When we think of the popular singers of the early '50s, many names immediately spring to mind. We recall Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald who were continuing to add to the fame earned in the '40s while Dean Martin, Perry Como, Doris Day, Patti Page and Eartha Kitt were the new rising stars. Groups such as Andrews Sisters, The Four Aces and Ames Brothers also come in our thoughts.
But how many of us remember a duo which in the early '50s was coming out with hit after hit more frequently than the firmly established contemporaries? Les Paul and Mary Ford were the top recording artistes of those times and in 1951 alone, they sold six million records. In the first half of the '50s, they produced 28 hits with 16 in the top ten out of which 5 were within nine months; remember Tennessee Waltz, Mockin' Bird Hill, How High The Moon, The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise and Whispering? How High The Moon was number 1 for 9 weeks.
In the next seven months, 5 more hit top ten: My Baby's Coming Home, Lady Of Spain, I'm Sitting On Top Of The World, Bye Bye Blues and Vaya Con Dios which after eleven weeks at number 1, became their theme song in stage and TV shows.
Mary Ford (born Iris Colleen Summers) and Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss) met in 1945 and decided to work together. They got married in 1949 and formed a husband and wife duo. Both were singers and guitarists and Paul an inventor as well. Mary Ford became the chief voice of the duo with Paul providing guitar accompaniment though, in their shows, Mary often indulged in a friendly duel with him on the guitar akin to the 'Jugalbandi' of Indian classical music. Being a technician, Paul concentrated on songwriting and recording techniques. He had Mary singing within six inches from the mic instead of over a foot which was the norm in those days. This provided a more intimate sound to Mary's voice as also a relaxed feel. Paul was also the first to use multitrack recording technique and it is interesting to know that most of the duo's recordings were done in a makeshift studio in Paul's garage with just the two of them.
Unfortunately, differences arose between them resulting in an acrimonious breakup and divorce in 1964. Mary died in 1977 while Paul carried on working in semi-retirement mode and continued to play the guitar. He won two Grammies in 2006 at the age of 90 and passed away in 2009. The two together as a group were awarded a star in the Hollywood Hall Of Fame in 1960 and inducted in the Hit Parade Hall Of Fame in 2009.
And now, 5 of my favourites recorded by them.
Vaya Con Dios (May God be with you or, literally, Go with God) was their most successful song with eleven weeks as number 1 on the US Billboard and on many charts all over the world. It was ranked the No. 1 top tune of 1953 and the second best selling song of the year. In 2005, it was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame and chosen by Western Writers of America as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. People of my generation might not remember Les Paul and Mary Ford but would not forget this song which all of us loved and hummed all the time. Various other versions followed by famous artistes such as Bing Crosby, Jim Reeves, Pat Boone, and Nat King Cole and Julio Iglesias in Spanish but Paul and Mary were unmatched. It's a sad farewell song with the famous chorus lines, 'Vaya Con Dios, my darling, Vaya Con Dios, my love.'
By contrast, I'm Sitting On Top Of The World is a fast-paced, happy song which was constantly on my lips during my Xavier days: ' I'm sitting on top of the world, just rolling along, just rolling along. I'm quitting the blues of the world, just singing a song, just singing a song.'
'World' appears in another of their top songs, 'The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise'. It's a short, romantic number sung in a hopeful way. The lyrics are worthy of a Wordsworth:
'Dear one, the world is waiting for the sunrise
Ev'ry rose is covered with dew....
The thrush on high his sleepy mate is calling
And my heart is calling you.'
The next two songs have 'birds' in the title. Continuing in the cheerful vein is Mockin' Bird Hill with delightful lyrics:
'When the sun in the mornin' peeps over the hill
An' kisses the roses 'round my window sill,
Then my heart fills with gladness when I hear the trill
Of the birds in the tree tops on mockin' bird hill.
Tra-la-la, tweedle dee dee it gives me a thrill,
To wake up in the mornin' to the mockin' bird trill.'
Humming Bird, though fast-paced, is sad. The singer compares her love interest to a flitting humming bird 'too restless to settle, too wild to tame'. So 'I'd rather be lonely, I'd rather be blue.... I'd rather spend my whole life without you than feather a nest to be shattered apart, by the hum hum of your hummingbird heart.'
Add one for the road! The song I Really Don't Want to Know poses a dilemma: one may wonder about one's lover's past but does one really want to know?
'How many arms have held you and hated to let you go....
And how many lips have kissed you and set your soul aglow....
So always make me wonder and always make me guess
Even if I ask you, Darlin' don't confess....
How many, how many, I wonder,
But I really don't want to know.'
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