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Jo Stafford

Jo Stafford, ca. July 1946.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb.
Background information
Birth name Jo Elizabeth Stafford
Born (1917-11-12)November 12, 1917
Coalinga, California, USA
Died July 16, 2008(2008-07-16) (aged 90)
Century City, California, USA
Genres Traditional Pop
Years active 1930s–1977 (until 1944, as part of vocal groups)
Labels Capitol, Columbia, Dot, Corinthian
Website Jo Stafford bio presented by Corinthian Records

Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917 – July 16, 2008[1]) was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s. Stafford was greatly admired for the purity of her voice and was considered one of the most versatile vocalists of the era.[note 1] She was also viewed as a pioneer of modern musical parody, having won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 1961 (with husband Paul Weston) for their album Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris. She was also the first woman to have a No 1 on the UK Singles Chart.[3] Stafford's work in radio, television and music is recognized by three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[4]

Contents

Early years [link]

The singing Stafford Sisters in 1941.

Stafford was born in Coalinga, California in 1917 to Grover Cleveland Stafford and Anna York Stafford, a second cousin of World War I hero Sergeant Alvin York; both parents enjoyed singing and sharing music with their family.[5] Her father had hopes of being a success in the California oil fields when he moved his family from Gainesboro, Tennessee; what he found instead was a succession of various jobs. When he worked for a private girls' school, Grover was allowed to bring the school's phonograph home on Christmas. Stafford remembered hearing "Whispering Hope" on it as a small child. Her mother was an accomplished banjo player, playing and singing many of the folk songs which would become an influence on her daughter's later career.[6]

Stafford's first public singing appearance came in Long Beach, where the family lived when she was 12. She sang "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms", a Stafford family sentimental favorite.[7] Her second was far more dramatic. A student at Long Beach Polytechnic High School with the lead in the school musical, she was on stage rehearsing when a 1933 earthquake hit, destroying the school.[8] Originally, she wanted to become an opera singer and studied voice as a child. However, because of the Great Depression, she abandoned that idea and joined her sisters Christine and Pauline in a popular vocal group, "The Stafford Sisters", which performed on Los Angeles radio station KHJ.[9][10] The sisters got their start on KNX as part of The Singing Crockett Family of Kentucky program when Jo was 18.[5][6]

The sisters managed to find work in the film industry as backup vocalists, and Jo went straight from her high school graduation into working on film soundtracks.[1][6] The Stafford Sisters made their first recording with Louis Prima in 1936.[11] In 1937 she worked behind the scenes with Fred Astaire on the soundtrack of A Damsel in Distress, while subsequently creating the arrangements and, along with her sisters, the backing vocals for "Nice Work If You Can Get It". She claimed that her arrangement had to be adapted as Astaire had difficulty with some of the syncopation, in her words: "The man with the syncopated shoes couldn't do the syncopated notes".[2]

The Pied Pipers [link]

Photo of Stafford when she was with the Pied Pipers.

By 1938, they were involved in the Twentieth Century Fox production of Alexander's Ragtime Band. The studio brought in many vocal groups to work on the film, among them were The Four Esquires, The Rhythm Kings and The King Sisters. With plenty of time between takes, the various groups sang and socialized while waiting to be called to the set. It soon worked out that The Four Esquires and The Rhythm Kings became a new vocal group, The Pied Pipers, which Stafford joined.[6][12] This group consisted of eight members including Stafford: John Huddleston (who was Stafford's husband from 1941 until their divorce in 1943),[9] Hal Hooper, Chuck Lowry, Bud Hervey, George Tait, Woody Newbury, and Dick Whittinghill. As the Pied Pipers, they worked on local radio and movie soundtracks.[13] When Alyce and Yvonne King had a party for their boyfriends' visit to Los Angeles, the Pied Pipers were invited, speedily eating all of the party's food. The King Sisters' boyfriends were Tommy Dorsey's arrangers Axel Stordahl and Paul Weston, who became interested in the group after meeting them there.[6]

After Weston persuaded Dorsey to audition the group in 1938, the eight drove cross-country to New York together for the chance.[6] Dorsey liked them enough to sign them for ten weeks, but after the second broadcast the sponsor heard them and disliked them, firing the group.[14] They stayed in New York for several months,[6] but landed only a single job that paid them just $3.60 each, though they did record four sides for RCA Victor Records. Paul Weston later said that he and Axel Stordahl felt a type of responsibility for the group, since it was Weston who had made the arrangements for their audition with Tommy Dorsey. The two men also felt some embarrassment when running into the Pied Pipers in New York because of this and also because they both were still employed by Dorsey, so they tried avoiding the group.[14]

The Pied Pipers returned to Los Angeles. Soon after getting home, Stafford received a phone call from Dorsey, saying he could use the group, but four members of it only. Half of the group, including their only female vocalist, arrived in Chicago in 1939; this led to success, especially for Stafford, who was also featured in solo performances.[6][15] The group also backed Frank Sinatra in some of his early recordings.[9][12]

