Jo Stafford
Encyclopedia
Jo Elizabeth Stafford 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.
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
. Stafford's work in radio, television and music is recognized by three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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
. The sisters got their start on KNX
as part of The Singing Crockett Family of Kentucky program when Jo was 18.
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. The Stafford Sisters made their first recording with Louis Prima
in 1936. 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".
. 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. This group consisted of eight members including Stafford: John Huddleston (who was Stafford's husband from 1941 until their divorce in 1943), Hal Hooper, Chuck Lowry, Bud Hervey, George Tait, Woody Newbury, and Dick Whittinghill
. As the Pied Pipers, they worked on local radio
and movie
soundtrack
s. 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.
After Weston persuaded Dorsey to audition the group in 1938, the eight drove cross-country to New York together for the chance. 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. They stayed in New York for several months, 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.
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. The group also backed Frank Sinatra
in some of his early recordings.
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
. 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.
Beginning in late 1945, she hosted the Tuesday and Thursday broadcasts of an NBC
musical variety radio program — The Chesterfield Supper Club
. Stafford moved from New York to California in November 1946, but continued to host Chesterfield Supper Club from Hollywood. She also had her own radio show which went on the air later on Tuesday nights when she joined the "Supper Club". In 1948, she cut her "Supper Club" appearances to once a week (Tuesdays), with Peggy Lee
becoming the host of the Thursday broadcasts. 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
.
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. 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. 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. 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.
In 1950, she left Capitol for Columbia Records
, later returning to Capitol with Weston in 1961. While at Columbia she was the first recording artist to sell 25 million records for that company. 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. Stafford and Weston left for Europe for their combination honeymoon-business trip; Stafford had an engagement at the London Palladium
. They went on to have two children, Tim and Amy.
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
". 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).
Stafford hosted the 15-minute The Jo Stafford Show
on CBS-TV from 1954 to 1955, with Weston as her conductor and music arranger. While doing her CBS television show, Stafford was named to the 1955 list of Best Dressed Women by the New York Fashion Academy. 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
.
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.
During her second stint at Capitol, Stafford also recorded for Frank Sinatra's Reprise
label. 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
.
and the Natural Seven. She recorded a mock hillbilly version of Temptation
, which she pronounced "Tim-tayshun", in 1947. 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. 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. Stafford, along with Ingle and Weston, made a personal appearance tour in 1949, turning herself into Cinderella G. Stump to perform the song. Stafford and Ingle performed the song on network television in 1960 for Startime
. 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. Stafford would sing off-key in a high pitched voice; Weston played an untuned piano off key and with bizarre rhythms. 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. 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. He asked his wife to join the project and Stafford then became Darlene Edwards, the off-key vocalist.
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 bootleg
s 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.
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.) The 1957 Time
article exposed that they were in fact the Edwardses. 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.
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.
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
." 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.
Their last release, Darlene Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats
, was issued in 1982.
in the mid 1960s, 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. 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. Concord Records
attempted to get Stafford to change her mind and come out of retirement, but she remained adamant.
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.
. Stafford was inducted into the Big Band Academy of America's "Golden Bandstand" in April 2007.
Stafford began suffering congestive heart failure
in October 2007, from which she died on July 16, 2008. She was interred with her husband Paul Weston at the Holy Cross Cemetery
in Culver City
.
| * # peaked at #2 on the country charts
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer of traditional pop music
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...
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
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
and was considered one of the most versatile vocalists of the era.
She was also viewed as a pioneer of modern musical parody, having won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Comedy Album
Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album was awarded from yearly 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to present day. There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time:*From 1959 to 1967 it was Best Comedy Performance...
in 1961 (with husband Paul Weston
Paul Weston
Paul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts...
) for their 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...
Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris. She was also the first woman to have a No 1 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Stafford's work in radio, television and music is recognized by three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Early years
Stafford was born in Coalinga, CaliforniaCoalinga, California
Coalinga is a city in Fresno County, California. The population was 13,380 at the 2010 census, up from 11,668 at the 2000 census. It is the site of both Pleasant Valley State Prison and Coalinga State Hospital. Coalinga is located southwest of Fresno, at an elevation of 673 feet .-Early...
in 1917 to Grover Cleveland Stafford and Anna York Stafford, a second cousin of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
hero Sergeant Alvin York; both parents enjoyed singing and sharing music with their family. Her father had hopes of being a success in the California oil fields when he moved his family from Gainesboro, Tennessee
Gainesboro, Tennessee
Gainesboro is a town in Jackson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County.Gainesboro is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
; 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
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player, playing and singing many of the folk songs which would become an influence on her daughter's later career.
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. Her second was far more dramatic. A student at Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a High school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States....
with the lead in the school musical, she was on stage rehearsing when a 1933 earthquake hit, destroying the school. Originally, she wanted to become an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer and studied voice as a child. However, because of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, she abandoned that idea and joined her sisters Christine and Pauline in a popular
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
vocal group, "The Stafford Sisters", which performed on Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station KHJ
KHJ (AM)
KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera. It was also one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s as 93 KHJ before changing its format in 1980....
. The sisters got their start on KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
as part of The Singing Crockett Family of Kentucky program when Jo was 18.
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. The Stafford Sisters made their first recording with Louis Prima
Louis Prima
Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
in 1936. In 1937 she worked behind the scenes with Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
on the soundtrack of A Damsel in Distress
A Damsel in Distress (film)
A Damsel in Distress is a 1937 English-themed Hollywood musical comedy film starring Fred Astaire, Joan Fontaine, George Burns, and Gracie Allen. With a screenplay by P. G...
, while subsequently creating the arrangements and, along with her sisters, the backing vocals for "Nice Work If You Can Get It
Nice Work If You Can Get It (song)
"Nice Work If You Can Get It" is a popular song.The music was written by George Gershwin, the lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was one of nine songs George Gershwin wrote for the movie A Damsel in Distress, in which it was performed by Fred Astaire with backing vocals provided by The Stafford Sisters...
". 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".
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 SistersThe King Sisters
The King Sisters were an American big band-era vocal quartet.-History:Born and raised in Pleasant Grove, Utah, about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, the King Sisters originally were part of the "Driggs Family of Entertainers"."In the early 1930s sisters Luise, Maxine and Alyce formed a vocal trio...
. 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
The Pied Pipers
The Pied Pipers were a popular singing group in the late 1930s and 1940s. Originally they consisted of eight members who had belonged to three separate groups: Jo Stafford from The Stafford Sisters, and seven male singers: John Huddleston, Hal Hopper, Chuck Lowry, Bud Hervey, George Tait, Woody...
, which Stafford joined. This group consisted of eight members including Stafford: John Huddleston (who was Stafford's husband from 1941 until their divorce in 1943), Hal Hooper, Chuck Lowry, Bud Hervey, George Tait, Woody Newbury, and Dick Whittinghill
Dick Whittinghill
Dick Whittinghill was an American movie and television actor, recording artist and radio disc jockey in the United States...
. As the Pied Pipers, they worked on local radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and movie
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...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s. 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
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
's arrangers
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
Axel Stordahl
Axel Stordahl
Axel Stordahl was an arranger who was active from the late 1930s through the 1950s. He is perhaps best known for his work with Frank Sinatra in the 1940s at Columbia Records...
and Paul Weston
Paul Weston
Paul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts...
