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

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



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



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

Jo Stafford and Ella Fitzgerald - Love songs medley

Jo Stafford - You Belong To Me

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

Red Ingle featuring Cinderella G Stump (Jo Stafford) - Tim-tay-shun

Facts:

• Jo first came to prominence as part of the vocal harmony group the Pied Pipers, who sang backing vocals for Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra and many others.
• When she finally went solo, it was alongside Margaret Whiting and Peggy Lee at Capitol Records that she cemented her reputation as one of "America's sweethearts", performing concerts for the forces overseas both during and after WW2.
• Her choices of vocal material ranged from Big Band to American folk, to pop and ballads, to Jazz, before retiring altogether in the mid-1960s.
• It was also at Capitol that she met and married composer, arranger and bandleader Paul Weston; they worked together professionally throughout her "golden years" in the 50s, and remained together till his death in 1996.

And - of course! - I could not let a tribute to Miss Stafford go by without a mention of her and Mr Weston's ultimate creation - the phenomenon that was Jonathan and Darlene Edwards! Originally a bit of a party-piece for friends, "The Edwards" eventually overtook Jo and Paul's own fame - and indeed won Miss Stafford her only Grammy...

Jonathan & Darlene Edwards - The Last Time I Saw Paris

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

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

Why am I beatin' my brains out?

We are well overdue a classy tune from the lovely Jo Stafford (whose birthday it would have been today).

So let us immediately remedy that with her marvellous hit The Gentleman Is A Dope!

Jo Stafford - The Gentleman Is A Dope

I'm sure we can all think of someone to whom this song could be dedicated...

The gentleman is a dope,
A man of many faults,
A clumsy Joe
Who wouldn't know
A rumba from a waltz.

The gentleman is a dope
And not my cup of tea;
Why do I get in a dither?
He doesn't belong to me!

The gentleman isn't bright,
He doesn't know the score;
A cake will come,
He'll take a crumb
And never ask for more!

The gentleman's eyes are blue,
But little do they see,
Why am I beatin' my brains out?
He doesn't belong to me!

He's somebody else's problem,
She's welcome to the guy!
She'll never understand him
Half as well as I.

The gentleman is a dope,
He isn't very smart;
He's just a lug
You'd like to hug
And hold against your heart

The gentleman doesn't know
How happy he could be,
But look at me cryin' my eyes out
As if he belonged to me;
He'll never belong to me!

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

Pat Him On The Po-Po?

Remarkably, it is not just Her Maj's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 - today marks 60 years since the very first "official music chart" was published in the UK.

A helluva lot of water has passed under the bridge since those "innocent" days. I'm not quite sure what anyone in 1952 might have made of the likes of Rihanna, Nicki Minaj or Maroon 5... nor indeed what any of the benighted yoof of today would make of the records that made up that very first Top 5.

I know which selection I'd prefer!

5. Guy Mitchell:

Guy Mitchell - Feet Up (Pat Him On The Po-Po)

4. Bing Crosby:

Bing Crosby - The Isle Of Innisfree

3. Nat King Cole:

Nat King Cole - Somewhere Along The Way

2. Jo Stafford:

Jo Stafford - You Belong To Me

1. Al Martino:

Al Martino - Here In My Heart

I can hear you all singing along...

First ever chart

The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay

In addition to all the other celebrations, we have a centenary today - the pianist, arranger, composer and conductor Paul Weston.

Probably more famous today for his long professional and personal relationship with the lovely Jo Stafford, Mr Weston worked with many of the top artists and musicians of the 20th century - Tommy Dorsey, Rudy Vallee, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, Betty Hutton, Johnny Mercer, Doris Day, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny, Sarah Vaughan, Margaret Whiting, Judy Garland, Danny Kaye, Frankie Laine, Ella Fitzgerald and even Liberace among them. Phew!

Here are a couple of tracks he popularised:

Strip Polka

Paul Weston - Nevertheless (I'm in Love With You)

And two he wrote:

Frank Sinatra - Day By Day

Bunch of Coconuts - The Hasegawa General Store

Facts about Paul Weston:

• In the 1930s he was seriously injured in a train accident and began arranging music rather than playing it during his convalescence.
• He was a founder of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, whose purpose was to create an award for recording artists. It became known as the Grammy.
• In addition to pop music he also wrote classical pieces, including the Crescent City Suite
• Paul and Jo married in 1952, and remained together until his death in 1996.

