Song:Candy
Album:Walkin' My Baby Back Home
Jo Stafford was one of the most popular singers of the early 50s before Rock 'N' Roll. But she had hits in the 40s. Candy was her very first number one hit in 1945. Of course in her early days, Jo was a member of The Pied Pipers and they were all in the Tommy Dorsey band. The Pied Pipers had success after they left Dorsey in 1942. At the time, Johnny Mercer told Jo that he was going to start his own record company and she was going to record for him. Of course Mercer was a legendary songwriter but he also founded Capitol Records. And Capitol's first signing was Jo Stafford after she left The Pied Pipers in 1944. This was arranged by agent Mike Nidorf who at the time was a Captain in the US Army. But he was Glenn Miller's agent among others and he encouraged Jo to go solo. Jo had immediate success on Capitol with hits like The Trolley Song and Long Ago (And Far Away). But Candy was her first number one hit in 1945. The odd thing was that Mercer chose to sing on the record. Candy was written by songwriting legend Mack David with Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney. Mercer chose the song because of his own limited singing skills. The Pied Pipers were brought in to sing backup vocals. Paul Weston arranged the record and led the orchestra. Weston had just arrived at Capitol. He worked with Jo in the Dorsey band. When he left Capitol for Columbia, he took Jo with him and they married in 1952. She continued to have success with Capitol and then with Columbia in the early 50s. Like many singers of that era, Jo's career was ended by Rock 'N' Roll. This 2CD budget comp from the British label See For Miles covers Jo's 40s recordings. Here's a video for Candy by Jo Stafford and Johnny Mercer featuring The Pied Pipers.
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