, who became interested in the group after meeting them there.
After Weston persuaded Dorsey to audition the group in 1938, the eight drove cross-country to New York together for the chance. 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. They stayed in New York for several months, but landed only a single job that paid them just $3.60 each, though they did record four sides for RCA Victor Records
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
. 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.
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. The group also backed Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
in some of his early recordings.
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
Bob Crosby
George Robert "Bob" Crosby was an American dixieland bandleader and vocalist, best known for his group the Bob-Cats.-Family:...
and Johnny Mercer. It became one of the first groups signed to Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
's new label, Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Paul Weston was Capitol's music director; he had left Tommy Dorsey's band to work with Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
shortly after Dorsey re-hired the smaller version of the Pied Pipers.
Solo career
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." 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.Beginning in late 1945, she hosted the Tuesday and Thursday broadcasts of an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
musical variety radio program — The Chesterfield Supper Club
The Chesterfield Supper Club
The Chesterfield Supper Club, an NBC musical variety radio program , was also telecast by NBC from 1948 to 1950.-Radio:The Chesterfield Supper Club began on December 11, 1944, as a 15-minute radio program, airing at 7pm weeknights on the NBC Radio Network. This musical variety show was sponsored by...
. Stafford moved from New York to California in November 1946, but continued to host Chesterfield Supper Club from Hollywood. She also had her own radio show which went on the air later on Tuesday nights when she joined the "Supper Club". In 1948, she cut her "Supper Club" appearances to once a week (Tuesdays), with Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
becoming the host of the Thursday broadcasts. 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
American Folklore Society
The American Folklore Society is the US-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world. It was founded in 1888 by William Wells Newell, who stood at the center of a diverse group of university-based scholars, museum anthropologists, and men...
.
In 1948 Stafford and Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
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. Stafford began hosting a weekly Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
radio program in 1950, recording the voice portions of the shows in Hollywood. She contributed her disk jockey talents without pay. At the time, she was also hosting Club 15 for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
radio, sharing those duties with Bob Crosby
Bob Crosby
George Robert "Bob" Crosby was an American dixieland bandleader and vocalist, best known for his group the Bob-Cats.-Family:...
much as was done with Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
on Chesterfield Supper Club. By 1951, Stafford was also doing weekly radio work for Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
. Collier's
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to 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
Daily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
. The newspaper published a column critical of Stafford and VOA.
In 1950, she left Capitol for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, later returning to Capitol with Weston in 1961. While at Columbia she was the first recording artist to sell 25 million records for that company. 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. Stafford and Weston left for Europe for their combination honeymoon-business trip; Stafford had an engagement at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
. They went on to have two children, Tim and Amy.
In the 1950s, she had a string of popular hits with Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
, six of which charted; their duet of Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'
Hey Good Lookin' (song)
"Hey Good Lookin" is a 1951 song written and recorded by Hank Williams, and his version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. Since its original 1951 recording it has been covered by a variety of artists.-Chart performance:...
" 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
Shrimp Boats
"Shrimp Boats" was a popular song in the 1950s.It was written by Paul Mason Howard and Paul Weston and published in 1951.Charting versions were recorded by Jo Stafford and Dolores Gray. It was also recorded by Claude Gray in 1963, and by Pete Fountain, Abdullah Ibrahim, The Orioles, and Buddy Tate...
," "Make Love to Me
Make Love to Me
- Mann/Weiss/Gannon song :With music by Paul Mann and Stephan Weiss, and lyrics by Kim Gannon, it was recorded in 1942 by Helen Forrest with the Harry James Orchestra...
," and "You Belong to Me
You Belong to Me (1952 song)
"You Belong to Me" is a pop music ballad from the 1950s. The singer reminds his/her lover that, whatever exotic locales and sights he/she experiences, "you belong to me." It is credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, and Redd Stewart...
". The last song was Stafford's all-time biggest hit, topping the charts in both the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(the first song by a female singer to top the UK chart).
Stafford hosted the 15-minute The Jo Stafford Show
The Jo Stafford Show (1954 TV series)
The Jo Stafford Show is a 15-minute musical variety program which aired on CBS in prime time in the 1954-1955 television season. Jo Stafford began her solo singing career after success with the big band group known as The Pied Pipers. Arrangements for the program were handled by Stafford's husband,...
on CBS-TV from 1954 to 1955, with Weston as her conductor and music arranger. While doing her CBS television show, Stafford was named to the 1955 list of Best Dressed Women by the New York Fashion Academy. She appeared as a guest on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Club Oasis
Club Oasis
Club Oasis is a 24-episode half-hour comedy-variety show, set in a chic simulated nightclub, which appeared on NBC in the 1957–1958 television season. The series alternated with The Polly Bergen Show in the 9 p.m. EST time slot on Saturday evenings...
and on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom is a half-hour variety show that aired on ABC from October 3, 1957 to June 23, 1960, starring the young singer Pat Boone and a host of top-name guest stars. The program was of course sponsored by Chevrolet...
, 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
The Jo Stafford Show (1961 TV series)
The Jo Stafford Show is a nine-episode British television programme which aired in the United Kingdom on a fortnightly basis starting 9 September 1961. It was presented by the singer Jo Stafford, who was joined on stage by guests from the world of music and television; each episode was based on a...
, centered around music. The shows were produced in England and featured guests, both British and American, such as Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Mel Tormé
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
and Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
.
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.
During her second stint at Capitol, Stafford also recorded for Frank Sinatra's Reprise
Reprise
Reprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...
label. 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
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...
.
Jonathan and Darlene Edwards
Stafford briefly performed comedy under the name "Cinderella G. Stump" with Red IngleRed Ingle
Ernest Jansen "Red" Ingle was an American musician, singer and songwriter, arranger, cartoonist and caricaturist. He is best known for his comedy records with Spike Jones and his own Natural Seven sides for Capitol....
and the Natural Seven. She recorded a mock hillbilly version of Temptation
Temptation (1933 song)
"Temptation" is a popular song, published in 1933, with music written by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed. The song was used in the film Singin' in the Rain and later in the 1983 musical based on the film, and is prominently featured in Valerio Zurlini's Violent Summer .The song was...
, which she pronounced "Tim-tayshun", in 1947. 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. 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. Stafford, along with Ingle and Weston, made a personal appearance tour in 1949, turning herself into Cinderella G. Stump to perform the song. Stafford and Ingle performed the song on network television in 1960 for Startime
Startime (TV series)
Startime is an anthology show of drama, comedy, and variety, and was one of the first American television shows broadcast in color. The program was aired Tuesday nights in the United States on the NBC Television network in the 1959-60 television season....
. 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. Stafford would sing off-key in a high pitched voice; Weston played an untuned piano off key and with bizarre rhythms. 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. 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. He asked his wife to join the project and Stafford then became Darlene Edwards, the off-key vocalist.
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 bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
s 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
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
lounge act that they had discovered, and denied any personal connection.