In 1942, the group had an argument with Dorsey and left. By this time, it was successful enough in its own right; The Pied Pipers appeared on the radio shows of Sinatra, Bob Crosby and Johnny Mercer. It became one of the first groups signed to Johnny Mercer's new label, Capitol Records.[9][12][16] Paul Weston was Capitol's music director; he had left Tommy Dorsey's band to work with Dinah Shore shortly after Dorsey re-hired the smaller version of the Pied Pipers.[6][17]

Solo career [link]

File:Chesterfield Supper Club in the air.jpg
Chesterfield Supper Club-April 5, 1946. Jo Stafford and Perry Como broadcasting from a Lockheed Constellation at 20,000 feet.[18][19]

In 1944, Stafford left the Pied Pipers to go solo. Her tenure with the USO, in which she gave countless performances for soldiers stationed in the US, led to her acquiring the nickname "G.I. Jo." [9][14] On returning from the Pacific theater, a veteran told Stafford that the Japanese would play her records on loudspeakers in an attempt to make the US troops homesick enough to surrender; she personally replied to all letters she received from servicemen.[1][6]

Beginning in late 1945, she hosted the Tuesday and Thursday broadcasts of an NBC musical variety radio program — The Chesterfield Supper Club.[20][21] Stafford moved from New York to California in November 1946, but continued to host Chesterfield Supper Club from Hollywood.[22][23] She also had her own radio show which went on the air later on Tuesday nights when she joined the "Supper Club".[24] In 1948, she cut her "Supper Club" appearances to once a week (Tuesdays), with Peggy Lee becoming the host of the Thursday broadcasts.[25] During her time with Chesterfield Supper Club, she remembered and revisited some of the folk music she had heard and enjoyed as a child. Paul Weston, who was the conductor of her "Supper Club" broadcasts, suggested using some of them on the program. With the rediscovery of the folk tunes came an interest in folklore; Stafford established a prize which was awarded to the best collection of American folklore submitted by a college student. The awards were handled by the American Folklore Society.[5]

In 1948 Stafford and Gordon MacRae had a million-seller with their version of "Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart" and in 1949 repeated their success with "My Happiness". Stafford also recorded the "Whispering Hope" of her childhood memories with MacRae in the same year.[6] Stafford began hosting a weekly Radio Luxembourg radio program in 1950, recording the voice portions of the shows in Hollywood. She contributed her disk jockey talents without pay.[26] At the time, she was also hosting Club 15 for CBS radio, sharing those duties with Bob Crosby much as was done with Perry Como on Chesterfield Supper Club.[5] By 1951, Stafford was also doing weekly radio work for Voice of America. Collier's magazine published an article about the program in its April 21, 1951 issue entitled: Jo Stafford: Her Songs Upset Joe Stalin; this earned Stafford the wrath of the Communist newspaper, the Daily Worker. The newspaper published a column critical of Stafford and VOA.[27]

In 1954, James Conkling, president of Columbia Records, presented Stafford with a diamond-studded plaque to mark the sale of 25 million of her records.

In 1950, she left Capitol for Columbia Records, later returning to Capitol with Weston in 1961.[6] While at Columbia she was the first recording artist to sell 25 million records for that company.[28] Also now at Columbia was Paul Weston, who moved to the label from Capitol. Weston and Stafford were married in a Roman Catholic ceremony on February 26, 1952. Stafford converted to Catholicism prior to the marriage.[6][29] Stafford and Weston left for Europe for their combination honeymoon-business trip; Stafford had an engagement at the London Palladium.[30] They went on to have two children, Tim and Amy.[31][32][33]

In the 1950s, she had a string of popular hits with Frankie Laine, six of which charted; their duet of Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'" making the top ten in 1951. It was also at this time that Stafford scored her best known hits with huge records like "Jambalaya," "Shrimp Boats," "Make Love to Me," and "You Belong to Me".[9] The last song was Stafford's all-time biggest hit, topping the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom (the first song by a female singer to top the UK chart).

Publicity photo for The Jo Stafford Show, 1954.

Stafford hosted the 15-minute The Jo Stafford Show on CBS-TV from 1954 to 1955, with Weston as her conductor and music arranger.[34][35][36] While doing her CBS television show, Stafford was named to the 1955 list of Best Dressed Women by the New York Fashion Academy.[37] She appeared as a guest on NBC's Club Oasis and on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, as did many of the popular singers of the late 1950s. In the early 1960s, she hosted a series of television specials called The Jo Stafford Show, centered around music. The shows were produced in England and featured guests, both British and American, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé and Rosemary Clooney.[38]

In 1960, Stafford related there were good and bad points to working closely with her husband. She said that Weston's knowing her so well made it easy for him to arrange music for her, but that it also made it difficult at times, as Weston knew her abilities and would either write or arrange music that was elaborate because he was aware she was capable of performing the song ably. She also said she did not believe she could perform in Broadway musicals as, she believed her voice was not powerful enough for stage work.[39]

During her second stint at Capitol, Stafford also recorded for Frank Sinatra's label Reprise Records.[40] These albums were released between 1961 and 1964, and were mostly retrospective in nature. Stafford left the label when Sinatra sold it to Warner Brothers. In late 1965, both Stafford and Weston left Capitol again, this time for Dot Records.[41]

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards [link]

Jo Stafford as Cinderella G. Stump with Red Ingle performing their 1947 hit, "Tim-Tay-Shun", on Startime in 1960.

