We continue just a little longer with the Perry Como connections as we check out a version of "Jingle Bells" from his co-star on "The Chesterfield Supper Club," the great Jo Stafford!
This cut is from her 1964 album on Capitol Records, "The Joyful Season":
That features multi-track recordings of Jo's voice, so the album is actually credited to the Voices of Jo Stafford!
She was no stranger to multiple voices, as she first rose to fame in the early 1940s as a member of the Pied Pipers vocal group with the Tommy Dorsey band and often featured vocal groups on her solo records.
"The Joyful Season" is a solid album and features snappy accompaniment from a combo lead by Jack Marshall.
In keeping with the "Jingle Bells" theme, Jo included that song as the intro to her version of "Winter Wonderland" from her 1956 "Ski Trails" album on Columbia Records featuring the Starlighters vocal group and backing from Jo's husband, Paul Weston:
Such a great sound!
We continue to go backwards as we hit 1955 for Jo's album "Happy Holiday" as she reaches back to her Tommy Dorsey days for a quick version of "Winter Weather" also with the Starlighters and Paul Weston:
Really fun!
Let's go back even further to 1946 for Jo's first Christmas recording, a hit version of "White Christmas" for Capitol Records:
The flipside is a beautiful version of "Silent Night":
Paul Weston also leads the orchestra on those sides, but was not married to Jo Stafford yet. He had been an arranger with Tommy Dorsey, so he knew Jo from those days.
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| Tommy Dorsey conducts Jo Stafford with the Pied Pipers. That boy singer on Jo's left showed promise. Whatever happened to him? |
Speaking of Tommy Dorsey, let's go to 1941 for TD's great version of "Winter Weather" on Victor Records featuring Jo as the lead singer of the Pied Pipers:
I think that's just a great record with the band in such good form playing Sy Oliver's arrangement!
I think these holiday/seasonal sides show Jo Stafford's talents quite well, but she also had a wacky side, which is at the forefront of this big 1947 hit by Red Ingle & the Natural Seven on Capitol Records:
That's Jo singing under the alias of "Cinderella G. Stump" with the novelty group Red formed after leaving Spike Jones & his City Slickers. Naturally I love this record!
A further Perry Como connection comes up in that Red Ingle and Country Washburne, the arranger of "Tim-Tayshun") had been longtime members of the Ted Weems band and the romantic boy singer at one point was Perry Como!
I do love making connections!
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