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
Margaret Truman
Mary Margaret Truman Daniel , also known as Margaret Truman or Margaret Daniel, was an American singer who later became a successful writer. The only child of US President Harry S...
and Harry Truman, Time magazine noted.) The 1957 Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
article exposed that they were in fact the Edwardses. 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
Parody music
Parody music, or musical parody, involves changing or recycling existing musical ideas or lyrics — or copying the peculiar style of a composer or artist, or even a general style of music. Although the result is often funny, and this is the usual intent — the term "parody" in musical terms also...
album, laying the groundwork for the careers of later "full time" musical parodists such as Mrs. Miller
Mrs. Miller
Elva Ruby Connes Miller , who recorded under the name Mrs. Miller, was an American singer who gained some fame in the 1960s for her series of shrill and off-key renditions of then-popular songs such as "Moon River", "Monday, Monday", "A Lover's Concerto" and "Downtown".Singing in an untrained,...
(famous for her off-key rendition of then-popular songs on her Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits album, along with "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
.
In 1958, the Westons brought the pair to the television screen for a Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
Shower of Stars
Shower of Stars
Shower of Stars is an American variety television series broadcast in the United States from 1954 to 1958 by CBS. The series was also known as Chrysler Shower of Stars. Unusually at the time for CBS, the series was telecast in color.-Overview:...
and to The Garry Moore Show
The Garry Moore Show
The Garry Moore Show is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer, Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talents, such as Don Adams, George Gobel, Carol Burnett, Don...
in 1960.
They continued recording Jonathan and Darlene albums, with their 1960 album, Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris
Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris
Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris is a 1960 comedy album recorded by American singer Jo Stafford and her husband, pianist and bandleader Paul Weston...
winning that year's Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album (they "tied" with Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
, 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.
The couple continued to release the albums for several years, and in 1979 released a cover of The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive
Stayin' Alive
"Stayin' Alive" is a song by the pop group Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was written by the Bee Gees and produced by the Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It was released on 13 December 1977, as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever...
" backed with "I Am Woman
I Am Woman
"I Am Woman" is a song cowritten by Helen Reddy and singer/songwriter/guitarist Ray Burton and performed by Reddy. Released in its most well-known version in 1970, the song became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement.-Success:...
." 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
The Kentucky Fried Movie
The Kentucky Fried Movie is an American comedy film, released in 1977 and directed by John Landis. The film's writers were the team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. This same team would go on to write and direct Airplane!, Top Secret! and the Police Squad! television series and its...
. Their "sing-along" album was blamed by Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
for putting an end to his sing-along television show and record albums.
Their last release, Darlene Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats
Darlene Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats
Darlene Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats is a 1982 album by Jo Stafford and Paul Weston in which they perform in character as Jonathan and Darlene Edwards. The duo put their own unique interpretation on the music of Duke Ellington and Fats Waller with Stafford singing deliberately off key, while...
, was issued in 1982.
Personal life and retirement
Saying she no longer found it "fun", Stafford went into semi-retirementRetirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
in the mid 1960s, 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. 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. Concord Records
Concord Records
Concord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
attempted to get Stafford to change her mind and come out of retirement, but she remained adamant.
Stafford won a breach-of-contract lawsuit against her former record label
Record 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,...
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
In 1996, Paul Weston died of natural causes. Stafford continued to operate Corinthian Records. In 2006, she donated her library and her husband's to the University of ArizonaUniversity of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. Stafford was inducted into the Big Band Academy of America's "Golden Bandstand" in April 2007.
Stafford began suffering congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
in October 2007, from which she died on July 16, 2008. She was interred with her husband Paul Weston at the Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Holy Cross Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles....
in Culver City
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
.
Chart hits
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||
| 1944 | "The Trolley Song The Trolley Song "The Trolley Song" is a song written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and made famous by Judy Garland in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis... " (w/ Pied Pipers) |
2 | — |
| "Old Acquaintance" | 15 | — | |
| "How Sweet You Are" | 14 | — | |
| "Long Ago (and Far Away) Long Ago (and Far Away) "Long Ago " is a popular song from the 1944 Technicolor film musical Cover Girl starring Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly and released by Columbia Pictures. The music was written by Jerome Kern, and the lyrics were written by Ira Gershwin... " |
6 | — | |
| "I Love You I Love You (Cole Porter song) "I Love You" is a song written by Cole Porter in 1944 for his stage musical Mexican Hayride. It was popularized by Bing Crosby in the same year... " |
8 | — | |
| "It Could Happen to You It Could Happen to You (song) "It Could Happen to You" is a popular standard with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was written in 1944 and was introduced by Dorothy Lamour in the Paramount musical comedy film, And the Angels Sing.... " |
10 | — | |
| 1945 | "That's for Me That's for Me The music was written by Richard Rodgers, the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was published in 1945. It was included in the 1945 version of the musical film State Fair.Recordings were made by Jo Stafford and Dick Haymes.... " |
9 | — |
| "Let's Take The Long Way Home" | 14 | — | |
| "Candy Candy (1944 song) "Candy" is a popular song. The music was written by Alex Kramer, the lyrics by Mack David and Joan Whitney. It was published in 1944.The recording by Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 183. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on... " with Johnny Mercer |
2 | — | |
| "There's No You There's No You "There's No You" is a popular song.The music was written by Hal Hopper and the lyrics by Tom Adair. The song was first published in 1944.Two of the best known versions of the song were recorded by Jo Stafford and Frank Sinatra... " |
7 | — | |
| "Out Of This World" | 9 | — | |
| "On The Sunny Side Of The Street On the Sunny Side of the Street "On the Sunny Side of the Street" is a song with music composed by Jimmy McHugh and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, which was introduced in the Broadway musical Lew Leslie's International Revue, starring Harry Richman and Gertrude Lawrence.... " |
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 The Things We Did Last Summer "The Things We Did Last Summer" is a popular song from 1946. The words were written by Sammy Cahn, with the composition by Jule Styne. Several recordings have been made, the most well known of which include versions by Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford and Vaughn Monroe... " |
10 | — | |
| "White Christmas White Christmas (song) "White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.Accounts vary as... " |
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 The Best Things in Life Are Free "The Best Things in Life Are Free" is a song by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson.-Song information:Released in 1992, the song was originally recorded for the Mo' Money soundtrack... " |