Stafford briefly performed comedy under the name "Cinderella G. Stump" with Red Ingle and the Natural Seven. She recorded a mock hillbilly version of Temptation, which she pronounced "Tim-tayshun", in 1947.[9][42] That was not planned - she met Red Ingle at a recording studio and he told her that his female vocalist had been unable to make the session. She asked if she could help and although Ingle told her it wasn't her sort of thing, she stood in and in a completely impromptu performance, was brilliantly funny, a remarkable example of how a true singer could adapt to any theme and style. It was not known initially that it was her voice on the record.[12][42] Because she had done it in fun on the spur of the moment and accepted standard scale pay, Stafford waived all royalties from the record.[6] Stafford, along with Ingle and Weston, made a personal appearance tour in 1949, turning herself into Cinderella G. Stump to perform the song.[43] Stafford and Ingle performed the song on network television in 1960 for Startime.[44][45] Further success in the comedy genre came about again accidentally.

Throughout the 1950s, Stafford and Paul Weston would entertain guests at parties by putting on a skit in which they assumed the identities of a bad lounge act.[14] Stafford would sing off-key in a high pitched voice; Weston played an untuned piano off key and with bizarre rhythms.[9] It was Paul who innocently began the act at a Columbia Records sales convention, "filling time" with his impression of a dreadful lounge pianist. His audience was very appreciative and continued to ask for more even after the convention was over.[6][46] Columbia Records executive George Avakian gave the character Weston played the name of Jonathan Edwards, a Calvinist preacher, and asked him to record an album under this alias. As Weston thought, he worried that he might not be able to come up with enough material for an entire album alone.[14] He asked his wife to join the project and Stafford then became Darlene Edwards, the off-key vocalist.[47][48]

Finding that she had time left over following a 1957 recording session, Stafford, as a gag, recorded a track as Darlene Edwards. Those who heard bootlegs of the recording responded positively, and later that year, Stafford and Weston recorded an entire album of songs as Jonathan and Darlene, entitled Jo Stafford and Paul Weston Present: The Original Piano Artistry of Jonathan Edwards, Vocals by Darlene Edwards. As a publicity stunt, Stafford and Weston claimed that the Edwardses were a New Jersey lounge act that they had discovered, and denied any personal connection.

Photo of Jo Stafford from Shower of Stars where she appeared as Darlene Edwards. Also pictured are Jack Benny and singer Tommy Sands.

The ruse triggered a national sensation as the public tried to identify the brazenly off-key singer and the piano player of dubious ability. (Some guessed Margaret and Harry Truman, Time magazine noted.)[12][46] The 1957 Time article exposed that they were in fact the Edwardses.[14][46] The album was followed up with a "pop standards" album, on which the pair intentionally butchered popular music.

The album was a commercial and critical success and proved to be the first commercially successful musical parody album, laying the groundwork for the careers of later "full time" musical parodists such as Mrs. Miller (famous for her off-key rendition of then-popular songs on her Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits album, along with "Weird Al" Yankovic.

In 1958, the Westons brought the pair to the television screen for a Jack Benny Shower of Stars and to The Garry Moore Show in 1960.[49][50][51]

They continued recording Jonathan and Darlene albums, with their 1960 album, Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris winning that year's Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album (they "tied" with Bob Newhart, as the Grammys decided, in a rare move, to issue two comedy awards that year. Newhart was given an award for "Spoken Word Comedy.") It was the only major award that Stafford ever won.[12][14]

The couple continued to release the albums for several years, and in 1979 released a cover of The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" backed with "I Am Woman."[9] The same year also saw a brief resurgence in the popularity of Jonathan and Darlene albums when their cover of "Carioca" was featured as the opening and closing theme to The Kentucky Fried Movie. Their "sing-along" album was blamed by Mitch Miller for putting an end to his sing-along television show and record albums.[52]

Their last release, Darlene Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats, was issued in 1982.[53][54][55]

Personal life and retirement [link]

Saying she no longer found it "fun", Stafford went into semi-retirement in the mid 1960s,[12] retiring completely from the music business in 1975. Except for the Jonathan and Darlene Edwards material and a recording of her favorite "Whispering Hope" with her daughter Amy, also a singer, Stafford did not perform again until 1990, at a ceremony honoring Frank Sinatra.[6][11][56] The Westons then devoted more of their time to a charity that aids those with developmental disabilities; the couple had been active in the organization for many years.[12][57][58] Concord Records attempted to get Stafford to change her mind and come out of retirement, but she remained adamant.[6]

Stafford won a breach-of-contract lawsuit against her former record label in the early 1990s, which won her the rights to all of her old recordings, including the Jonathan and Darlene recordings. Following the lawsuit, Stafford, along with son Tim, reactivated the Corinthian Records label, which began life as a religious label, that the devout Paul Weston had started. With Paul Weston's help, she compiled a pair of Best of Jonathan and Darlene albums, which were released in 1993.

