Category: Jo Stafford

Jo Stafford and the Pied Pipers

The more I see, and hear, and know about Jo Stafford, the more impressed I am. D. F. Rogers could write a better appreciation of her than I could (hint).

Tommy Dorsey with The Piped Pipers
Tommy Dorsey, Chuck Lowry, Jo Stafford, Frank Sinatra, Clark Yocum, John Huddleston

This appears to be the best copy of that photo you’ll find on the Net. Click to see it full size. I scanned it from an LP in my collection. That’s Jo Stafford next to Frank Sinatra in 1940, when Jo was all of 22, before she married to her first husband, John Huddleston, who’s on the right. Calling themselves the Pied Pipers, they sang with Tommy Dorsey’s band and backed up Sinatra on “I’ll Never Smile Again,” recorded March 23, 1940.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/JUL/NeverSmileAgain.mp3]

Jo is featured more prominently with Sinatra on “Stardust,” recorded November 11, 1940.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/JUL/Stardust.mp3]

I’ll have more of the remarkable Jo Stafford, coming up.

Jo Stafford, Right Tonight For Temptation

Let’s hear some more Jo Stafford, in recognition of her 90th birthday, a couple of days ago. Here are two songs by Jo that were on the radio at the same time, in 1947, the year this picture was taken with Tommy Dorsey and somebody who I assume you recognize.

Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford - 1947

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/NOV07/ImSoRightTonight.mp3,http://www.dograt.com/Audio/NOV07/Temptation.mp3]

Let the first one play through, then for contrast the second song will come in to give you an idea of her versatility.

Happy Birthday Jo Stafford

In three days Petula Clark turns 75 (Shhhhh! I don’t think we’re supposed to talk about Pet’s age), but today the singer Jo Stafford turned 90! Jo was a favorite of Charles M. Schulz, and a song by her is featured at this link. In December 1955, when TV was overtaking radio and Rock and Roll was taking over radio (please note the distinction), Jo had a song in the top 10 called ‘It’s Almost Tomorrow’.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/NOV07/ItsAlmostTomorrow.mp3]

Jo joined the television revolution, and later appeared on the Steve Allen Show. How many other faces do you recognize in this video?

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/NOV07/JoStafford.flv 400 300]

Coffee Lane and Moon River

Charles M. Schulz Charles M. Schulz

The American Masters documentary Good Ol’ Charles Schulz was a surprise to me in a number of ways. I had expected the early years to be of greatest interest, but I feel the core of the program is actually the 10-minute segment about Coffee Lane. Monte Schulz characterizes his family’s time there as “those dear, dead days.”

Thirty seconds of Coffee Lane are on the video player. I took the picture in the preview frame from later in the segment. That’s a great shot, isn’t it?

[flv:http://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Video/Schulz/Schulz.flv 400 300]

Thanks again to Monte for contributing a comment to this blog. The audio player has the music that reminds him so much of Coffee Lane in Sebastopol, CA — Henry Mancini’s ‘Moon River’. For myself, the equivalent would be Peter, Paul & Mary records on Adams Lane in Norwalk, CT.

[audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Audio/2011/Nov/MR1.mp3|titles=Moon River by Henry Mancini]

Back in St. Paul, one of Charles Schulz’s favorite recording artists was Jo Stafford. I have found no reference to her in the Michaelis book, and I think that’s a serious omission. Below is a song sung by Jo, called ‘No Other Love’.

[audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Audio/2011/Nov/NoOtherLove.mp3|titles=No Other Love by Jo Stafford]

This record was popular on the radio in September, 1950 — after Sparky had lost Donna, and before he married Joyce. Keep that in mind, play it again, and listen carefully to the lyrics.