written by Chilton Price, Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart

produced by Paul Weston

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I’m making this page July 16th, 2021, and rather than a birthday

tribute, this instead is a nod to the alternative. 13 years ago today,

traditional pop singer Jo Elizabeth Stafford passed away. And so

this page is an homage to her life and career, covering one of her

biggest ever hit songs—very possibly the biggest. And while not the oldest song I have in my List, this is the oldest song I’ve catalogued on the site thus far.

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Jo was born in November ’17 (that would be 1917) in Coalinga, California, number three of four sibs. Their mom wanted them (all) to take piano lessons, but Jo was the only one interested. The family was very musical to start with—the same matriarch, Anna, was a professional banjo player—and in her late teens, Jo teamed up early with her big sisses Pauline and Christine to form The Stafford Sisters. In and around the act, Jo began producing and laying down vocals on movie soundtracks.

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The girls joined a couple of other acts to form an early iteration of the term super-group, The Pied Pipers, which too was joined by a very young Frank Sinatra. In the early ’40s, they met Johnny Mercer while doing a radio show he was presenting. Johnny was about to found Capitol Records, and insisted on having Jo record for him. In 1944, she began doing so, going solo after leaving The Pied Pipers.

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A string of dozens of solo Stafford singles followed, all of which charted as America fell in love with this soulful honey-voiced songbird. As was the routine practice back then, Jo and those in her camp did not write many original songs, but recorded mostly standards, old and new. Jo recorded as proficiently as the ’50s opened, and very early in 1952, “You Belong To Me” was born, first recorded by another singer, Joni James. A few months later in the summer, Jo recorded the song, together with composer/arranger and her then-husband Paul Weston—who also produced her version—and his orchestra. It hit #1 on the US, Cash Box and UK charts. Still a lovely old piece. Her recording career went on carrying her through the end of the 1950s, after which she decided to retire from the biz and focus on her family life. She made it to the age of 90, which is when she succumbed to heart failure. RIP Jo, 11/12/17 to 7/16/08.

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P.S. In my numbering system, when I reached #1,950, I began taking songs from the corresponding years and using them for those song numbers. These songs are particularly big, quintessential, and/or era-defining songs from their respective years. I.e., song #1,950 is a quintessential song from the year 1950, #1,951 was a song from 1951, etc. And being from 1952, “You Belong To Me” by Jo Stafford is #1,952.

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Have notes to add (or the single’s cover art)? Let me know!

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YT:

full version​