Death [link]

In 1996, Paul Weston died of natural causes.[9] Stafford continued to operate Corinthian Records. In 2006, she donated her library and her husband's to the University of Arizona.[59] Stafford was inducted into the Big Band Academy of America's "Golden Bandstand" in April 2007.[60]

Stafford began suffering congestive heart failure in October 2007, from which she died on July 16, 2008.[1][61] She was interred with her husband Paul Weston at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.[62]

Discography [link]

Chart hits [link]

Year Title Chart Positions
US UK[63]
1944 "The Trolley Song" (w/ Pied Pipers) 2
"Old Acquaintance" 15
"How Sweet You Are" 14
"Long Ago (and Far Away)" 6
"I Love You" 8
"It Could Happen to You" 10
1945 "That's for Me" 9
"Let's Take The Long Way Home" 14
"Candy" with Johnny Mercer 2
"There's No You" 7
"Out Of This World" 9
"On The Sunny Side Of The Street" 17
1946 "Symphony" 4
"Day By Day" 8
"This Is Always" 11
"You Keep Coming Back Like A Song" 11
"The Things We Did Last Summer" 10
"White Christmas" 9
1947 "Sonata" 10
"Ivy" 13
"A Sunday Kind Of Love" 15
"Temptation (Tim-tayshun)" with Red Ingle & the Natural Seven# 1
"I'm So Right Tonight" 21
"Feudin' And Fightin'"A 7
"The Stanley Steamer" 11
"Love And The Weather" 25
"The Gentleman Is A Dope" 20
"Serenade Of The Bells" 6
1948 "The Best Things in Life Are Free" 21
"I Never Loved Anyone" 23
"I'm My Own Grandmaw" 21
"Haunted Heart" 23
"Suspicion" 23
"Better Luck Next Time" 23
"Every Day I Love You (Just A Little Bit More)" 25
1949 "Congratulations" 13
"Here I'll Stay" 28
"Once And For Always" 16
"Some Enchanted Evening" 4
"Homework" 11
"Just One Way To Say I Love You" 12
"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" 10
"The Last Mile Home" 16
"If I Ever Love Again" 20
1950 "Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)" 14
"Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" 30
"Play A Simple Melody" 18
"Sometime" 27
"If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time" 14
"Goodnight, Irene" 26
"No Other Love" 10
1951 "Tennessee Waltz" 7
"If" 8
"It is No Secret" 15
"Somebody" 12
"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening"(w/ Frankie Laine) 17
"Kissing Bug Boogie" 20
"Shrimp Boats" 2
"Pretty-Eyed Baby" (w/ Frankie Laine) 13
"Gambella (The Gamblin' Lady)" (w/ Frankie Laine) 19
"Hey Good Lookin'" (w/ Frankie Laine) 9
1952 "Hambone" (w/ Frankie Laine) 6
"A-Round The Corner" 9
"Tonight We're Settin' the Woods on Fire" (w/ Frankie Laine) 21
"You Belong to Me" 1 1
"Jambalaya" 3 11
"Early Autumn" 23
1953 "Keep It A Secret" 4
"Chow Willy" (w/ Frankie Laine) 25
"(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" 16
"Without My Lover" 27
"Just Another Polka" 22
"Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" (w/ Frankie Laine) 26
1954 "Make Love to Me!" 1 8
"Indiscretion" 30
"Thank You for Calling" 12
1955 "Teach Me Tonight" 15
"Suddenly There's a Valley" 13 12
1956 "All Night Long" 99
"It's Almost Tomorrow" 14
"Love Me Good" 62
"With a Little Bit of Luck" 85
"On London Bridge" 38
1957 "Wind in the Willow" 53
1959 "Pine Top's Boogie" 105

| * # peaked at #2 on the country charts

Albums [link]

Notable songs [link]

Solo [link]

With Frankie Laine [link]

With Gordon MacRae [link]

With Johnny Mercer [link]

Notes [link]

  1. ^ Stafford had a reputation for perfect pitch, but she dismissed this, claiming only to be a careful singer with good relative pitch.[2]

References [link]