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 Some Enchanted Evening (song) "Some Enchanted Evening" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific.In the musical, it is sung as a solo by Emile de Becque, the French plantation owner, who falls in love with the American navy nurse Nellie Forbush. In this song he sings of seizing the moment so... " |
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 Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a song introduced by Carol Channing in the original Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , which was written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin... " |
30 | — | |
| "Play A Simple Melody" | 18 | — | |
| "Sometime" | 27 | — | |
| "If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time" | 14 | — | |
| "Goodnight, Irene Goodnight, Irene "Goodnight, Irene" or "Irene, Goodnight," is a 20th century American folk standard, written in 3/4 time, first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1932.... " |
26 | — | |
| "No Other Love No Other Love (1950 song) "No Other Love" is a popular song.The words were written by Bob Russell. The music is credited to Paul Weston but is actually derived from Frédéric Chopin's Étude No. 3 in E, Op. 10... " |
10 | — | |
| 1951 | "Tennessee Waltz The Tennessee Waltz "Tennessee Waltz" is a popular/country music song with lyrics by Redd Stewart and music by Pee Wee King written in 1946 and first released in December 1947 as a single by Cowboy Copas that same year... " |
7 | — |
| "If" | 8 | — | |
| "It is No Secret It is No Secret It Is No Secret is a Southern Gospel song composed by Stuart Carl Hamblen in the 1950s.A version was also recorded by Jo Stafford for her 1954 album Garden of Prayer.- The Elvis Presley version :... " |
15 | — | |
| "Somebody" | 12 | — | |
| "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" is a popular song with music by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the 1951 film, Here Comes the Groom, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.... "(w/ Frankie Laine Frankie Laine Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005... ) |
17 | — | |
| "Kissing Bug Boogie" | 20 | — | |
| "Shrimp Boats Shrimp Boats "Shrimp Boats" was a popular song in the 1950s.It was written by Paul Mason Howard and Paul Weston and published in 1951.Charting versions were recorded by Jo Stafford and Dolores Gray. It was also recorded by Claude Gray in 1963, and by Pete Fountain, Abdullah Ibrahim, The Orioles, and Buddy Tate... " |
2 | — | |
| "Pretty-Eyed Baby" (w/ Frankie Laine Frankie Laine Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005... ) |
13 | — | |
| "Gambella (The Gamblin' Lady)" (w/ Frankie Laine) | 19 | — | |
| "Hey Good Lookin' Hey Good Lookin' (song) "Hey Good Lookin" is a 1951 song written and recorded by Hank Williams, and his version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. Since its original 1951 recording it has been covered by a variety of artists.-Chart performance:... " (w/ Frankie Laine) |
9 | — | |
| 1952 | "Hambone Juba dance The Juba dance or hambone, originally known as Pattin' Juba , is a style of dance that involves stomping as well as slapping and patting the arms, legs, chest, and cheeks. "Pattin' Juba" would be used to keep time for other dances during a walkaround... " (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 You Belong to Me (1952 song) "You Belong to Me" is a pop music ballad from the 1950s. The singer reminds his/her lover that, whatever exotic locales and sights he/she experiences, "you belong to me." It is credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, and Redd Stewart... " |
1 | 1 | |
| "Jambalaya" | 3 | 11 | |
| "Early Autumn Early Autumn (song) "Early Autumn" is a song composed by Ralph Burns and Woody Herman with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was a hit for Woody Herman in the year it was written.-Notable recordings:... " |
23 | — | |
| 1953 | "Keep It A Secret" | 4 | — |
| "Chow Willy" (w/ Frankie Laine) | 25 | — | |
| "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I (Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I " A Fool Such as I" is a popular song written by Bill Trader and was published in 1952. Performed by Hank Snow it peaked at number four on the country charts early in 1953.... " |
16 | — | |
| "Without My Lover" | 27 | — | |
| "Just Another Polka" | 22 | — | |
| "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans Way Down Yonder In New Orleans "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans" is a popular song with music by John Turner Layton, Jr. and lyrics by Henry Creamer. First published in 1922, Creamer and Layton advertised it as "A Southern Song, without A Mammy, A Mule, Or A Moon", a dig at some of the Tin Pan Alley clichés of the era.It was... " (w/ Frankie Laine) |
26 | — | |
| 1954 | "Make Love to Me!" | 1 | 8 |
| "Indiscretion" | 30 | — | |
| "Thank You for Calling Thank You for Calling "Thank You for Calling" is a popular and country song.It was written by Cindy Walker. The song was published in 1954.The song was recorded by Billy Walker, Jo Stafford, Hank Snow, and Timi Yuro.... " |
12 | — | |
| 1955 | "Teach Me Tonight Teach Me Tonight "Teach Me Tonight" is a popular song. The music was written by Gene De Paul, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was published in 1953.Cahn wrote a new verse for Frank Sinatra's 1984 recording on L.A... " |
15 | — |
| "Suddenly There's a Valley Suddenly There's a Valley "Suddenly There's a Valley" is a popular song written by Chuck Meyer and Biff Jones and published in 1955.The song was a major hit for Gogi Grant in 1955. Her recording was issued by Era Records as catalog number 1003 and reached Billboard magazine's Top 10... " |
13 | 12 | |
| 1956 | "All Night Long" | 99 | — |
| "It's Almost Tomorrow It's Almost Tomorrow "It's Almost Tomorrow" is a 1955 popular song with music by Gene Adkinson and lyrics by Wade Buff. The song was actually written in 1953, when Adkinson and Buff were in high school... " |
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 | — |
- A Peaked at #5 on Hot Country SongsHot Country SongsHot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart.
| * # peaked at #2 on the country charts
Albums
- Kiss Me, KateKiss Me, Kate (Jo Stafford album)Kiss Me, Kate is a 1949 album of songs from the musical of the same name recorded by American singer Jo Stafford, and actor and singer Gordon Macrae...
(1949) - Jo Stafford with Gordon MacRae (1949)
- Autumn in New YorkAutumn in New York (Jo Stafford album)Autumn in New York is a 1950 album by Jo Stafford, re-released in 1997 with extra tracks. With Paul Weston And His Orchestra. The album was re-released in 1997 on CD along with 1953's Starring Jo Stafford on the EMI label.- Track listing :...
(1950) - Songs for Sunday EveningSongs for Sunday EveningSongs for Sunday Evening is a 1950 album by Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae.- Track listing :# Long, Long Ago# Juanita# In the Gloaming# Last Night# Stars of the Summer Night# Sweet and Low# Love's Old Sweet Song...
(1950) - American Folk SongsAmerican Folk SongsAmerican Folk Songs is a 1950 album by Jo Stafford. The album features twelve popular folk songs.Judy Collins has cited the album as one of the first to spark her interest in folk music.- Track listing :# Shenandoah# Black Is the Color...
(1950) - Songs of FaithSongs of Faith (Jo Stafford album)Songs of Faith is a 1950 album by Jo Stafford. The album is a collection of hymns and inspirational songs.- Track listing :# Lead Kindly Light# Battle Hymn of the Republic # In the Garden# The Old Rugged Cross...
(1950) - Capitol Collectors series (1950)
- As You Desire MeAs You Desire Me (Jo Stafford album)As You Desire Me was an album by Jo Stafford, released by Columbia Records as a 10" long-playing record , a box set of 45-rpm records , and a two-EP set , in 1952.-External references:...
(1952) - Starring Jo StaffordStarring Jo StaffordStarring Jo Stafford is a 1953 album by Jo Stafford,with Paul Weston and His Orchestra accompaniment by The Starlighters and The Pied Pipers...
(1953) - Broadway's BestBroadway's BestBroadway's Best was a Showtunes radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 77 and DISH Network channel 6077. The channel was scrapped as part of the Sirius XM Radio channel merger on November 12, 2008. It was replaced by XM's similar channel, On Broadway....
(1953) - A Portrait of New OrleansA Portrait of New OrleansJo Stafford and Frankie Laine combine their talents in this album, which is a mix of solos and duets by the two singers. Paul Weston and his Orchestra provide the music...
(1954) - Garden of PrayerGarden of PrayerGarden of Prayer is a 1954 album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. Each of the eight tracks on this album has a religious or inspirational theme...
(1954) - My Heart's in the HighlandsMy Heart's in the Highlands-Track listing:Side one# "My Heart's in the Highlands"# "John Anderson, My Jo"# "Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon"# "Moll's Meek, Molly's Sweet"Side two# "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose"# "Green Grow the Rashes, O"# "My Jean"...
