A Blast from the Past
September 23, 2009 (Wednesday)
One of the most entertaining spots on the Internet is “You Tube.” Almost anything that’s ever been recorded can be found there, or so it seems to me.
Last night I got to thinking about Jo Stafford. I remember a song called “Whispering Hope” that was in one of our old hymnals that she and Gordon MacRae recorded. It was on the juke box in my family’s café in Houston in the 1940’s, and was played a lot. It was a beautiful harmonious rendition of the old hymn. But as I thought about those days, I remembered a comic tune she and Red Ingle recorded. It was a humorous version of the beautiful Perry Como hit, “Temptation.” She recorded it as “Tim-Tay-Shun” under a make-believe name (Cinderella G. Stump), but word soon spread that it was she. Well, it’s on You Tube today. It’s funny as it can be, and it’s just like I remember it being sung back in those old days.
As I was looking at the You Tube titles, I spied the word, “Harmonicats,” so I felt compelled to look them up, and sure enough they were there, too. You may remember the trio of men with harmonicas of all sizes who made music like mad. I listened to their version of “Twelfth Street Rag” along with one or two other songs. Fantastic! They brought back old memories that had lain dormant many years.
After writing this far, I decided to go back and listen to “Whispering Hope” by Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae. It’s just as beautiful as I remembered it. It was played a lot in those old days. Hearing it again just now, I understand why it was so popular. I can’t help wondering if it would be played as much today. Probably not. Tastes in music are more varied these days, and hymns are being ousted even from some churches. Anyway, I enjoyed hearing it again. Those two sang great duets.