With the recent death of Jo Stafford, we have lost one of the few remaining links to the golden age of pop singing. First with the Pied Pipers and then on her own, Jo set the standard for taste in pop vocalizing.
Jo tended to sing without vibrato, legato, in medium tempos, and mezza voce. This gave her interpretations a cool unapproachability that, while never chilly, could sound uninvolved. In this first installment of a brief series devoted to her more unusual 10-inch LPs, I've chosen a set of gospel songs whose simplicity, when combined with her faith, bring out an intensity that sometimes could be hidden by her impeccable technique. This material suits her approach beautifully.
More about Jo Stafford here, including an interview by Bill Reed of People vs. Dr. Chilledair, where there are other remembrances.
More to come.
7 comments:
I am wondering who the cover artist is. Looks a bit like something that one of 1950s Mad Mag stable of artists might have whipped up in an off hour. Don Martin maybe?
Hi Bill,
I quite liked the art on this LP, and looked it over carefully to see if there was a credit. There wasn't, that I can recall. I am on the road, so I can't recheck, but will let you know if I come across any evidence.
Amazing that the RS link lives yet! Thanks for this buster.
Would it be possible to post a new link for this recording also? Thanks.
Remastered version:
https://mega.co.nz/#!GFMHERaZ!zDAOykwvijExNQMg1Olj6plxY0X1hKR1VNc3O7PhZmg
http://www.mediafire.com/download/wu5zyakhtji516g/Jo_Stafford_-_Garden_of_Prayer_(remastered).zip
The subject of the cover painting reminds me a lot of Lillian Gish in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER.
Thank you so much for Jo Stafford. An inspiration, no matter her repertoire.
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