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Jo Stafford

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Jo Stafford was an American traditional pop singer, born in Coalinga, California, in 1917. Her career spanned five decades, from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. She trained as a classical singer to become an opera singer, but chose popular music. Her pure voice was widely praised. With her two older sisters she formed the Stafford Sisters, who worked on radio and in films. In 1936 they made their first record with Louis Prima.

Music and breakthrough

In 1938 she formed the vocal group The Pied Pipers with others. Paul Weston, an arranger for Tommy Dorsey, brought the group into Dorsey's orchestra, where she also sang solos. When Frank Sinatra joined Dorsey, they often sang together. Their version of I'll Never Smile Again topped the Billboard chart for twelve weeks in 1940. In 1944 Stafford left Dorsey and recorded many songs that are now standards, for Capitol and Columbia, often with Paul Weston's orchestra. She also sang duets with Gordon MacRae and Frankie Laine.

Influence

In 1952 she married Weston. Together they invented the comic duo Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, an incompetent lounge act that parodied well-known songs and drew a large audience. According to the source, up to 1955 she had sold more records worldwide than any other female singer. She died in 2008. Stafford's importance lies in her pure, unaffected voice and the vocal group work of the swing era, which later carried over into pop music.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to I'll Never Smile Again by Tommy Dorsey, the Pied Pipers and Frank Sinatra and notice how the solo voice and the group singing alternate.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists