Patti Page
Group 2: Drew Honson, Andrew Taylor,
Joanna Hedstrom, David Steinman, and
Charlie Maahs
Artist Biography
● Born November 8, 1927 in
Oklahoma
o
o
birth name was Clara Ann
Fowler
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
Artist 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)
Backup singers on strike
o Producer Mitch Miller had her overdub herself
 1st to do so, long before technology made this
common
o
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
Hank Williams
● 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
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
Artist 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-pagemn0000747506/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. Web. 23 June 2014.
http://elcoushistory.tripod.com/society1950.html
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http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2013/01/03/168488929/patti-page-who-dominated-the-50s-pop-charts-dies
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pattitennesseewaltz.jpg
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http://www.last.fm/music/Patti+Page/Sings+Country+and+Western+Golden+Hits
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http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/pop-and-country-legend-patti-page-dies-20130103-2c6h3.html
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mitch-miller-mn0000577261
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000069/
http://www.spclarke.com/?page_id=173
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