Of course, my favourite fact about Mr Weston was that together with Miss Stafford, he created the magnificent "Jonathan and Darlene Edwards", one of our house favourite cocktail music combos here at Dolores Delargo Towers...

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards - The Last Time I Saw Paris

A lady known as Paris, Romantic and Charming
Has left her old companions and faded from view

Lonely men with lonely eyes are seeking her in vain
Her streets are where they were, but there's no sign of her

She has left the Seine

The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay,
I heard the laughter of her heart in every street café

The last time I saw Paris, her trees were dressed for spring,
And lovers walked beneath those trees and birds found songs to sing.

I dodged the same old taxicabs that I had dodged for years.
The chorus of their squeaky horns was music to my ears.

The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay,
No matter how they change her, I'll remember her that way.

I'll think of happy hours, and people who shared them
Old women, selling flowers, in markets at dawn

Children who applauded, Punch and Judy in the park
And those who danced at night and kept our Paris bright

'til the town went dark.

Unadulterated genius!

Read my previous blogs about the saintly duo here and here

The Paul Weston and Jo Stafford Collection at the University of Arizona.

Tenuous link #97 in a series...

Scanning this week's celebrity birthdays (as is my wont), I had a double-take when I read that Jonathan Edwards was 63. I thought for a moment that the lovely athlete with the endless legs was truly more youthful looking than I thought. Then, disappointingly I found that the entry referred to some godawful Cuntry'n'Western [sic] singer.



However that got me thinking about the "Jonathan Edwards" who is far more dear to my heart, he of "Jonathan and Darlene Edwards" fame. In real life the alter egos of the multi-talented orchestra leader Paul Weston and the lovely singer Jo Stafford, their highly innovative comedy act began as a party entertainment for friends but soon developed a successful career all of its own - even overshadowing the pair's original careers for a while!

So what better excuse for me to post a couple of their "fab" numbers...

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards - Paris in the Spring

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards - Stayin' Alive

...and there's more such delights on Jonathan & Darlene's MySpace page!

Paris in the Spring, a-haaaa

Continuing my quest to entertain the masses with a selection of weird music (it's a great hobby), here's a couple of numbers by the lovely Jonathan & Darlene Edwards.

Jonathan and Darlene were the alter egos of top US singer Jo Stafford and her orchestra leader husband Paul Weston. Both superb musicians in their own right, they created the talentless cabaret duo as a party piece to entertain their friends, but they soon developed a successful recording career of their own - and in turn influenced such later talents as Les Dawson and even Kiki & Herb...

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards - Paris in the Spring

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards - La Carioca (Kentucky Fried Movie)

Jonathan & Darlene on MySpace

America’s most versatile singer

Often called "America's Most Versatile Singer" for the wide range of material she performed, the lovely Jo Stafford is (unbelievably) 89 years old today!

Jo was indeed versatile, as her singing career stretched across genres, from her early beginnings in vocal harmony groups such as The Pied Pipers in the 1930s, to big band fame with Tommy Dorsey, and later with her soon-to-become husband Paul Weston. She was one of the darlings of the forces during WW2, and eventually hit TV success in the 1950s with her own variety show, singing with guests such as Ella Fitzgerald and Judy Garland.

Jo and Paul had a long and happy personal and professional partnership, but to my mind their greatest creation was the parody of all things "lounge", the amazing Jonathan and Darlene Edwards. First created as a party piece for friends, the enfants terrible of bad vocals and bad musical arrangements gained a cult "life" of their own, with several hugely successful albums, even winning a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in the 1960s.

Just in case anyone fails to understand their unique magic, here's a sample of their classic style:

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards - Paris in the Spring

And if you might think that is is the sum total of the lovely Jo Stafford's talents, here's an appearance from one of her shows that demonstrates what a great singer she really was:

Jo Stafford - Medley of Golden Hits

Jo Stafford on Wikipedia