  1. ^ a b c d Heckman, Don (18 July 2008). "Jo Stafford; singer gained fame with WWII soldiers and in '50s". Boston.com. https://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2008/07/18/jo_stafford_singer_gained_fame_with_wwii_soldiers_and_in_50s/. Retrieved 28 January 2011. 
  2. ^ a b Interview by Michael Feinstein, Bonus Tracks on Stafford, Jo (2003). Ballad of the Blues (Audio CD). Feinery. 
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 28. ISBN 0-85156-156-X. 
  4. ^ "Jo Stafford-Hollywood Walk of Fame". LA Times. https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/jo-stafford/. Retrieved 11 January 2011. 
  5. ^ a b c d "Jo Stafford of CBS 'Club 15'". The Sherbrooke Telegram. 23 February 1950. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=T7VNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VkQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1860,7232176&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Jo Stafford". The Telegraph. 17 July 2008. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/2419478/Jo-Stafford.html. Retrieved 28 January 2011. 
  7. ^ Kleiner, Dick (5 August 1954). "The Marquee". The Telegraph-Herald. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o2pFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SrwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=7354,684630&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  8. ^ Leonard, Vince (19 March 1964). "Jo Stafford Easy Talker". The Pittsburgh Press. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MGEqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AU8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7674,1278242&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Jo Stafford, singer known as 'GI Jo'". The Press Democrat. 19 July 2008. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=skAqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XEwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6996,3911159&dq=red+ingle&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  10. ^ "Jo Stafford". Parabrisas.com. https://www.parabrisas.com/d_staffordj.php. 
  11. ^ a b Friedwald, William (18 July 2008). "Jo Stafford, 90, Singer of Swing, Standards, and Lampoons". New York Sun. https://www.nysun.com/obituaries/jo-stafford-90-singer-of-swing-standards/82157/. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Bernstein, Adam (2008-07-18). "Jo Stafford, 90; Pop Singer Won a Grammy for Comedy". The Washington Post: pp. B7. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/17/AR2008071701955.html. Retrieved 2008-07-28. 
  13. ^ Pied Pipers Ad. Billboard. 1943. p. 56. https://books.google.com/books?id=5B8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=beat+the+band+como&source=bl&ots=sIcIGGPtzc&sig=BYRgwK53GCT5dyzHoT1929kE0mk&hl=en&ei=jJ4FTaPjA8GVnwfwk-3lDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBjgU#v=onepage&q=beat%20the%20band%20como&f=false. Retrieved 12 December 2010. 
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Hall, Fred, ed. (1989). Dialogues in swing:intimate conversations with the stars of the big band era. Pathfinder Publishing of California. p. 52. ISBN 0-934793-19-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=mbO19W7pE-IC&pg=PA52&dq=jonathan+darlene+edwards&hl=en&ei=Mya8TerCLNLAtgfG2ezBBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CFgQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=jonathan%20darlene%20edwards&f=false. Retrieved 4 May 2011. 
  15. ^ Roberts. T.C. (5 November 1987). "Announcer remembers top bands of the past". The Vindicator. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p_ZJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HoUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2457,3130948&dq=elmo+tanner&hl=en. Retrieved 24 January 2011. 
  16. ^ "Girlish Voice". Time. 1 July 1946. https://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,803776,00.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
  17. ^ Popa, Christopher (December 2007). "Paul Weston". Big Band Music. https://www.bigbandlibrary.com/paulweston.html. Retrieved 3 February 2011. 
  18. ^ "Big Plane To Serve As Broadcast Studio". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 28 March 1946. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iuMcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mWQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1527,6651826&dq=perry+como&hl=en. Retrieved 24 October 2010. 
  19. ^ BCL (8 April 1946). "Flyin' High". The Milwaukee Journal. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mh0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ECUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1922,3325213&dq=martin+block&hl=en. Retrieved 30 October 2010. 
  20. ^ "Actresses and Vocalists Star On Networks". Youngstown Vindicator. 9 December 1945. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ty5JAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-YMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4368,2971749&dq=perry+como&hl=en. Retrieved 29 November 2010. 
  21. ^ Full-page ad for the Chesterfield Supper Club (page 78). Life Magazine. 13 January 1947. https://books.google.com/books?id=TEoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA78&dq=perry+como&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=3&cd=25#v=onepage&q=perry%20como&f=false. Retrieved 30 June 2010. 
  22. ^ Ad for 'Chesterfield Supper Club'. Life. 13 January 1947. https://books.google.com/books?id=TEoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA78&dq=chesterfield+supper+club&hl=en&ei=rszvTK_HJsfungfPqvWBCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=chesterfield%20supper%20club&f=false. Retrieved 26 November 2010. 
  23. ^ Music--As Written. Billboard. 2 November 1946. https://books.google.com/books?id=ERoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT29&dq=chesterfield+supper+club&hl=en&ei=M5icTennOqi00QG-2eDbAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwADge#v=onepage&q=chesterfield%20supper%20club&f=false. Retrieved 6 April 2011. 
  24. ^ "Actresses and Vocalists Star on Networks". Youngstown Vindicator. 9 December 1945. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ty5JAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-YMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4368,2971749&dq=perry+como&hl=en. Retrieved 30 October 2010. 
  25. ^ Dunning, John, ed. (1998). On the air: the encyclopedia of old time radio. Oxford University Press USA. pp. 840. ISBN 0-19-507678-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&pg=PA152&lpg=PA152&dq=chesterfield+supper+club&source=bl&ots=H4zKbUA0Br&sig=chyBsPTHW5ciO5txTs69pFS9OLk&hl=en&ei=Rj8pTNnOIJWknQfwu9SLAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CC8Q6AEwCTgU#v=onepage&q=chesterfield%20supper%20club&f=false. Retrieved 30 June 2010. 
  26. ^ Thomas, Bob (31 January 1950). "Chirper Jo Stafford Spins U.S. Records For Europeans". Eugene Register-Guard. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ACpQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uQsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5559,614177&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  27. ^ "Uncle Sam's Gal Jo Upsets Joe Stalin". The Pittsburgh Press. 8 July 1951. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r2IbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dE0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=2478,2671450&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  28. ^ "Jo Stafford to Wear $2 Million in Jewels". Reading Eagle. 1 May 1954. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HAwrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WZoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6895,29828&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  29. ^ "Jo Stafford Weds Composer". Meridien Record. 26 February 1952. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vpFHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-f4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=3415,5348997&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  30. ^ "Jo Stafford and Paul Weston Wed". St. Joseph News-Press. 27 February 1952. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Nt5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IUINAAAAIBAJ&pg=3485,1244528&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  31. ^ Stafford, Jo (June 1953). "Blessed, Tiny Timothy". Radio-TV Mirror. https://www.otrr.org/FILES/Magz_pdf/Radio%20TV%20Mirror/Radio%20and%20Television%20Mirror%205306.pdf. Retrieved 18 November 2010.  (PDF)
