Jo Stafford, great influence on Dusty, dies
Singer Jo Stafford has died at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 90.
Knicknamed GI Jo by U.S. servicemen in WW2, Stafford died of heart failure on Wednesday.
The singer had 26 charted singles, nearly a dozen top 10 hits and she also won a Grammy for a comedy album she released with husband Paul Weston. That comedy album - Jonathan & Darlene Edwards was a great favourite of Dusty’s.
But it was Stafford’s glorious voice & control that was such an influence on the young Mary O’Brien when she heard Stafford’s 1950 album “American Folk Songs” which featured Poor Wayfaring Stranger.
Born in Coalinga, California, Stafford began her career as a member of the Pied Pipers.
The group backed Frank Sinatra on his early recordings with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the late 1930s. Sinatra once said: "It was a joy to sit on the bandstand and listen to her."
Jo had her own radio and TV series during the 40s and 50s.
her biggest hit was You Belong To Me.
Stafford voluntarily retired after making her last recording in 1970.
She is survived by son, Tim Weston, a daughter, Amy Wells, and four grandchildren.
Husband Paul Weston died in 1996.
Sunday, 20 July 2008