Sunday 12 November 2017

Her heart was warm and gay; no matter how they changed her, I'll remember her that way



We have a centenary to celebrate today! And it's one very close to our hearts... the eternally lovely Miss Jo Stafford.



With her languid vocal style, her impeccable diction and her hugely varied repertoire of songs, Jo was an integral contributor to the American songbook, working closely with the likes of Johnny Mercer.



The beauty of her voice is perfectly illustrated by the following...



Miss Stafford was never afraid of venturing further afield in her musical choices, however, not least by contributing her vocals as "Cinderella G Stump" to this gem:


Facts:
  • Jo first came to prominence as part of the vocal harmony group the Pied Pipers, who sang backing vocals for Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra and many others.
  • When she finally went solo, it was alongside Margaret Whiting and Peggy Lee at Capitol Records that she cemented her reputation as one of "America's sweethearts", performing concerts for the forces overseas both during and after WW2.
  • Her choices of vocal material ranged from Big Band to American folk, to pop and ballads, to Jazz, before retiring altogether in the mid-1960s.
  • It was also at Capitol that she met and married composer, arranger and bandleader Paul Weston; they worked together professionally throughout her "golden years" in the 50s, and remained together till his death in 1996.
And - of course! - I could not let a tribute to Miss Stafford go by without a mention of her and Mr Weston's ultimate creation - the phenomenon that was Jonathan and Darlene Edwards! Originally a bit of a party-piece for friends, "The Edwards" eventually overtook Jo and Paul's own fame - and indeed won Miss Stafford her only Grammy...


It gets me laughing (and "honking" along) every time...

Jo Elizabeth Stafford (12th November 1917 – 16th July 2008)

8 comments:

  1. Oh, she was a treasure. We had some of her records (78rpm), including this
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1dz1YRXdOA and this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afap1tuuY88

    ReplyDelete
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    1. The joys of shellac... Jx

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    2. Oh, lordy, yes! I remember one of my classmates giving a "morning talk" (I believe they are now called 'show-and-tell') about making a fruit bowl from an old 78 that had been left in the sun..,
      Does that age me?

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    3. There's a whole "industry" based around that concept now - your classmate could have made a fortune selling such things at a craft fair! Jx

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  2. Our little local station here in town plays all long forgotten of artist, and obscure songs. I hear at least three songs of Ms. Stafford's a week.

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  3. Love Ms. Stafford.
    Love Ms. Stump
    and
    Love Ms. Edwards

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    Replies
    1. "I love Paris! Why oh why do I love Paris?" ...

      Jx

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