(1954) - Soft and SentimentalSoft and Sentimental- Track listing :# September in the Rain # Early Autumn# I'm Always Chasing Rainbows # Don't Worry 'bout Me# Smoking My Sad Cigarette # Love Is Here to Stay...
(1955) - Songs of ScotlandSongs of ScotlandSongs of Scotland is a 1955 album by Jo Stafford. It was released on January 1, 1955 on the Corinthian label and features Stafford backed by the Paul Weston Orchestra. The lyrics are all taken from traditional Scottish poetry, many from the work of Robert Burns, with the music written by Alton...
(1955) - Memory SongsMemory Songs- Track listing :# Long, Long, Ago # Juanita# In the Gloaming# Last Night# Stars of the Summer Night# Sweet and Low# Love's Old Sweet Song # Now the Day Is Over # Wunderbar# Need You # Whispering Hope...
(1955) - Happy HolidayHappy Holiday (Jo Stafford album)Happy Holiday is a 1955 album of Christmas songs and carols by Jo Stafford. The entire family participated in the creation of this album; young Tim Weston is the small boy on the cover...
(1955) - Ski TrailsSki TrailsSki Trails is a 1956 album by Jo Stafford. Most of its songs have a winter theme.- Track listing :# "Baby, It's Cold Outside" # "Moonlight in Vermont"# "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" # "By the Fireside"...
(1956) - A Gal Named JoA Gal Named Jo-Track listing:Side one# "Easy Come, Easy Go"# "Little Man with a Candy Cigar"# "Taking a Chance on Love"Side two# "Dancing on the Ceiling"# "Mountain High, Valley Low"# "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"...
(1956) - Once Over LightlyOnce Over LightlyOnce Over Lightly is a 1957 album by Jo Stafford. On this album she is accompanied by Art Van Damme and his orchestra. Once Over Lightly was released on the Columbia label.- Track listing :# Almost Like Being in Love# A Foggy Day...
(1957) - Swingin' Down Broadway (1958)
- Jo's Greatest HitsJo's Greatest Hits-Track listing:Side one# "Jambalaya"# "Keeping It A Secret"# "Teach Me Tonight"# "It is No Secret"# "Hawaiian War Chant"# "Tennessee Waltz"Side two# "You Belong to Me"# "Make Love to Me!"# "Shrimp Boats"# "Stardust"# "If"...
(1958) - I'll Be Seeing YouI'll Be Seeing You (Jo Stafford album)-Track listing:# I Don't Want To Walk Without You# It Could Happen To You# I'll Walk Alone# I'll Remember April# We Mustn't Say Goodbye# Yesterdays# No Love No Nothin# I'll Be Seeing You...
(1959) - Ballad of the BluesBallad of the BluesBallad of the Blues is a 1959 album by Jo Stafford. It is a concept album which tells a story through song, showcasing the influence of the Blues. The album has a predominantly pop setting and sees Jo Stafford accompanied by her husband Paul Weston and backed by The Starlighters...
(1959) - Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in ParisJonathan and Darlene Edwards in ParisJonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris is a 1960 comedy album recorded by American singer Jo Stafford and her husband, pianist and bandleader Paul Weston...
(1960) - Jo + JazzJo + JazzJo + Jazz is a 1960 album recorded by Jo Stafford on Columbia Records. The album was also re-released in 1993 by Corinthian Records.For this album, Stafford is backed by a line-up of noted jazz musicians including Conte Candoli, Don Fagerquist, Russ Freeman, Johnny Hodges, Mel Lewis, Ray Nance,...
(1960) - Music of My LifeMusic of My Life- Track listing :# The Night We Called It a Day # Georgia on My Mind# Day by Day # Candy# If It Takes Me All My Life # The One I Love # I'll Never Smile Again # Tennessee Waltz...
(1961) - Whispering HopeWhispering Hope (Jo Stafford album)Whispering Hope is a 1962 album by Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae.- Track listing :# Whispering Hope # Abide With Me # In the Garden# Beyond the Sunset# Beautiful Isle of Somewhere # It is No Secret...
(1962) - Peace in the ValleyPeace in the Valley"Peace in the Valley" is a 1937 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys, reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Seller chart. It was among the first gospel recordings to sell one million copies...
(1963) - Getting Sentimental over Tommy DorseyGetting Sentimental over Tommy DorseyGetting Sentimental over Tommy Dorsey is a 1963 album by Jo Stafford. The album was recorded in 1963 and features 11 easy listening classic songs associated with the bandleader Tommy Dorsey. Stafford is accompanied on this album by Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Benny Carter. The album was originally...
(1963) - The Hits of Jo StaffordThe Hits of Jo StaffordThe Hits of Jo Stafford is a 1964 album by Jo Stafford, issued by Capitol Records as catalog number ST-1921.- Track listing :...
(1964) - Jo Stafford's Sweet Hour of PrayerJo Stafford's Sweet Hour of PrayerJo Stafford's Sweet Hour of Prayer is a studio album of inspirational songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford on Capitol Records T/ST-2096.-Track listing:# Count Your Blessings# How Great Thou Art# Whiter Than Snow...
(1964) - The Joyful SeasonJoyful SeasonThe Joyful Season is a 1964 Christmas album by Jo Stafford. The album was re-released in 2005 by DRG.- Track listing :# Little Drummer Boy# Santa Claus Is Coming to Town # Deck the Halls # White Christmas # Jingle Bells...
(1964) - This Is Jo StaffordThis Is Jo Stafford-Track listing:# Cry, Cry Darling# Falling In Love Again# The Time of Day# Love Lies# Think Of Me# I'd Climb The Highest Mountain# Ev'ry Night When The Sun Goes In# A Little Kiss Each Morning# Cup Full of Tears...
(1966) - Do I Hear a Waltz?Do I Hear a Waltz?Do I Hear a Waltz? is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo, which was the basis for the 1955 film Summertime starring Katharine Hepburn.-Background:Laurents originally...
(1966) - Big Band SoundBig Band Sound (album)Big Band Sound is a 1970 compilation album of standards by Jo Stafford. The songs were recorded between 1960 and 1970 and see Stafford backed by a number of big band arrangers, notably her husband Paul Weston, as well as Billy May and Benny Carter...
(1970) - The Piano Artistry of Jonathan EdwardsThe Piano Artistry of Jonathan EdwardsThe Piano Artistry of Jonathan Edwards is a 1957 album of songs by Paul Weston and Jo Stafford in the guise of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, a New Jersey lounge act who deliberately play the piano and sing off-key, putting their own interpretation on popular songs. Most of the tracks feature...
(1985) - G.I. Jo (1987)
- Broadway Revisited (1987)
- You Belong to Me (1989)
- America's Most Versatile Singing Star (1990)
- Fabulous Song Stylists (1991)
- You'll Never Walk Alone (1992)
- Greatest Hits (1993)
- 16 Most Requested Songs16 Most Requested Songs (Jo Stafford album)16 Most Requested Songs is a 1995 compilation album of songs recorded by American female singer Jo Stafford.- Track listing :# "You Belong to Me" # "Make Love to Me"...