  32. ^ "Jo Stafford Has Son". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. 20 November 1952. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Bl0eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OcgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1846,1107331&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  33. ^ "Jo Stafford Has Girl". Youngstown Vindicator. 2 March 1956. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WpM_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=olUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3163,366929&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  34. ^ Thomas, Bob (3 February 1954). "Hollywood Report". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tdwpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JMgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2267,521222&dq=perry+como&hl=en. Retrieved 7 September 2010. 
  35. ^ Robertson, Hal (30 May 1954). "In This TV Family-The Little Woman Takes Orders". The Milwaukee Sentinel. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PmpQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-g8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3730,6905529&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  36. ^ Graham, Sheilah (25 February 1955). "Hollywood". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d8ZRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6GoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1297,7529982&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  37. ^ "Mamie, Maggie Head List of Best Dressed". The Pittsburgh Press. 21 March 1955. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CWAbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2U0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1579,1722724&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  38. ^ Kloss, Gerald (26 January 1964). "Pick A Hot Pop". The Milwaukee Journal. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yVUaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WScEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5254,2754957&dq=red+ingle&hl=en. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
  39. ^ Kleiner, Dick (26 November 1960). "Hubby Writes It And Jo Warbles". The Southeast Missourian. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QBYpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L9cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2710,5198621&dq=paul+weston&hl=en. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  40. ^ Talent Topics. Billboard. 3 November 1962. https://books.google.com/books?id=CBgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT13&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en&ei=iMijTaX0FKfF0QGH2_D3CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBTjyAg#v=onepage&q=jo%20stafford&f=false. Retrieved 11 April 2011. 
  41. ^ Jo Stafford's Dot LP Out in January. Billboard. 23 October 1965. https://books.google.com/books?id=KCkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en&ei=oECjTb2HLojltgfciOGSAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CE4Q6AEwCThk#v=onepage&q=jo%20stafford&f=false. Retrieved 11 April 2011. 
  42. ^ a b First Annual Jockey Poll. Billboard. 2 August 1947. https://books.google.com/books?id=xgwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT30&dq=red+ingle&hl=en&ei=YzkCTs27KYLY0QGcx9TEDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=red%20ingle&f=false. Retrieved 22 June 2011. 
  43. ^ General Artists Corporation trade ad for Jo Stafford. Billboard. 5 November 2011. https://books.google.com/books?id=Fg4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT8&lpg=PT8&dq=red+ingle&source=bl&ots=JGjI9NbrHi&sig=bSrkA_VGmhN1SINxfwLpXqozsSY&hl=en&ei=5Es-Ten0J8qs8Aal-PyACw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBjhG#v=onepage&q=red%20ingle&f=false. Retrieved 28 January 2011. 
  44. ^ Nostalgia With Let-Down Trimming. Billboard. 14 March 1960. https://books.google.com/books?id=qB8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14&dq=jo+stafford&hl=en&ei=ZN6jTdWLCKXx0gHLnbz-CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwATj-Aw#v=onepage&q=jo%20stafford&f=false. Retrieved 12 April 2011. 
  45. ^ "Ford Startime 8 March 1960". Classic TV Archive. https://ctva.biz/US/Anthology/FordStartime.htm. Retrieved 21 June 2011. 
  46. ^ a b c "Music:Two Right Hands". Time. 23 September 1957. https://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,893722,00.html. Retrieved 28 January 2011. 
  47. ^ Moore, James Ross (2001). "American National Biography: Paul Weston". https://www.anb.org/articles/18/18-03562-print.html. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  48. ^ Lees, Gene (1989). Singers and the Song: G.I. Joe. Oxford University Press. pp. 272. ISBN 0-19-506087-3. https://bellsouthpwp.net/h/o/holaday/JosPage/jobyglee.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  49. ^ "Shower of Stars newspaper ad". The Deseret News. 9 January 1958. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WolaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DkoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7067,1606554&dq=paul+weston&hl=en. Retrieved 28 January 2011. 
  50. ^ "Shower of Stars Episode #4.4". IMDB. 9 January 1958. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0700148/. Retrieved 7 September 2011. 
  51. ^ "TV Previews". Lawrence Journal-World. 11 October 1960. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dsMxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=buUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3849,813600&dq=jonathan+darlene+edwards&hl=en. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  52. ^ Moore, James Ross (2001). "Paul Weston". American National Biography. https://www.anb.org/articles/18/18-03562-print.html. Retrieved 12 April 2011. 
  53. ^ "Darlene Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats". Billboard.biz. 28 March 1982. https://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/others/darlene-remembers-duke-jonathan-plays-fats-936978.story. Retrieved 2 May 2011. 
  54. ^ New LP, Tape Releases. Billboard. 10 April 1982. https://books.google.com/books?id=AyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT18&lpg=PT18&dq=darlene+remembers+duke+jonathan+plays+fats&source=bl&ots=oOlQE0KmXm&sig=ROiBasETlOZG-oeuXrtyn_dABa0&hl=en&ei=BTe8TdKPCari0QHP9ZnQBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CD0Q6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=darlene%20remembers%20duke%20jonathan%20plays%20fats&f=false. Retrieved 2 May 2011. 
  55. ^ Pietschmann, Richard J. (December 1982). "Jonathan and Darlene Edwards Talk!". Los Angeles Magazine. https://classic-web.archive.org/web/19991012134825/https://corinthianrecords.com/intv.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  56. ^ "Jo Stafford: beguiling and versatile jazz singer". Times Online. 19 July 2008. https://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4359094.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=1972202. 
  57. ^ Bacon, James (10 May 1958). "Stars Donate Service, Money For Handicapped Children". Warsaw Times. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bLRGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bXsMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4682,1102376&dq=paul+weston&hl=en. Retrieved 18 January 2011. 
  58. ^ "Paul Weston Work Center, Woodland Hills". AbilityFirst. https://www.abilityfirst.org/locations/work_center_woodlandhills.aspx. Retrieved 28 January 2011. 
  59. ^ "Paul Weston and Jo Stafford archive at the University of Arizona". https://web.cfa.arizona.edu/westonstafford/. 
  60. ^ Popa, Christopher (April 2007). "Big Band News". Big Band Library. https://www.bigbandlibrary.com/bigbandnewsapril2007.html. Retrieved 1 April 2011. 
  61. ^ "Singer Jo Stafford dies aged 90". BBC News. 19 July 2008. https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7515323.stm. 
  62. ^ Jo Stafford at Find a Grave
  63. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 523. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 

