So Patti Page is a stage name for Clara Ann Fowler who was one of the best-selling female artists of the 50's. She got her start on radio, doing a 15 minute segment sponsored by a company called the Page Milk Company and that's where her stage name came from. After hearing her voice on the radio, she was invited to join the Jimmy Joy band, and stayed with them until they broke up in 1946. That ended up with her in Illinois where she sang for a bit before getting noticed and signed to Mercury records. Fun Fact: She was actually the first artist to ever harmonize with herself on her record due to a strike happening at the time and new equipment making it possible. Her doing this on her recordings did a lot to push her career up because it was different and cool. (Still is.) If you're from the same generation as me, this is probably the only song of hers you've heard of and I will admit I didn't think much of her as an artist with this as my reference point. But this song was created as a novelty tune, much the way songs popular from meme culture are. Think of Yvis, there's is all novelty stuff. So give some of her other music a try before you write her off, because she pushed music just a bit farther during her time to make her worth it.
This one is a song that's 40 years older than each of us. It brought up some interesting choices. Will went with Move It On Over by Hank Williams, Anna said You Belong To Me by Jo Stafford, and my grandma chose My Gal Sal by Byron Harlan. My mom went with Makin' Whoopee by Eddie Cantor because she thought it was funny and Sammy chose On Top Of Old Smokey by The Weavers because we grew up with the parody spaghetti version.
Peace.
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