(1995) - The Very Best of Jo Stafford (1995)
- Say It's Wonderful (1995)
- For You (1995)
- Spotlight on Jo StaffordSpotlight on Jo StaffordSpotlight on Jo Stafford is a 1996 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It was released on January 23, 1996, and appears on both the Capitol and EMI labels.-Track listing:# Just One of Those Things...
(1996) - Jazz (1996)
- Drifting and Dreaming with Jo StaffordDrifting and Dreaming with Jo StaffordDrifting and Dreaming with Jo Stafford is a 1996 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It was released on July 9, 1996 on the Jazz Classics label.-Track listing:# Dream a Little Dream of Me...
(1996) - The Jo Stafford Story (1997)
- The One and Only (1997)
- Walkin' My Baby Back HomeWalkin' My Baby Back Home (Jo Stafford album)Walkin' My Baby Back Home is a 1998 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. The album was released by See For Miles Records on January 1, 1998.-Track listing:# Little Man with a Candy Cigar # For You...
(1998) - G.I. Jo Sings the Hits (1998)
- Too Marvelous for Words (1998)
- Coming Back Like a Song: 25 Hits 1941-47Coming Back Like a Song: 25 Hits 1941-47Coming Back Like a Song: 25 Hits 1941–47 is a 1998 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. The album was released by ASV on May 19, 1998....
(1998) - No Other Love (1998)
- Jo Stafford (1940-44) (1998)
- Happy Holidays: I Love the Winter WeatherHappy Holidays: I Love the Winter WeatherHappy Holidays: I Love the Winter Weather is a 1999 compilation of seasonal songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It was released by Corinthian Records, the label founded by Stafford and her husband, Paul Weston on October 12, 1999.-Track listing:...
(1999) - Jo + Broadway (1999)
- Jo + Blues (1999)
- Songs of Faith, Hope and Love (1999)
- Just Reminiscin'Just Reminiscin'Just Reminiscin' is a 2000 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. The album was released on January 1, 2000, in the United Kingdom on the Dutton Laboratories/Vocalion label.-Track listing:# I've Never Forgotten...
(2000) - Jo & FriendsJo & FriendsJo & Friends is a 2000 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford and various other artists. The friends who accompany her on this album include Nelson Eddy, Liberace and Vic Damone. It was released by Sony Music on their Sony Music Special Products label on January 1, 2000...
(2000) - The Columbia Hits CollectionThe Columbia Hits CollectionThe Columbia Hits Collection is a 2001 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It was released by Corinthian Records on January 1, 2001.-Track listing:# You Belong to Me# Make Love to Me # Keep It a Secret...
(2001) - Candy (2001)
- Haunted Heart (2001)
- A You're Adorable (2001)
- International HitsInternational Hits (Jo Stafford album)International Hits is a 2001 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It was released on January 1, 2001, by Corinthian Records, the company founded by Stafford and her husband Paul Weston.-Track listing:...
(2001) - Cocktail Hour (2001)
- The Magic of Jo Stafford (2001)
- My Darling, My Darling (2001)
- Jo Stafford on CapitolJo Stafford on CapitolJo Stafford on Capitol is a 2001 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It was released on the Collectors' Choice label on June 12, 2001.-Track listing:# Someone to Love # Georgia on My Mind...
(2001) - The Old Rugged Cross (2001)
- Best of the War Years (2001)
- Platinum Collection (2001)
- The Two of Us (2001)
- Yes Indeed (2002)
- I Remember You (2002)
- The Ultimate (2002)
- The Best of Jo Stafford (2003)
- Meet Jo Stafford (2003)
- The Columbia Singles Collection, Vol. 1The Columbia Singles Collection, Vol. 1The Columbia Singles Collection, Vol. 1 is a compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford during her time at Columbia Records...
(2004) - You Belong to Me (Memoir)You Belong to Me (Memoir)You Belong to Me is a 2004 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It is one of many Stafford compilations to have been released in the early 2000s under the title You Belong to Me, the name derived from the song of the same name, which became one of her best known hits...
(2004) - You Belong to Me (Remember)You Belong to Me (Remember)You Belong to Me is a 2004 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It is one of many Stafford compilations to have been released in the early 2000s under the title You Belong to Me, the name derived from the song of the same name which became one of her best known hits...
(2004) - You Belong to Me (Rajon)You Belong to Me (Rajon)You Belong to Me is a 2004 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It is one of many Stafford compilations to have been released in the early 2000s under the title You Belong to Me, the name derived from the song of the same name which became one of her best known hits...
(2004) - You Belong to Me (ASV/Living Era)You Belong to Me (ASV/Living Era)You Belong to Me is a 2004 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It is one of many Stafford compilations to have been released in the early 2000s under the title You Belong to Me, the name derived from the song of the same name which became one of her best known hits...
(2004) - Stars of the Summer Night (2004)
- Over the Rainbow (2004)
- Alone and Together (2005)
- Memories Are Made of These (2005)
- Love, Mystery and Adventure (2006)
- Sincerely Yours (2006)
- This is Gold (2006)
- Vintage Years (2006)
- All Hits! (2006)
- Ultimate Capitol Collection (2007)
- Jo Stafford and Friends (2007)
- Blues in the Night (2007)
- Her Greatest HitsHer Greatest Hits (Jo Stafford album)Her Greatest Hits is a 2008 compilation album of songs recorded by American artist Jo Stafford. This album, released by JSP on January 8, 2008, features over 100 of Stafford's recordings.-Track listing:Disc #1# Crazy Rhythm...
(2008) - You Belong to MeYou Belong to Me (2008 Jo Stafford album)You Belong to Me is a 2008 compilation album of songs by American artist Jo Stafford. Released on the Dynamic label on April 8, 2008, the album features 16 of Stafford's hits.-Track listing:# You Belong to Me# Jambalaya # Candy...
(2008) - The Capitol Rarities 1943-1950The Capitol Rarities 1943-1950The Capitol Rarities 1943-1950 is a 2009 compilation album of songs recorded by American singer Jo Stafford. It was released on March 24, 2009 on the DRG label and is a collection of rare recordings from the earlier part of her career.-Track listing:...
(2009) - Reflections: The Ultimate Collection (2009)
- Beyond the Stars: Key Recordings 1940-1959 (2010)
- The Best of Jo Stafford (2010)
- At the Supper ClubAt the Supper Club (Stafford)This compact disk was created from trancriptions of The Chesterfield Supper Club recorded for the Armed Forces Radio Service in May 1946. Others featured on the broadcasts are Carl Kress and his Orchestra, Helen Carroll and the Satisfiers.-Track listing:...
(2010) - At the Supper Club IIAt the Supper Club Part II (Stafford)This compact disk was created from trancriptions of The Chesterfield Supper Club recorded for the Armed Forces Radio Service in March and April 1946. Others featured on the broadcasts are Carl Kress and his Orchestra, Helen Carroll and the Satisfiers, and Lloyd Shaffer and his Orchestra...
(2011) - At the Supper Club IIIAt the Supper Club Part III (Stafford)At the Supper Club Part III is a 2011 album release of recordings by American singer Jo Stafford. The tracks are taken from her appearances on The Chesterfield Supper Club, the NBC variety program of the 1940s. The recordings on this compilation were made with Lloyd Shafer and His Orchestra, Paul...
