Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris

Last updated
Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris
Edwards in Paris.jpg
Studio album by
Jo Stafford and Paul Weston
Released1960
Genre Traditional pop
comedy
Label Columbia (1960)
Corinthian Records (1999)

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris is a 1960 comedy album recorded by American singer Jo Stafford and her husband, pianist and bandleader Paul Weston. In character as Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, the pair put their own interpretation on popular songs including "I Love Paris" and "Paris in the Spring." The album followed a successful comedy act the couple would perform at parties during the 1950s, in which Weston would play an out of tune piano while Stafford would accompany him by singing in an off-key and high pitched voice. A joint winner of the 1961 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, the album garnered Stafford her only major award for her singing. [1]

Contents

Background

The concept of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards has its roots in an event which occurred at a Columbia Records sales convention where, in order to fill time, Weston put on an impression of a dreadful lounge pianist. His audience responded very positively, and continued to ask for more even after the convention was over. [2] [3] Throughout the 1950s, Stafford and Weston developed the act to entertain guests at parties. [1] The couple would pretend to be a bad lounge act. Stafford would sing off-key in a high pitched voice, while Weston would play an untuned piano off key and with bizarre rhythms. [4] Weston's pseudonym, the name of the Calvinist preacher, was chosen by George Avakian, an executive for Columbia Records, who wanted Weston to record his musical misadventures under that name. The more thought Weston gave to the request, the more unsure he was that he could fill an entire album as Jonathan Edwards alone. [1] He enlisted Stafford, who became Jonathan's wife, Darlene, and the off-key vocalist of the duo. [5] [6]

Stafford made her first recording as Darlene Edwards in 1957 after finding herself with some spare time after a recording session, and those who heard bootlegs of this track gave it a positive reception. Stafford and Weston subsequently recorded an entire album of songs as the Edwardses later that year, entitling it Jo Stafford and Paul Weston Present: The Original Piano Artistry of Jonathan Edwards, Vocals by Darlene Edwards. By way of a publicity stunt, the Westons claimed they had no personal connection to Jonathan and Darlene and that they were a Trenton, New Jersey lounge act whom they had discovered and who happened to live with them. [7] This led to much speculation throughout the United States as people tried to identify the act, with Time Magazine reporting that Margaret and Harry Truman were strong contenders, before identifying the couple in the article. [1] [3] [8] The 1957 album was followed by an album of "pop standards" on which the pair put their own interpretation on popular songs. It proved to be a commercial and critical success, becoming the first commercially successful musical parody album. The Westons brought the Edwardses to television in 1958 for a Jack Benny Shower of Stars , and to The Garry Moore Show in 1960. [9] [10] [11]

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris was recorded in 1960, and won an award for that year's Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album. The album "tied" with Bob Newhart's "Spoken Word Comedy" because the Grammys took the unusual decision to issue two comedy awards for 1960. [8] [12] The 1961 award for Best Comedy Album was the only Grammy Stafford ever won. [1] [8] [13]

Track listing

This track listing is sourced from Corinthian Records. [14]

  1. "I Love Paris"
  2. "Valentina"
  3. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
  4. "La Vie en Rose"
  5. "The River Seine"
  6. "April in Paris"
  7. "The Poor People of Paris"
  8. "The Last Time I Saw Paris"
  9. "Autumn Leaves"
  10. "Paris in the Spring"
  11. "Mademoiselle de Paree"
  12. "Darling, je vous aime Beaucoup"

Related Research Articles

Harry Connick Jr. American singer, conductor, pianist, actor, and composer

Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 16 million in certified sales. He has had seven top 20 US albums, and ten number-one US jazz albums, earning more number-one albums than any other artist in US jazz chart history.

Jonathan Edwards may refer to:

The 3rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on April 13, 1961, at Los Angeles and New York. They recognized musical accomplishments by the performers for the year 1960. Ray Charles won four awards and Bob Newhart and Henry Mancini each won three awards.

Jo Stafford American singer (1917-2008)

Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American traditional pop music singer and occasional actress, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical training to become an opera singer before following a career in popular music, and by 1955 had achieved more worldwide record sales than any other female artist. Her 1952 song "You Belong to Me" topped the charts in the United States and United Kingdom, becoming the second single to top the UK Singles Chart and the first by a female artist to do so.

The Pied Pipers

The Pied Pipers is an American popular singing group originally formed in the late 1930s. They had several chart hits through the 1940s, both under their own name and in association with Tommy Dorsey and with Frank Sinatra.

Paul Weston American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor

Paul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor who worked in music and television from the 1930s to the 1970s, pioneering mood music and becoming known as "the Father of Mood Music". His compositions include popular music songs such as "I Should Care", "Day by Day", and "Shrimp Boats". He also wrote classical pieces, including "Crescent City Suite" and religious music, authoring several hymns and masses.

"Cocktails for Two" is a song from the Big Band era, written by Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow. The song debuted in the movie Murder at the Vanities (1934), where it was introduced by the Danish singer and actor Carl Brisson. Duke Ellington's version of the song was recorded in 1934 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007.

Darlene Koldenhoven

Darlene Koldenhoven is an American musician. Darlene won a Grammy Award for her singing.

