Still Flying at Half-Stafford
Yesterday I wrote here about Jo Stafford and her husband Paul Weston. As I noted, she was a popular and admired singer with a long career that was at its peak in the 1940-50s, though extended beyond that. And he was a very successful pianist, composer and conductor.
But it was their novelty albums for which they’re best remembered. The albums began life as just funny things the two did at parties – but eventually it was impressed upon them to take the fun further. And so an album was released, without their famous names on it, instead supposedly performed by “Jonathan and Darlene Edwards.” She sang consistently off-key (quite a trick for a singer with such great pitch), while he played over-florid arrangements (most-especially during a song's introduction) and often missing the correct notes.
Eventually it became known that “Jonathan and Darlene Edwards” were really Jo Stafford and Paul Weston. And the album did so well that others were released, as well.
I have more to this all in the coming days, but for now, here are three of my favorite of my favorite “Jonathan and Darlene” selections.
This first may possibly be their most famous recording, their rendition of Cole Porter's song, "I Love Paris."
While their specialty may have been mangled ballads and torch songs, this was a wonderfully awful version of Duke Ellington's, "Take the 'A' Train."
And finally, since "Darlene" is almost always in the forefront, while "Jonathan" as accompanist generally is in the background, I thought it would be only proper to allow him a moment in the spotlight, as he gets a solo number destroying "Autumn Leaves," by Jacques Prevert with English lyrics (not heard here) by Johnny Mercer.
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