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, 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.
Swoony stuff! Makes you want to grab the nearest member of the opposite sex and start slow dancing. Tom is outside, all sweaty from pulling out stumps and grading the yard, so I think I’ll pass at the moment. 😉
Molly thinks that’s too deep? Well, the modern female singers all squeak, ’tis true. Say, Frankie is the shortest one in the whole bunch! I love all the music from Mom & Dad’s generation, as well as our own, natch.
Yes, like a finely cut diamond, the more you examine the life and work of Jo Stafford, the more there is to admire. She was a sensible professional musician with the attitude that you should take the work seriously while never taking yourself too seriously! She was well-rounded and well-grounded, with tremendous talent and ability. When you read interviews with her, you can easily see that she was intelligent and funny with a clear-eyed view of the entertainment world. I wish I could have personally expressed my appreciation to her.
The picture Doug chose here is one of my favorites. Jo Stafford certainly deserved to be on the same stage and level as Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey. Since we are starting with the Dorsey era, one of my favorite recordings from this period is “Blues In The Night”. Her 1942 performance with the Dorsey Band certainly matches, and may even surpass, Dinah Shore’s hit version. I hope we get to hear some songs from the Capitol era next!