(2011) - For You (2011)
Solo
- "All The Things You AreAll the Things You Are"All the Things You Are" is a song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II.It was written for the musical Very Warm for May , where it was introduced by Hiram Sherman, Frances Mercer, Hollace Shaw, and Ralph Stuart...
" - "Allentown JailAllentown Jail"Allentown Jail" is a folk song. Written by Irving Gordon, it tells the story of a man who is caught stealing a diamond for his girlfriend and ends up in the Allentown jail....
" - "Autumn in New YorkAutumn in New York (song)"Autumn in New York" is a jazz standard composed by Vernon Duke in 1934 for the Broadway musical Thumbs Up! which opened on December 27, 1934, performed by J. Harold Murray...
" - "Black Is the Color"
- "Day By DayDay by Day (song)"Day by Day" is a popular song with music by Axel Stordahl and Paul Weston and lyrics by Sammy Cahn.-Recorded versions:*Ernestine Anderson*Ray Anthony*Shirley Bassey*Les Brown & His Orchestra *Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Sextet...
" - "Early AutumnEarly Autumn (song)"Early Autumn" is a song composed by Ralph Burns and Woody Herman with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was a hit for Woody Herman in the year it was written.-Notable recordings:...
" - "Feudin' and Fightin'"
- "Georgia on My MindGeorgia on My Mind"Georgia on My Mind" is a song written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell . It is the official state song of the U.S. state of Georgia. Gorrell wrote the lyrics for Hoagy's sister, Georgia Carmichael. However, the lyrics of the song are ambiguous enough to refer either to the state or...
" (better known version by Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
) - "Goodnight Irene" (better known version by The WeaversThe WeaversThe Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. They sang traditional folk songs from around the world, as well as blues, gospel music, children's songs, labor songs, and American ballads, and selling millions of records at the height of their...
) - "Haunted HeartHaunted Heart (song)"Haunted Heart" is the title of a song written by Buddy Brock and Kim Williams, and recorded by American country music artist Sammy Kershaw. It was released in May 1993 as the second single and title track from the album Haunted Heart. The song reached #9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles &...
" (Stafford's version is featured in "The End of the AffairThe End of the Affair (1999 film)Michael Nyman would later use "Diary of Love" to open and close his solo album, The Piano Sings . As with many of Nyman's 1990s scores, he incorporates material from his String Quartet No.3, which was in turn based on a choral piece titled Out of the Ruins.-Track listing:#Diary of Hate 2:38#Henry...
" and the closing credits of The Two JakesThe Two JakesThe Two Jakes is a 1990 American mystery film, and a sequel to the 1974 film Chinatown.Directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, it also features Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe, Richard Farnsworth, Frederic Forrest, Pia Gronning, David Keith, Rubén Blades, Tracey Walter and Eli Wallach...
) - "Here I'll Stay"
- "I Love YouI Love You (Cole Porter song)"I Love You" is a song written by Cole Porter in 1944 for his stage musical Mexican Hayride. It was popularized by Bing Crosby in the same year...
" - "Indiscretion"
- "I'll Be Seeing YouI'll Be Seeing You (song)"I'll Be Seeing You" is a popular song, with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Irving Kahal. Published in 1938, the song was inserted into the Broadway musical Right This Way, which closed after fifteen performances. The song is a jazz standard, and has been covered by countless musicians.The...
" - "It Could Happen to YouIt Could Happen to You (song)"It Could Happen to You" is a popular standard with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was written in 1944 and was introduced by Dorothy Lamour in the Paramount musical comedy film, And the Angels Sing....
" - "It's Almost TomorrowIt's Almost Tomorrow"It's Almost Tomorrow" is a 1955 popular song with music by Gene Adkinson and lyrics by Wade Buff. The song was actually written in 1953, when Adkinson and Buff were in high school...
" (better known version by The Dream WeaversThe Dream WeaversThe Dream Weavers was an American popular music, vocal group, famous in the 1950s, formed at the University of Florida by Gene Adkinson and Wade Buff .-Career:...
)
- "Ivy"
- "Jambalaya"
- "Keep It a SecretKeep It a Secret"Keep It a Secret" is a popular song written by Jessie Mae Robinson published in 1952.The best-selling recording of the song was made by Jo Stafford in 1952. It was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 39891. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on November 8, 1952 and...
" - "Just One Way to Say I Love You"
- "The Last Mile Home"
- "Let's Take the Long Way HomeLet's Take the Long Way HomeLet's Take the Long Way Home: a memoir of friendship is a memoir by Gail Caldwell . The memoir describes the friendship between the author and fellow writer and dog lover Caroline Knapp who died at age 42 in 2002 and it takes place in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Let's Take the Long Way Home was...
" - "Long Ago (And Far Away)Long Ago (and Far Away)"Long Ago " is a popular song from the 1944 Technicolor film musical Cover Girl starring Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly and released by Columbia Pictures. The music was written by Jerome Kern, and the lyrics were written by Ira Gershwin...
" - "Make Love to Me!"
- "My RomanceMy Romance (song)"My Romance" is a popular song, with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, written for Billy Rose's musical, Jumbo . In the 1962 movie version of Jumbo, Doris Day performed the song....
" - "The Nearness of YouThe Nearness of You"The Nearness of You" is a popular song, written in 1938 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Ned Washington.The biggest selling 1938 version was recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, with a vocal by Ray Eberle...
" - "No Other LoveNo Other Love (1950 song)"No Other Love" is a popular song.The words were written by Bob Russell. The music is credited to Paul Weston but is actually derived from Frédéric Chopin's Étude No. 3 in E, Op. 10...
" (a different song from the one of the same name done by Perry ComoPerry ComoPierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
) - "On London Bridge"
- "Out Of This World"
- "Ragtime Cowboy JoeRagtime Cowboy Joe"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is a popular song lyrics by Grant Clarke, music by Lewis F. Muir and Maurice Abrahams. © 1912, F.A. Mills, 122 W. 36th St, New York....
" - "September SongSeptember Song"September Song" is an American pop standard composed by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson, introduced by Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway musical Knickerbocker Holiday. It has since been recorded by numerous singers and instrumentalists...
" - "Serenade of the BellsSerenade of the Bells"Serenade of the Bells" is a popular song written by Kay Twomey, Al Goodhart, and Al Urbano and published in 1947.The recording by the Sammy Kaye Orchestra was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-2372...
" - "Shrimp BoatsShrimp Boats"Shrimp Boats" was a popular song in the 1950s.It was written by Paul Mason Howard and Paul Weston and published in 1951.Charting versions were recorded by Jo Stafford and Dolores Gray. It was also recorded by Claude Gray in 1963, and by Pete Fountain, Abdullah Ibrahim, The Orioles, and Buddy Tate...
" - "Some Enchanted EveningSome Enchanted Evening (song)"Some Enchanted Evening" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific.In the musical, it is sung as a solo by Emile de Becque, the French plantation owner, who falls in love with the American navy nurse Nellie Forbush. In this song he sings of seizing the moment so...
" (better known version by Ezio PinzaEzio PinzaEzio Pinza was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas...