External links [link]

Listen [link]


https://wn.com/Jo_Stafford

Sourwood Mountain

"Sourwood Mountain" is a traditional American folk song. Like many folk songs, there are numerous lyrical versions extant; however, there are certain commonalities. The song's theme is a lament over the narrator's true love, from whom he is separated. The title comes from the opening line, which is invariably "Chicken's (a) crowing on Sourwood Mountain". Each verse of the song consists of a rhyming couplet interspersed with a nonsense refrain, for example:

"Sourwood Mountain" is most closely associated with the music of Appalachia; however, there are versions native to New England as well.

The Grateful Dead uses part of the lyrics (which had also originated from bluegrass) in their song, "Sugar Magnolia".

References

External links

  • several versions of "Sourwood Mountain" from Henry, Mellinger Edward. Folk Songs from the Southern Highlands. 

  • Stafford

    Coordinates: 52°48′24″N 2°07′02″W / 52.8066°N 2.1171°W / 52.8066; -2.1171

    Stafford (/ˈstæfəd/) is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands of England. It lies approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of Wolverhampton, 18 miles (29 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent and 24 miles (39 km) north-west of Birmingham. The population in 2001 was 63,681 and that of the wider borough of Stafford 122,000, the fourth largest in the county after Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

    History

    Stafford means 'ford' by a 'staithe' (landing place). The original settlement was on dry sand and gravel peninsula that provided a strategic crossing point in the marshy valley of the River Sow, a tributary of the River Trent. There is still a large area of marshland northwest of the town, which has always been subject to flooding, such as in 1947, 2000 and 2007.

    It is thought Stafford was founded in about 700 AD by a Mercian prince called Bertelin who, according to legend, established a hermitage on the peninsula named Betheney or Bethnei. Until recently it was thought that the remains of a wooden preaching cross from this time had been found under the remains of St Bertelin's chapel, next to the later collegiate Church of St Mary in the centre of the town. Recent re-examination of the evidence shows this was a misinterpretation – it was a tree trunk coffin placed centrally in the first, timber, chapel at around the time Æthelflæd founded the burh, in 913 AD. The tree trunk coffin may have been placed there as an object of commemoration or veneration of St Bertelin.

    List of Major League Baseball players with unidentified given names

    Forty-one individuals who played professional baseball at the major league level lack identified given names. Identification of players remains difficult due to a lack of information; a Brooklyn, New York directory, for instance, lists more than 30 men that could be the professional player "Stoddard". Possible mistakes in reading box scores from the 19th century could have also led to players without given names: "Eland", for example, could be another player from the Baltimore Marylands roster whose name was simply misread. Four of the 41, McBride, Stafford, Sterling, and Sweigert, were local players added to the Philadelphia Athletics team by manager Bill Sharsig for Philadelphia's last game of the season against the Syracuse Stars on October 12, 1890. Sterling pitched five innings for the Athletics and conceded 12 runs. McBride, Philadelphia's center fielder, and Stafford, the team's right fielder, both failed to reach base, but left fielder Sweigert reached base on a walk and stole a base. Society for American Baseball Research writer Bill Carle "doubt[s] we will ever be able to identify them".