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards

Jonathan and Darlene Edwards were a musical comedy double act developed by American conductor and arranger Paul Weston, and his wife, singer Jo Stafford. The routine was conceived in the 1950s, and involved Weston playing songs on the piano in unconventional rhythms, while Stafford sang off-key in a high pitched voice. The couple released five albums and one single as the Edwards, and their 1960 album, Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris won that year's Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

<i>The Jo Stafford Show</i> (1954 TV series)

The Jo Stafford Show is a 15-minute musical variety program which aired on CBS in prime time in the 1954–1955 television season. Jo Stafford began her solo singing career after success with the big band group known as The Pied Pipers. Arrangements for the program were handled by Stafford's husband, Paul Weston, himself a conductor and arranger at Capitol Records and Columbia Records. The series aired on Tuesday evenings at 7:45 Eastern Time after Douglas Edwards with the News and preceding the half-hour The Red Skelton Show. Singer Perry Como had a similar 15-minute program on CBS in the same time slot on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. Paul Weston wrote a special theme song for the show.

<i>Darlene Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats</i> 1982 studio album by Jo Stafford and Paul Weston

Darlene Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats is a 1982 album by Jo Stafford and Paul Weston in which they perform in character as Jonathan and Darlene Edwards. The duo put their own unique interpretation on the music of Duke Ellington and Fats Waller with Stafford singing deliberately off key, while Weston plays an out of tune piano. The album was issued by Corinthian Records (COR-117). Billboard reviewed the album when it was newly released, saying, "the sounds they achieve may well lead to another Grammy for the duo next year." Stafford and Weston, in their personas of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, were interviewed by Los Angeles Magazine following the release of the album.

"Paris in the Spring" is a popular song composed in 1935, with lyrics by Mack Gordon and music by Harry Revel. It was first introduced by Mary Ellis in the film Paris in Spring. A version was also recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra. In 1960, Jo Stafford and her husband Paul Weston recorded a version for their comedy album Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris in which they put their own unique interpretation on the song.

<i>The Piano Artistry of Jonathan Edwards</i> 1957 studio album by Jo Stafford and Paul Weston ((Gene Krupa, drums))

The Piano Artistry of Jonathan Edwards is a 1957 album of songs by Paul Weston and Jo Stafford in the guise of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, a New Jersey lounge act who deliberately play the piano and sing off-key, putting their own interpretation on popular songs. Most of the tracks feature Weston's piano playing, although on four he is accompanied by Darlene. The album was released by Columbia Records in 1957. It was re-released in 1985 by Corinthian Records.

<i>Jonathan and Darlenes Greatest Hits</i> 1993 compilation album by Jo Stafford and Paul Weston

Jonathan and Darlene's Greatest Hits is a 1993 compilation album of songs by Paul Weston and Jo Stafford recorded in the guise of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, a New Jersey lounge act who performed deliberately off-key, putting their own interpretation on popular songs. The album was released by Corinthian Records on September 11, 1993.

<i>Jonathan and Darlenes Greatest Hits: Volume 2</i> 1994 compilation album by Jo Stafford and Paul Weston

Jonathan and Darlene's Greatest Hits: Volume 2 is a 1994 compilation album of songs by Paul Weston and Jo Stafford recorded in the guise of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, a New Jersey lounge act who performed deliberately off-key, putting their own interpretation on popular songs. The album was released by Corinthian Records on February 22, 1994.

The original use of the term "parody" in music referred to re-use for wholly serious purposes of existing music. In popular music that sense of "parody" is still applicable to the use of folk music in the serious songs of such writers as Bob Dylan, but in general, "parody" in popular music refers to the humorous distortion of musical ideas or lyrics or general style of music.

Jo Stafford filmography

The following is a list of film and television appearances by American singer Jo Stafford. Although primarily a singer, Stafford made many film and television appearances throughout her career. Her filmography includes both guest spots and acting roles, spanning the decades from the 1930s when she appeared with her sisters in films such as Avenging Waters (1936) and Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) through to her final appearance in the Frank Sinatra tribute Sinatra 75: The Best Is Yet to Come in 1990. Along the way Stafford appeared in series such as What's My Line? and Shower of Stars, as well as presenting two separate series titled The Jo Stafford Show which were recorded on two opposite sides of the Atlantic, in 1954 and 1961 respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hall, Fred, ed. (1989). Dialogues in swing:intimate conversations with the stars of the big band era. Pathfinder Publishing of California. p. 52. ISBN   0-934793-19-0 . Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  2. ↑ "Jo Stafford". The Telegraph. July 17, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Music:Two Right Hands". Time. 23 September 1957. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  4. ↑ "Jo Stafford, singer known as 'GI Jo'". The Press Democrat. July 19, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  5. ↑ Moore, James Ross (2001). "American National Biography: Paul Weston" . Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  6. ↑ Lees, Gene (1989). Singers and the Song: G.I. Joe. Oxford University Press. p. 272. ISBN   0-19-506087-3. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  7. ↑ Pietschmann, Richard J. (December 1982). "Jonathan and Darlene Edwards Talk!". Los Angeles Magazine. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 Bernstein, Adam (July 18, 2008). "Jo Stafford, 90; Pop Singer Won a Grammy for Comedy". The Washington Post. pp. B7. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Shower of Stars newspaper ad". The Deseret News. 9 January 1958. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  10. ↑ "Shower of Stars Episode #4.4". IMDB. 9 January 1958. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "TV Previews". Lawrence Journal-World. 11 October 1960. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  12. ↑ The 1961 Grammy Awards were awarded for music produced in 1960.
  13. ↑ "Best Comedy Performance (Musical)". Grammy.com. 1960. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  14. ↑ "LPs and Cassettes". Corinthian Records. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.