)
- "Suddenly There's a ValleySuddenly There's a Valley"Suddenly There's a Valley" is a popular song written by Chuck Meyer and Biff Jones and published in 1955.The song was a major hit for Gogi Grant in 1955. Her recording was issued by Era Records as catalog number 1003 and reached Billboard magazine's Top 10...
" (better known version by Gogi GrantGogi GrantGogi Grant is an American popular singer.-Life and career:Grant was born Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the age of 12, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she attended Venice High School. In California, she won a teenage singing contest and appeared on television...
) - "Swingin' On Nothin'"
- "Symphony"
- "Teach Me TonightTeach Me Tonight"Teach Me Tonight" is a popular song. The music was written by Gene De Paul, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was published in 1953.Cahn wrote a new verse for Frank Sinatra's 1984 recording on L.A...
" (better known version by The DeCastro SistersThe DeCastro SistersThe DeCastro Sisters were a female trio singing group: originally they consisted of Peggy DeCastro , Cherie DeCastro and Babette DeCastro . When Babette retired in 1958, a cousin, Olgita DeCastro Marino replaced her and when Peggy later left the group to go solo, Babette re-joined Cherie and Olgita...
) - "Thank You for CallingThank You for Calling"Thank You for Calling" is a popular and country song.It was written by Cindy Walker. The song was published in 1954.The song was recorded by Billy Walker, Jo Stafford, Hank Snow, and Timi Yuro....
" - "That Sugar Baby O' Mine"
- "That's for MeThat's for MeThe music was written by Richard Rodgers, the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was published in 1945. It was included in the 1945 version of the musical film State Fair.Recordings were made by Jo Stafford and Dick Haymes....
" - "(Now and Then) There's a Fool Such As I" (better known versions by Hank SnowHank SnowClarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...
and Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
) - "There's No YouThere's No You"There's No You" is a popular song.The music was written by Hal Hopper and the lyrics by Tom Adair. The song was first published in 1944.Two of the best known versions of the song were recorded by Jo Stafford and Frank Sinatra...
" - "The Things We Did Last SummerThe Things We Did Last Summer"The Things We Did Last Summer" is a popular song from 1946. The words were written by Sammy Cahn, with the composition by Jule Styne. Several recordings have been made, the most well known of which include versions by Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford and Vaughn Monroe...
" - "Walkin' My Baby Back HomeWalkin' My Baby Back Home (song)"Walkin' My Baby Back Home" is a popular song written in 1930 by Roy Turk and Fred E. Ahlert . It first charted in 1931 with versions by Nick Lucas , Ted Weems , The Charleston Chasers , and Lee Morse ....
" - "Whatcha Know Joe?"
- "White ChristmasWhite Christmas (song)"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.Accounts vary as...
" (better known version by Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
) - "Wind in the Willow"
- "With a Little Bit of LuckWith a Little Bit of Luck"With a Little Bit of Luck" is a popular song by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, written for the 1956 Broadway play My Fair Lady.It was sung by Stanley Holloway in both the original stage and film versions....
" - "You Belong to MeYou Belong to Me (1952 song)"You Belong to Me" is a pop music ballad from the 1950s. The singer reminds his/her lover that, whatever exotic locales and sights he/she experiences, "you belong to me." It is credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, and Redd Stewart...
" (her best-selling hit; successfully covered in 1962 by The DupreesThe DupreesThe Duprees is an American musical group of doo-wop style which had a series of hit records in the early 1960s.-Career:The group originated in the early 1960s in Jersey City, New Jersey, and comprised William L. Dickinson High School students Michael Arnone, Joe Santollo, John Salvato, Tom...
)
With Frankie Laine
- "Back Where I Belong"
- "Basin Street BluesBasin Street Blues"Basin Street Blues" is a song often performed by Dixieland jazz bands, written by Spencer Williams. The song was published in 1926 and made famous in a recording by Louis Armstrong in 1928...
" - "Floatin' Down To Cotton Town"
- "Goin' Like Wildfire"
- "Hey Good Lookin'Hey Good Lookin' (song)"Hey Good Lookin" is a 1951 song written and recorded by Hank Williams, and his version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. Since its original 1951 recording it has been covered by a variety of artists.-Chart performance:...
" - "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the EveningIn the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" is a popular song with music by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the 1951 film, Here Comes the Groom, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song....
" - "Pretty-Eyed Baby"
- "Settin' The Woods On Fire"
- "Way Down Yonder In New OrleansWay Down Yonder In New Orleans"Way Down Yonder In New Orleans" is a popular song with music by John Turner Layton, Jr. and lyrics by Henry Creamer. First published in 1922, Creamer and Layton advertised it as "A Southern Song, without A Mammy, A Mule, Or A Moon", a dig at some of the Tin Pan Alley clichés of the era.It was...
"
With Gordon MacRae
- "'A' — You're Adorable'A' — You're Adorable"'A' – You're Adorable" is a popular song with music by Sid Lippman and lyrics by Buddy Kaye and Fred Wise, published in 1948.The biggest hit version was recorded by Perry Como, with The Fontane Sisters on March 1, 1949...
" (better known version by Perry ComoPerry ComoPierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
) - "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-BooBibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" is a novelty song, written in 1948 by Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston. It was introduced in the 1950 film Cinderella, performed by actress Verna Felton....
(The Magic Song)" (from the Disney animated film "Cinderella") - "DearieDearie"Dearie" is a popular song.The music was written by David Mann; the lyrics, by Bob Hilliard. The song was published in 1950.The song is about reminiscences, and often sung as a duet...
" - "EchoesEchoes (1950 song)"Echoes" is a popular song.It was written by Bennie Benjamin and George David Weiss and published in 1950.It was popularized in 1950 by Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae. The Stafford/MacRae recording, released by Capitol Records as catalog number 782, was backed with "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo " on the flip...
" - "My Darling, My DarlingMy Darling, My Darling"My Darling, My Darling" is a popular song.It was written by Frank Loesser. The song was published in 1948.It was originally introduced by Byron Palmer and Doretta Morrow in the Brodway musical Where's Charley?...
" - "Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart"
- "Whispering Hope"
- "Why Can't You Behave?Why Can't You Behave?"Why Can't You Behave?" is a 1948 popular song written by Cole Porter, for his musical Kiss Me, Kate, where it was introduced by Lisa Kirk.-Notable recordings:*Joe Loss and His Orchestra. Recorded in London on January 29, 1950...
"
With Johnny Mercer
- "CandyCandy (1944 song)"Candy" is a popular song. The music was written by Alex Kramer, the lyrics by Mack David and Joan Whitney. It was published in 1944.The recording by Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 183. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on...
" - "Conversation While Dancing"
- "It's Great to Be Alive"
External links
- [ Jo Stafford at Allmusic.com]
- Jo Stafford Memorial
- Terry Teachout on Jo Stafford
- Jo Stafford bio presented by Corinthian Records
- Bio on the MP3.com site
Listen
- Interview by KUOW-FMKUOW-FMKUOW-FM 94.9 is a National Public Radio affiliate radio station in Seattle, Washington. It is a top-ranked radio station in the Seattle/Tacoma media market...
’s Amanda Wilde - Jo Stafford and Nelson Eddy 1951 mp3 recordings and information at maceddy.com/blog site