    HM Prison Stafford

    HM Prison Stafford is a Category C men's prison, located in Stafford, Staffordshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.

    History

    Stafford Prison was built on its current site in 1793, and has been in almost continuous use, save a period between 1916 and 1939. It held Irish Internees taken by the British after the 1916 Easter Rising from May. They were released Christmas 1916.

    Among its earlier prisoners was George Smith who served several sentences for theft there but began his later work as a hangman while a prisoner, assisting William Calcraft. He officiated at several executions in the prison later in his life, notably that of poisoner William Palmer in 1866.

    In November 1998, an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons heavily criticised security at Stafford Prison, after it emerged that inmates were being supplied with drugs flown in on paper planes. Inmates were fashioning strips of paper into planes, then attaching lines to them and flying them over the 19-foot (5.8-metre) perimeter wall. The lines were then used to pull packages containing drugs and other banned substances back over the wall. The prison was also criticised for being overcrowded, under-resourced, and failing to prepare prisoners for release.

    Radio Stations - Staffordshire

    RADIO STATION
    GENRE
    LOCATION
    Retro Soul Radio London R&B UK
    Energy FM DJ Mixes Non-Stop Dance UK
    RadioFish Country,Oldies,60s UK
    Radio Wivenhoe Varied UK
    Scanner: VHF Marine Radio Public UK
    RAT Radio Varied UK
    Gem 106 Varied UK
    BBC York Varied UK
    Skyline Gold 60s,Soft Rock,Rock,Oldies,Easy,Country,Classic Rock,80s,70s UK
    BBC Hindi - Tees Minute News Updates,Indian UK
    BBC Radio 1 Pop UK
    Free Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire Pop,Top 40 UK
    Miskin Radio Pop UK
    EKR - WDJ Retro Rock,Adult Contemporary,Soft Rock UK
    RollinRadio Electronica UK
    Hard House UK Dance UK
    My Social Radio Top 40 UK
    Flight FM Electronica UK
    Remarkable Radio Oldies UK
    80s And More 80s UK
    Sunshine Gold Oldies UK
    House FM Dance,Electronica,Jungle UK
    Jemm Two Indie Rock UK
    Rickhits Pop UK
    Dance Music 24/7 - EHM Productions 90s,Dance,Electronica UK
    Hope FM 90.1 Christian Contemporary UK
    Phoenix Radio Rock,Classic Rock UK
    Gold FM Radio Rock,90s,80s,Adult Contemporary,Pop UK
    87.7 Black Cat Radio Oldies,Pop UK
    Radyo 90 Sports,Folk,Pop UK
    Chester Talking Newspaper Flintshire Edition News UK
    URN College UK
    Sauce FM Dance UK
    Anfield FM Sports UK
    Sky News News UK
    Citybeat 96.7FM Adult Contemporary UK
    BBC Hindi - Din Bhar News Updates,Indian UK
    RWSfm Varied UK
    BBC Surrey Varied UK
    106 Jack FM Oxfordshire Adult Contemporary UK
    Bradley Stoke Radio Varied UK
    Energy FM Old School Classics Dance UK
    Deddington OnAir Rock,Pop UK
    Summer Time Radio 90s,Dance,Electronica UK
    Stomp Radio R&B UK
    Stress Factor Dance,Electronica UK
    Total Biker FM Rock,Punk UK
    BBC Manchester Varied,News UK
    BrooklynFM Rock,Classic Rock UK
    FRED Film Ch9 Romanian Talk UK
    Fantasy radio Varied UK

    SEARCH FOR RADIOS

    Podcasts:

    Jo Stafford

    Born: 1917-11-12

    Died: 2008-07-16

    PLAYLIST TIME:

    Make Love To Me

    by: Jo Stafford

    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    (Ba-ba-boom)
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Take me in your arms and never let me go
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Whisper to me softly while the moon is low
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Hold me close and tell me what I wanna know
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Say it to me gently, let the sweet talk flow
    Come a little closer, make love to me
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Kiss me once again before we say good night
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Take me in your lovin' arms and squeeze me tight
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Put me in a mood so I can dream all night
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Everybody's sleepin' so it's quite all right
    Come a little closer, make love to me
    When you're near, so help me, dear
    Chills run up my spine
    Don't you know I love you so
    I won't be happy till you're mine
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    When I'm in your arms you give my heart a treat
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Everything about you is so doggone sweet
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Ev'ry time we kiss you make my life complete
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Baby doll, you know ya swept me off my feet
    Now's the time to tell you
    Make love to me
    [Instrumental Interlude]
    I won't be happy till you're mine
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    When I'm in your arms you give my heart a treat
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Everything about you is so doggone sweet
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Ev'ry time we kiss you make my life complete
    (Ba-ba-ba-boom)
    Baby doll, you know ya swept me off my feet
    Now's the time to tell you
    Make love to me




    ×