Dodie Stevens
Encyclopedia
Dodie Stevens is an American
pop
singer. She is best known for her million selling 1959 song
"Pink Shoe Laces", which made her a star when she was only 13 years old.
in California
when she was three. She soon started taking singing and dancing lessons. In 1954, at the age of eight, she recorded
her first song, "Merry-Go Merry-Go Round." The song was performed on the Art Linkletter's House Party
TV show
and issued on Gold Star Records
under the name Geri Pace.
. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
, and it sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. Following the song’s success, Dot Records
signed her to a recording contract
. Her first Dot recording was "Mairzy Doats" (Dot 16002) in 1959. In the early 1960s, she had several minor hit single
s on Dot including "No" (Dot 16103) and "Yes I'm Lonesome Tonight" (Dot 16167), as well as "Merry, Merry Christmas Baby" (M. Sylvia / G. Lopez) (Dot 16166), which continues to enjoy airplay during the Christmas season. Dot also released Dodie's cover of the Patsy Cline hit "I Fall to Pieces" (Dot 16200) in 1961, and "Pink Shoe Laces" (Dot 16389) in 1962. She also recorded three non-charting album
s for the label:
Stevens also appeared in the following film
s:
at the age of sixteen and moved to Missouri
and lived on a farm. A few years later, she had a daughter, Stephanie. Soon thereafter, in 1966, she ended her marriage and resumed her singing career. In 1969, she appeared in the Billboard charts, peaking at #117 pop, #57 country, with the answer record "Billy, I've Got To Go To Town", under the name Geraldine Stevens. She took additional vocal lessons and in 1972 began appearing and recording with Sérgio Mendes
and Brasil '77. In the ensuing years she toured as a backup singer
with such recording artists
as Loretta Lynn
, Frankie Avalon
, and Boz Scaggs
, and for twelve years with Mac Davis
. In the 1990s, as Geri Stevens, she toured with Fabian
and her own company "Dodie Stevens and The Pink Shoe Laces Review." Recently, she has performed with her daughter Stephanie and appeared at oldies concerts across the country. She also teaches singing and stage performance out of her studio in San Diego County.
Although Stevens is a trained vocalist possessing considerable vocal range
, she will be remembered for "Pink Shoe Laces," which was essentially a novelty song
with the verses spoken in a staccato
fashion.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer. She is best known for her million selling 1959 song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Pink Shoe Laces", which made her a star when she was only 13 years old.
Early life
Stevens and her family moved to the San Gabriel ValleySan Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
when she was three. She soon started taking singing and dancing lessons. In 1954, at the age of eight, she recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
her first song, "Merry-Go Merry-Go Round." The song was performed on the Art Linkletter's House Party
Art Linkletter's House Party
House Party is an American radio daytime variety/talk show that aired on CBS Radio and on ABC Radio from January 15, 1945 to October 13, 1967...
TV show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
and issued on Gold Star Records
Gold Star Records
Gold Star Recording Company and Gold Star Sound ServicesGold Star Recording Company originated as a recording studio in Houston, Texas, founded in October 1941 by Bill Quinn under the name Quinn Recording Company...
under the name Geri Pace.
"Pink Shoe Laces" and early career
The president of Crystalette Records, Carl Burns, happened to see her in a local show called "Strickly Informal." Mr. Burns gave her the name Dodie Stevens and the song "Pink Shoe Laces." Although Stevens did not initially like her new name or the song, she recorded "Pink Shoe Laces" in 1959 for the Crystalette labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, and it sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. Following the song’s success, Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
signed her to a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
. Her first Dot recording was "Mairzy Doats" (Dot 16002) in 1959. In the early 1960s, she had several minor hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s on Dot including "No" (Dot 16103) and "Yes I'm Lonesome Tonight" (Dot 16167), as well as "Merry, Merry Christmas Baby" (M. Sylvia / G. Lopez) (Dot 16166), which continues to enjoy airplay during the Christmas season. Dot also released Dodie's cover of the Patsy Cline hit "I Fall to Pieces" (Dot 16200) in 1961, and "Pink Shoe Laces" (Dot 16389) in 1962. She also recorded three non-charting album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s for the label:
- Dodie Stevens (1959)
- Over the Rainbow (1960)
- Pink Shoe Laces (1963)
Stevens also appeared in the following film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s:
- Hound Dog Man (1959) as Nita Stringer
- Alakazam the GreatAlakazam the Greatis a 1960 Japanese anime film, based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West, and was one of the earliest anime films to be released in the United States. Based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka, he was named as a director of the film by Toei Company. However, Tezuka later stated that the only time he...
aka Saiyu-Ki (1961) as DeeDee the Monkey - Convicts Four (1962) as Resko’s sister
Adult career and legacy
Stevens marriedMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
at the age of sixteen and moved to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and lived on a farm. A few years later, she had a daughter, Stephanie. Soon thereafter, in 1966, she ended her marriage and resumed her singing career. In 1969, she appeared in the Billboard charts, peaking at #117 pop, #57 country, with the answer record "Billy, I've Got To Go To Town", under the name Geraldine Stevens. She took additional vocal lessons and in 1972 began appearing and recording with Sérgio Mendes
Sergio Mendes
Sérgio Santos Mendes is a Brazilian musician. He has released over thirty-five albums, and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk....
and Brasil '77. In the ensuing years she toured as a backup singer
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
with such recording artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
as Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
, Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
, and Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
, and for twelve years with Mac Davis
Mac Davis
Mac Davis is a country music singer, songwriter, and actor originally from Lubbock, Texas who has enjoyed much crossover success...
. In the 1990s, as Geri Stevens, she toured with Fabian
Fabian (entertainer)
Fabiano Anthony Forte , known as Fabian, is an American teen idol of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He rose to national prominence after performing several times on American Bandstand. Eleven of his songs reached the Billboard Hot 100 listing.-Early life:Fabian was the son of Josephine and Domenic...
and her own company "Dodie Stevens and The Pink Shoe Laces Review." Recently, she has performed with her daughter Stephanie and appeared at oldies concerts across the country. She also teaches singing and stage performance out of her studio in San Diego County.
Although Stevens is a trained vocalist possessing considerable vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
, she will be remembered for "Pink Shoe Laces," which was essentially a novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
with the verses spoken in a staccato
Staccato
Staccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...
fashion.
External links
- Official website
- Dodie Stevens at Classicbands.com
- Websitetoolbox.com, Both Sides Now Stereo Chat Board.