Pa# Page Group 2: Drew Honson, Andrew Taylor, Joanna Hedstrom, David Steinman, and Charlie Maahs Ar)st Biography ● Born November 8, 1927 in Oklahoma o birth name was Clara Ann Fowler o one of 11 children ● Died January 1, 2013 at age 85 ● Name “Patti Page” came from a promotion she did for Page Milk at a Tulsa radio station Ar)st Biography ● Signed with Mercury Records after touring in a band with singer Jimmy Joy in 1947 ● Was first singer to have T.V. programs on 3 major U.S. networks ● Had musical career until late in her life (1946-2012) ● Married 3 times o Jack Skiba (1948-1949) o Charles O’Curran (1956-1972) o Jerome Filiciotto (1990-2009) Musical Style ● Crossover artist o Original C&W (and novelty) hits to Pop charts ● Page believed her demure, unpretentious style was appropriate for the time period (post-war) ● “Confess” (1948, pop song) o Backup singers on strike o Producer Mitch Miller had her overdub herself § 1st to do so, long before technology made this common Musical Style ● “Tennessee Waltz” (1950) o Considered the 1st true crossover hit § Reached No.1 on Pop, R&B, and C&W charts simultaneously o Polished Pop voice with Oklahoma-ness helped to break genre boundaries o Also used overdubbing technique o Over 10 million copies sold Musical Style ● “Doggie in the Window” (1952) o Originally a novelty song written by Bob Merrill o Featured repeated barking sounds o Some criticized this song, example of ‘what was wrong with Pop in the 50’s § Led to downfall of Pop and emergence of Rock and Roll In general: ● Page capitalized on wide range of popular material and novelty “fluff” ● Most songs: o Moderate tempo, cover of C&W o Upbeat, cute novelty Musical Influences ● Patti Page never explicitly stated any influences, but from her early personal and professional history, some conclusions can be drawn C&W and Folk Music ● Page’s first album was Folk Song Favorites, which was entirely covers of folk songs ● This reflects her poor, Oklahoma background, which would have likely led to exposure to C&W and Folk Jazz, Swing, and Pop ● Page was also influenced by jazz and big band swing due to her performing with Benny Goodman ● Her early 1950s Pop influence was likely due to her signing with Mercury records, which largely produced Pop Benny Goodman Music of the Period: Pop ● Popular in the late 1940s, early 1950s ● Mitch Miller, A&R at Mercury Records, led the growth of Pop music ● Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Doris Day were also popular pop musicians of the era Mitch Miller Frank Sinatra Music of the Period: Rhythm & Blues ● Uptempo, funky, helped create the sound of rock n’ roll (Pop vocals helped as well) ● Little Richard, Fats Domino some of R&Bs pioneers, were first popular R&B singers ● Late 1950s popularity Little Richard Fats Domino Music of the Period: Country ● Many of Page’s most popular songs had a country music arrangement ● Page transitioned into the Genre later in her career ● Hank Williams: epitome of 1950s Country Western, Johnny Cash near the end of the decade ● Late 1950s Country Western had Hank Williams more mainstream, rock n’ roll sound Social & Political Events of the Period ● Brown v. Board of Education o More integrated socially and in music, white people singing songs thought to be made by blacks ● TVs become common in households o Took some of the audience away from radio ● Marilyn Monroe enters the public eye o Women now viewed as sex symbols Social & Political Events of the Period ● First woman goes into space o Women doing more in society, no longer just a housewife ● US troops go to Vietnam o Begins period of rebellion and unrest in society Ar)st Biography--Page’s Legacy ● Was the best-selling female vocalist of the 1950s ● Received a Grammy in 1999 for her “Live at Carnegie Hall” album ● Has 3 certified gold albums and 15 gold singles ● Has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Conclusion Patti Page represents the musical style of the 1950s, because her music had many C&W influences, and reflected many Pop sounds of the period. Also, the 1950s was a time where the C&W, R&B, and Pop influences all came together in a developing Rock ‘n’ Roll. Page’s records contributed to the breaking genre barriers, thus making her an important artist in the development of Rock ‘n’ Roll. References Bush, J. (n.d.). Patti Page Biography. AllMusic. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/patti-page-mn0000747506/biography Gates, A. (2013, January 2). Patti Page, Honey-Voiced ’50s Pop Sensation, Dies at 85. The New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/arts/music/patti-page-singer-dies-at-85.html?_r=0 Hank Williams - spclarke.com. (n.d.). spclarkecom. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://www.spclarke.com/?page_id=179 McPherson, I. (2000). 1955-1960, R&B-derived rock & roll. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://www.timeisonourside.com/ STR&BRock.html Niemeyer, D. (n.d.). 1950s EASY-POP Songs and Singers...on the verge of Rock 'n Roll.Popular Singers 1950. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://50spopmusic.com/50seasypopsingers.html Patti Page. (n.d.). - Biography. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://www.billboard.com/artist/328327/patti-page/biography Patti Page Remembered As The Biggest Female Singer Of 1950s. (2013, January 3). NPR. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://www.npr.org/2013/01/03/168564157/patti-page-remembered-as-the-biggest-female-singer-of-1950s "Society of the 1950's." Society of the 1950's. N.p., n.d. 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