by Bernstein, which contained the hit "Walkin'". The meaning behind the lyrics to "Walkin'" is as follows: "I had always wanted a dog, but because of my living situation I could only have a cat; I named my cat dog and wrote a song about my dilemma." Apparently, others could relate, because "Walkin'" zoomed to #22 on the Billboard charts.

On the strength of her hit, Tanega landed a slot on the 1966 Gene Pitney Tour. Along with Tanega and Pitney, the tour included such heavyweights as the McCoys, Bobby Goldsboro and Chad & Jeremy. "Initially, the tour was a disaster because the musicians sent out to back me up (members of the Outsiders) could not read my music charts. Hence, I had to pay for session players to come and play behind me." As a further tour anecdote, Tanega describes how "at one show in Canada, there was only a dressing room for the guys and I had to change in a stable!" Tanega was the only girl on that tour. Luckily, "the McCoys and their manager really took me under their wing and cared for me."