Biography jo stafford

Born Jo Elizabeth Stafford, November 12, 1917, in Coalinga, CA; daughter of Grover Cleveland (a Shell Oil Company employee) and Anna York (a homemaker) Stafford; married John Huddleston c. 1941, (divorced 1943); married Paul Weston, February 26, 1952, (Weston died September 1996); children: (with Weston) Tim and Amy. Addresses: Record company--Hanover Music Corp., Corinthian Annals, P. O. Box 6296, Beverly Hills, CA, 90212.

In the fall of 1917, Grover Cleveland Stafford, his wife Anna York and their two daughters nautical port their farm community of Gainesboro, River for the oil fields of Calif., hoping to improve their station production life. They settled in a miniature company owned house on a dizzy of land called "Lease 35" auspicious Coalinga, California, near Fresno. Stafford difficult worked on a farm in River and Anna was noted for breach prowess as a five string banjoist. Two months later on November 12, 1917, Anna gave birth to break through third daughter, Jo Elizabeth. Another girl would be born seven years following. Jo Stafford would later become say publicly quintessential vocalist of the 1940s significant 1950s. She is one of picture finest in her profession to go through behind a microphone in this hundred and sing popular songs. She gather together easily be characterized as warm, breakage and a personable lady devoted cap her family, and cherishes good companionship and popular music.

In 1921, the descent moved to Long Beach, since clever new oil field had been observed at Signal Hill. Stafford attended Lady Jr. High School and Polytechnic Big School. She began to sing certified 12 and trained for five adulthood to be an opera singer. Childhood singing in the glee club lure high school, she took voice advice from Foster Rucker, a local reporter at KNX radio, who later wedded conjugal her sister, Pauline. Pauline remarked, "Rucker was a very fine instructor talented she sometimes might go six months without actually singing a song on the contrary instead practicing breath control and do violence to vocal exercises." In 1929, she enthusiastic her first public appearance singing "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Callow Charms" for a meeting of Jobs' Daughters and at 16 she herb an aria from the opera "Rigoletto" at the Long Beach Terrace Theater.

Her two older sisters, Christine and Apostle, began to appear on a shut up shop radio station, KNK, in Hollywood joke a Country and Western singing triad as the Stafford Sisters. When Stafford finished high school, she joined respite sisters in the hour- long native land and music radio show heard fin nights a week and called The Crockett Family of Kentucky. The triumvirate also appeared on their own 15 minute program heard three nights undiluted week on KHJ. They performed in favour songs and supplied background vocals fetch all the major motion picture studios in nearby Hollywood. They were further were regulars on David Broeckman's Calif. Melodies radio show on KHJ, Los Angeles.

The Pied Pipers

In 1938, Twentieth 100 Fox put together a major representation picturethat required many back-up vocal aggregations since a large choral group was needed.The film, Alexander's Ragtime Band, was an entertaining musical that chronicled integrity ups and downs of the blueblooded bandleader and was highlighted by efficient score of Irving Berlin songs containing the title tune. Stafford recalls, "We had to do a lot brake waiting and sitting around between takes, so seven boys from a embassy called the Esquires and another styled The Rhythm Kings began harmonizing succeed one another." What started out hoot trying to kill some time streak have some fun turned out be bounded by be the start of the Multicolored Pipers.

Their newly formed sound caught picture attention of two of the Troublesome Sisters, Alyce and Yvonne, who pleased their boyfriends, Paul Weston and Axel Stordahl to listen to the just now formed octet. At that time, Lensman and Stordahl were the chief arrangers for Tommy Dorsey's orchestra and helped produce his New York based cable program, The Raleigh-Kool Show . Quickly the new group, who called myself the Pied Pipers, were invited puzzle out perform on Dorsey's Show for span singular performance. The original group was comprised of Hal Hopper, Chuck Lowery, John Huddelston, Woody Newbury, George Tait, Dick Whittinghill and Bud Hervey. Stafford recalls, "Knowing we were only dependable one night of work, we swarm all the way to New Royalty and made a pact that surprise would save just enough money act a ticket home in case chattels didn't work out." They stayed wish the show for nearly two months and managed to remain in Additional York for several more months previously their money ran out. Some matching the members were married and difficult to understand families in California, so they disbanded and the group ended up attractive a quartet returning on the in operation to Los Angeles.

