One of the most technically gifted and popular vocalists of the immediate postwar period, Jo Stafford effortlessly walked the line between breezy pop and the more serious art of post-big-band jazz singing. With the help of her husband, top-flight arranger and Capitol A&R director Paul Weston, Stafford recorded throughout the '40s and '50s for Capitol and Columbia. She also contributed (with Weston) to one of the best pop novelty acts of the period, a humorously inept and off-key satire that saw the couple billed as Jonathan & Darlene Edwards.
Lee Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma probably on October 10, 1908 – that’s what’s on her tombstone but she would have said 1915. She said that she was a Cherokee princess and had the nickname of “Pocahontas”. Lee Wiley was a tunesmith - like Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee
Lee Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma probably on October 10, 1908 – that’s what’s on her tombstone but she would have said 1915. She said that she was a Cherokee princess and had the nickname of “Pocahontas”. Lee Wiley was a tunesmith - like Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee
Betty Carter developed a legendary reputation, along with Art Blakey, as one of the great mentors for young jazz musicians. Equally legendary was her singing prowess, creating a distinctive style of improvisation that could transcend any song.
Jeri Southern, was a classically trained pianist who became a jazz-oriented vocalist in the 1950s, whose hit "You Better Go Now" proved the most successful of her several recordings. Born Genevieve Hering, on 5 August 1926, in Royal, Nebraska, Southern studied at the Notre Dame Academy, Omaha, and later played piano at the local Blackstone Hotel.
California is the main subject of some of the songs in this episode, but others simply mention something about the state such as a place, a street or highway, the weather, a person, or an attitude or lifestyle the state represents for the singer. Sit back and enjoy the silky subtleties of our swell dames as they pay homage to the Golden State.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New Orleans each...
War-era songstress Ginny Simms was born Virginia Simms on May 23, 1913, in Texas but was raised in California, which accounts for her lack of a Southern accent in her speaking/singing voice. Though she studied piano as a child, it was her vocal gifts that launched her career, which started when she formed a singing trio while studying at Fresno State Teachers College. Ginny was performing at a club in San Francisco when she was heard by bandleader/radio star Kay Kyser. She became his featured singer and the big attraction of Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge, a comedy revue done in the style of a quiz show with music. They also became a romantic item. In addition to radio, she kept busy recording swing and pop albums.
Blossom Dearie
Blossom Margrethe Dearie was born on April 28, 1924, in East Durham, New York. She was named Blossom after the pear blossoms her brothers picked and decorated their house with to celebrate her birth. By the age of two Blossom was able to pick up songs on the family piano. Her mother remarked that, unlike most children who would bang at the keys when in front of a piano, Blossom thoughtfully played songs from ear and memory. Debussy's Afternoon of the Faun was a favorite. Lessons began around age five and she studied classical music until her teens. She was encouraged to enter the Peabody Conservatory but switched to jazz.
Swell Dames - Mavis Rivers
Mavis Rivers was a notable cabaret and jazz singer, who attained success in Hollywood, where she recorded for major record labels.
Rivers began her career singing with her father’s band, performing for servicemen in American Samoa during the Second World War. In 1947, the family moved to Auckland, where Rivers began working in the Peter Pan cabaret. This led to over 40 recordings for the TANZA label, who also worked with three of her sisters.
Rivers attended Brigham Young University in Utah, in line with her Mormon upbringing, before returning to American Samoa to work as a radio DJ. Upon returning to the USA, she was offered a major deal with Capitol Records. She was also signed to the Reprise label, owned by Frank Sinatra, after Sinatra saw her perform live.
Highlights of Rivers’ musical career included an appearance on ‘The Steve Allen Show’ in the US, and at the royal variety show in Auckland, where she performed for Queen Elizabeth II. She also performed at numerous festivals around New Zealand, including the International Festival of the Arts in Wellington, in 1990.
Mavis Rivers is remembered as a phenomenal jazz performer. Sinatra is said to have described her as the ‘purest voice’ in jazz, and she was a favourite with jazz purists. Later in her career she was often accompanied by her son Matt Catingub and his band.