Hi friends – welcome back to 50s Tunes with Steve - the best place to learn about, listen to, and snap along with some of the great artists of the 1950s.
This week we’re going to be talking about Patti Page – one of the most prominent and successful female vocalists of the era.
As always, I have left links to each song I discuss throughout the blog, so please click on each tune, and take a listen as you read!
Background and Top Charting Hits
Patti Page was born in Claremore, Oklahoma, 1927, by the name, Clara Ann Fowler. She got the name Patti Page in the mid-1940s when she was performing on a radio program sponsored by the “Page Milk Company.”
Page signed with Mercury Records in 1946 and was the first successful female singer for the record label. Her style of singing was widely impacted by the fact that there was a strike in the music industry at the time, and record companies could not higher background singers. So, Page improvised. With new recording technology, the record company was able to overdub Page’s voice, making Patti her own background singer, singing in 4-part harmony – one of the first artists of the era to try this, and I’m sure it was something very difficult to do, but luckily that hard work paid off. In 1950 Page had her first million selling record - “With My Eyes Wide Open I’m Dreaming.”
It was that same year that Page recorded the tune which would become the theme song of her life and eventually went on to be marked the song of the decade - “The Tennessee Waltz.”
This song was originally recorded and performed by country singer Pee Wee King, released in 1948. Page’s version was technically a cover version.
For those of you who may not know, it was common for songs to be recorded by multiple performers in those days, as the law did not prohibit artists from doing arrangements from other artists repertoire.
“The Tennessee Waltz” served as the B side of her upcoming Christmas single “Boogie Woogie Santa Clause.” At the time, songs were released on what was called a 78-rpm record, and the record had two sides to it, one side with each song. The A side was supposed to be the song that would become popular, while the B side was supposed to be the song that would eventually go on to be forgotten, but in this case, it was the dead opposite.
The song stayed on the charts for 30 weeks starting in November of 1950 and hitting #1 on December 30th of that year.
You’ll notice how Page keeps a country theme to the song, while still making it a Pop record. Well, that eventually became her mojo.
In 1951 Page recorded the song “Mockin’ Bird Hill,” a song originally performed by another popular act of the day, Les Paul and Mary Ford. Both versions were a hit and Page’s version went all the way to #14 on the 1951 Billboard Year end top 30 singles.
In 1952 Page hit home once again, with the song “I Went To Your Wedding.” When you listen to this song you can hear the similarities between it and “The Tennessee Waltz.” I recall Page once saying in an interview that this was one of the songs her producers put together in an attempt to recreate the success of “The Tennessee Waltz.” While it never went on to reach The Waltz’s level of popularity it did go all the way to #8 on the top 30 singles chart of ’52.
Come 1953 Page recorded another smash hit, even bigger than the prior two – “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window.” Some of you may have heard this song in pre-school, as I think it is seen more as a children’s nursery rhyme today, than a popular song, but in 1953 it took its place at #3 on billboards top 30 singles of the year, selling over two million records.
By 1954 Page was a household name, well-regarded by the music community and the public. At this time, she introduced two more hits, “Cross Over the Bridge,” and “Changing Partners.” If you listen, you’ll notice how extraordinarily similar “Changing Partners” is to “The Tennessee Waltz.” It’s so similar, Page herself said she used to get the two mixed up during performances!
Later Career
By 1955 the music scene was beginning to shift, and a more upbeat genre of music was taking over – Rock n Roll. Artists like Pat Boone, The McGuire Sisters, and Georgia Gibbs were covering Rhythm and Blues songs that were hitting big with teenagers. Meanwhile, Page’s low-key novelty songs were being ousted from the charts.
While she did not have a top-charting hit in ‘55 she did come back in 1956 and 1957, a time when Elvis Presley was the biggest selling artist, making the year end top 50s singles, once in ’56 with “Alleghany Moon,” then “Old Cape Cod,” in ’57.
Page always remained relevant throughout the 50s and 60s, even having a major chart hit with “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte” in 1965.
Between the 60s and 80s Page went on to perform various country songs, as well as recording albums with reprised versions of her original material.
Page made musical appearances well into the 2000s, but unfortunately passed away in 2013 at the age of 85.
Impact
Page’s impact on the music industry is significant because she was one of the first artists to incorporate a country music style into pop music, arguably helping country music reach the popularity it has today, and she proved that while backup singers are nice to have, there isn’t anything a person can’t achieve by themselves. Not to mention she was one of the few women artists to achieve great success during the 50s.
That’s all for today!
Thanks for reading folks, I hope you enjoyed hearing these great tunes, and I hope maybe you’ll go out and listen to Miss Patti Page yourself after hearing some of her music!
Until next time friends, this is your 50s fanatic, Steven B. – signing off!
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