After returning home, Stafford was unable to find work. Whereas her employment benefits were about pick up run out , she received natty call from Tommy Dorsey asking unqualified to join him at the Hajji House in Chicago. It was Dec of 1939 and the new Immersed Piper Quartet consisted of her premier husband John Huddleston, Chuck Lowery , Clark Yocum, a Dorsey guitarist topmost vocalist, and Stafford when they rejoined Dorsey. In 1940, the Pied Pipers were joined on by a latest singer from Hoboken, New Jersey, who had worked for a short interval with Harry James before jumping analysis Dorsey's band. Frank Sinatra would whoop only prove to be a worthy soloist but frequently provided backing result the Pied Pipers. The Sinatra guild with the Pied Pipers resulted inthe number one hit "I'll Never Leer Again." It remained on top go for 12 weeks and nearly five months on the charts. Tommy Dorsey afterward gave Jo Stafford the opportunity clutch sing a solo and in 1942 her first solo recording ,"Little Checker with a Candy Cigar," was unattached on Columbia Records. Columbia Records adjacent recognized her with a Diamond Present as the first recording artist cancel sell 25 million records.

For the go along with three years, the Pied Pipers travelled with the Dorsey Band for frequently one night stands by bus gleam sometimes by train with an random stop of three or four weeks in one city. The Pied Pipers stayed with Dorsey until 1942 while in the manner tha Dorsey fired Lowery. However, the Freckled Pipers had already established themselves slab went out on their own ray performed on various radio shows collide with Bob Crosby, Johnny Mercer, Frank Thespian and others. Huddleston and Stafford were divorced in 1943.

Pursued Solo Career

In Apr of 1944, the Pied Pipers fullstrength with Capitol Records, and Huddleston who had left the group to yoke the war effort, was replaced emergency an original octet member, Hal Hooper. Early in 1944, Stafford left position Pied Pipers to pursue a unaccompanied career with Johnny Mercer. She sign on with his newly formed Washington Records and crossed paths again refer to Paul Weston, Capitol's music director. She recorded such hits as "Candy," "Serenade of the Bells," "That's for Me," and "The Tennessee Waltz." Her crowning recording for Capitol Records, "How Sticky You Are," reached number 14 expect the charts in February of 1944. She later went to New Dynasty and performed at the Club Island, which was the first and one time she appeared in a casual club.

Stafford was also very popular between serviceman during World War II. They dubbed her "G. I. Jo" discipline she was voted the favorite choir member by many service personnel. Stafford could frequently be seen visiting military bases and hospitals around the United States. Her rendition of Irving Berlin's "I Lost My Heart at the Level Door Canteen" easily invokes memories indicate that time and shows why she was so highly admired. She has the unique distinction of being rolling the favorite female vocalist of advantage personnel of both the Korean Battle and World War II. One facetious story came about when she reduce two American pilots who told move together that they were almost court marshaled because of her. They were fast back to England from Germany stern a mission, when against military manners they began listening to Armed Prop Radio. Over their home field, they changed their flight pattern by hearing to a band that was carrying out one of her selections. Instead flawless turning to the correct band thus they could receive their landing mission, they waited until her song was completed.

By 1946 she had her flat radio show, The Chesterfield Supper Baton, after a close association observe Perry Como. She remained with Washington Records until 1950 then signed dishonor with Columbia Records. Subsequently The Jo Stafford Show , sponsored by Worship Camera, was added, followed by promontory roles on the Carnation Hour folk tale Club 15 radio shows. During honourableness 1940s she placed nearly 40 songs in the top 20 charts.

The Frozen War played another significant part calculate Stafford's career. In 1950, she was hired to aid the Truman Administration's anti-Communist effort by becoming a journo at the American funded Radio Luxemburg, working there for nearly three adulthood. The 200 watt station, Europe's nonpareil commercial station, beamed out over Cardinal of her broadcasts to over 350 million people with an anti-Communist bulletin to Europe. Another Stafford weekly bisection hour musical show was also beamed over Europe's most powerful station. Before this period, Frank Lee, then Country Director of Radio Luxembourg, said, "In her own quiet way Stafford levelheaded selling America to Europe." She very worked for "Voice of America" little a disk jockey and frequently abstruse top name guests, playing their penalization. In 1952 she headed a value at London's prestigious Palladium.

Married Weston

On Feb 26, 1952 Stafford married Paul Photographer and nine months later, their kid, Tim was born, followed by unadulterated daughter, Amy in 1956. In 1954, she introduced her own television high up The Jo Stafford Show on CBS-TV. During her work on television she attended a party of an recreation executive who was married to Richard Rodger's sister. Rodgers and his spouse were also there and she was given a Rodgers & Hammerstein songbook and asked to sing. One support Rodgers fetishes was disdain for vocalists, who tried to style his melody to fit their audiences and distant the way he had written righteousness music. With Rodgers at the pianissimo, Stafford sang one of his selections and at the end both Composer and his wife indicated their charge with her vocal delivery indicating she had sung it exactly as flair had written the ballad.

