[ARSCLIST] Fwd: [ARSCLIST] Rosemary Brown

[Don Tait <Dontaitchicago@xxxxxxx>]

  I hope it's not too late to respond to BH's message about "Darlene Edwards" 
(Jo Stafford) being "very good!" I have a funny story about that.

  My late friend Fred Heft was a clerk at Discount Records in Chicago around 
1961. Occasionally an offensive customer would attach himself to Fred and give 
him no peace. It drove Fred nuts, but of course as an employee he couldn't 
tell him or her to get lost. He found a ideal solution.

  Those were the days when LPs weren't factory sealed. Discount had a 
turntable and sound system; any LP could be played. At such times, when he assumed 
the customer wouldn't know their recordings, Fred would put on a Jonathon and 
Darlene Edwards record and make a show of enjoying her subtly excruciating 
singing. Mr. Obnoxious would say "did you hear that? She was off-pitch! She's 
terrible!" To which Fred would reply sweetly "oh no, I think she's the best! She's 
my favorite singer."

  With which Mr. O. would go away, convinced that Fred was a musical idiot he 
wanted no more to do with.

  Don Tait

That's NOT Jo Stafford. It's Darlene Edwards. And she is very good !
(Jo, that is.)
BH

>>> Mark4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 1/30/2007 9:52 AM >>>
And of course there were the "famous" Jo Stafford off-key recordings. 
Someone once said you had to be very good to be that 'bad'.

Mark Durenberger


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Karl Miller" <karl.miller@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Rosemary Brown


> Perhaps a most appropriate comparison. I am also reminded of Mrs.
Miller 
> (no relation). A different friend knew her before she became famous.
As 
> that story goes, this friend of mine was working for a Christian 
> Publishing company. Mrs. Miller was friends with the head of the
company. 
> She had been recording her singing at home and wanted to have it
sound 
> more professional. So my friend's boss decided that Mrs. Miller
should go 
> to a professional studio and hire some musicians, etc. My friend's
boss 
> invited him one of the rehearsals, held in a local church. As she
started 
> singing...well my friend said he had to crouch down behind a pew and
hold 
> his moulth to keep from laughing. As the story goes, Mrs. Miller knew

> people found her funny, but she didn't really care, she just felt she
was 
> doing popular music a favor. While Nancy Sinatra had the hit with
"These 
> Boots are Made for Walking," for me, it is Mrs. Miller's recording
that 
> I'll always remember.
>
>  I should add, it was that same friend who supplied me with a group
of 
> audition tapes...you haven't lived until you have heard Zorina
Blessinger 
> sing "The Nightingale." I have always wondered if that was a put on
or a 
> real person.
>
>  Karl
>
> Steven Smolian <smolians@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>  The Florence Foster Jenkins of composers.
>
> Steve Smolian
>
>