men during World War II and the Korean War had a voice so warm, caressing, pure and sweet that it has transcended the test of time. It is actually vibrato-less with a perfect lilt and can enchant your whole evening and make you calm enough to face the next day’s grueling grind.
How could you resist her seductive voice? Jo Stafford — “Miss G.I. Joe,” to American service-
It was Jo’s voice that reminded G.I. soldiers of their wives faithfully nursing the home fires while they fought for honor and country. That her voice conveyed to these weary and lonely soldiers unwavering devotion and reassurance was an understatement.
Father Time finally quieted Jo’s enchanting voice in 2008, but did not relegate to oblivion the hundreds of records she cut which to date have been making the rounds of various music rooms around the world; thanks to the analog renaissance and to the durability of the vinyl as a recording medium.
I came to know of Jo’s music during long late-night trips from our offices in Makati to our home in Santa Rosa, Laguna, when the Skyway was still under construction. My wife and I would kill time listening to DZRJ-FM with Jo San Diego on board, as she played beautiful music collections of Stafford, Ella Fitzgerald and Doris Day, among other great female singers.
I got reacquainted with Jo Stafford’s music when I started building up my own vinyl collection with the guidance of a respected vinyl collector and audiophile friend, Gerry Joson. The analog renaissance is heaven-sent for millions of music lovers. Many of the classics have not been remastered onto compact disc, and the presence of analog gadgets in this digital age helps us to rediscover and appreciate their musical gems. E-Bay, music websites and thrift shops offering “old” vinyl, and recording outfits reissuing them, have become instrumental in keeping the analog fires burning. It has become profitable for them to feed audiophiles hungry for excellent music reproduction.
Jo could sing everything from folk songs to new music to hymns. However, it was the balladeer in her — singing standards like I’ll Be Seeing You, No Other Love You Belong To Me and Some Enchanted Evening where she defined herself as a pure vocal spirit of amorous longing, a popular genre in the ‘40s and ‘50s.
Jo is known by the analog generation of today as a wholesome beauty who sold millions of records. Yes, some were daft novelties, others insipid era ballads, but when she gave life to a good song, nobody could sing it better!
Jo had no inkling that she would be a pop star of her era. All she ever wanted was to be an operatic singer; studying classical vocal in her youth. The Great Depression had other plans for her, however. She joined her two older sisters, Pauline and Christine, as part of an admired music trio, the Stafford Sisters. They regularly performed on Los Angeles radio station KHJ until her sisters’ marriages broke up their act. Jo eventually joined the Pied Pipers, and the octet’s harmonious renditions of Hollywood soundtracks catapulted them to popularity.
She left the group in 1944 to pursue a solo career. Her recordings during the war endeared her to American servicemen. She moved from Capitol to CBS, where she continued her successful recording career until she returned to Capitol in 1961 for a six-album deal. Jo also starred in her own television programs aired in both the US and Britain. With her husband, she cut several albums under the names of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards. The Edwards were a parody of a bad lounge act and won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album.
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