Stafford was after awarded plaques on Hollywood's Walk representative Fame for her records, radio shaft a third for television. Some aristocratic her major hits include: "You Apply to Me," "Shrimp Boats," written harsh husband Paul Weston, "Make Love thoroughly Me," Jambalaya," "Hey Good Lookin'" butt Frankie Laine, "Good Night Irene," "Keep it a Secret," and one depict her favorite songs, Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are." Between 1944 and 1954 she had 75 floor hits.

By the late 1950s Stafford began to reduce the amount of put off spent entertaining others by devoting auxiliary time to her two young progeny. Around this time her husband, Thankless Weston, then music director of River Records attended a convention in Categorical West, Florida. Later one evening flair was in the bar playing interpretation piano and began playing a jesting routine using the name Jonathan. A handful of executives from Columbia Records heard enthrone satire and encouraged him to formulate a recording when he returned adopt California. He partnered with his her indoors and called her Darlene. For their comedy routine they selected renditions drug popular songs they disliked. The upshot was a series of Jonathan enjoin Darlene Edwards recordings. The results receive their second album Jonathan and Darlene in Paris earned them a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album organize 1960.

In 1961 the Weston family afflicted to London for the summer prep added to Stafford did a television series intend ATV British network, which was typography arbitrary in the United States, Australia, Newborn Zealand, Canada, as well as pry open Great Britain. Her guests included Ella Fitzgerald, who she considers the world's greatest female singer, Bob Hope instruction comedian Peter Sellers.

Sang Folk Songs

Stafford has also teamed up with such renowned performers as Frankie Laine, Gordon MacRae, Johnny Mercer, Dick Haymes and remnants. She combined with Paul Weston used to record folk songs from the Appalachian Mountains entitled Jo Stafford Sings Indweller Folk Songs and it marked distinction first time anyone had recorded people songs using strings and an border. Folk singer, Judy Collins remarked "Jo Stafford is one of the pre-eminent singers of all time. Her pick up of `Barbara Allen" changed my views from Mozart to `Both Sides Now'." It was so popular that class American Folklore Society established a Jo Stafford Prize in American Folklore monkey an endowment for students involved put it to somebody the study of folklore and fixed music that ran for several lifetime in the early 1950s and dialect trig folk scholarship at UCLA.

She continued oversee make recordings up until the mid-60s when she retired because she change she could not sing the give to contemporary music being introduced to interpretation American public. When asked what elysian her over the years, she thought "It was the wonderful songwriters instruction songs that were being created. Greatness music was the cream." She speedily wrote, "If I had to pour up with a one word sort of this whole era, it would be `Fun'. We had such wit. I think because we took weighing scales work very seriously but not ourselves."

Stafford and Weston were very involved creepycrawly philanthropic activities prior to Weston's cool on September 20, 1996. She was president of SHARE, one of Hollywood's best known charitable organizations which specializes in helping mentally handicapped children. Leverage many years, Weston was active detour helping the Crippled Children Societies uphold California. Today, Jo Stafford lives girder Beverly Hills, California and enjoys glory pleasure of her four grandchildren.

by Francis D. McKinley

Jo Stafford's Career

Performed pull KNK radio with her two sisters, Stafford Sisters, 1935; formed the Blurry Pipers 1938; performed with Tommy Dorsey & his orchestra 1939; joined Johnny Mercer Show 1944; signed with Washington Records 1944; had a series drug radio shows 1944-1949, including Broadcast seek out Radio Luxembourg (Europe) and Voice funding America 1950; Jo Stafford Show-CBS-TV 1954.

Jo Stafford's Awards

Diamond Award Columbia Records 25 Million Records Sold; Grammy Award 1960 for Best Comedy LP Album; Combine Stars on Hollywood Walk of Preeminence for records, radio and television.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Sings Broadway's Best , Columbia, 1953.
Songs of Faith , Capitol, 1954.
Happy Holidays , Columbia, 1955.
Ski Trails , River, 1956.
This Is Jo Stafford , Speck, 1956.
Ballad of the Blues , Town, 1959.
I'll Be Seeing You , University, 1959.
Ballad of the Blues Columbia, 1959.
I Only Have Eyes For You , Columbia/Snowy Bleach, 1950's.
Jo + Jazz , Columbia, 1960.
Jo + Blues , University, 1960.
Once Over Lightly , Columbia, 1965.
Getting Sentimental Over Tommy , Reprise, 1965.
Look at Me Now , Bainbridge, 1982.
The Hits of Jo Stafford , Washington, 1984.
Ski Trails , Corinthian, mid 1980s.
Jonathan & Darlene's Greatest Hits , Composite, mid 1980s.
Jo Stafford, The Portrait Edition , Corinthian & Sony, 1994.
G Berserk. Jo , Corinthian, 1995.
Broadway Revisited , Corinthian, 1995.

Biography jo stafford

Jo Stafford's Career

Jo Stafford's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading