Patti Page, the apple-cheeked, honey-voiced alto whose sentimental, soothing, sometimes silly hits like “Tennessee Waltz,” “Old Cape Cod” and “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” made her one of the most successful pop singers of the 1950s, died on Tuesday in Encinitas, Calif. She was 85.
Her death was confirmed by Seacrest Village Retirement Communities, where she lived.
Ms. Page had briefly been a singer with Benny Goodman when she emerged at the end of the big band era, just after World War II, into a cultural atmosphere in which pop music was not expected to be challenging. Critics assailed her style as plastic, placid, bland and antiseptic, but those opinions were not shared by millions of record buyers. As Jon Pareles wrote in The New York Times in 1997, “For her fans, beauty and comfort were one and the same.”
One of the first records that I had as a child was "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?" It was a 78 rpm platter -- and I still have it.
My mother's family hailed from East Tennessee. Of course, all of grew up singing "Tennessee Waltz." Patti Page's version of that song is the best ever, IMO.
Posted by: Always On Watch | January 03, 2013 at 06:20 AM
BTW, according to her official web site, Patti Page was making public appearances and giving public performances until just recently.
See this at Patti Page's official website:
http://www.misspattipage.com/appearances.html
Posted by: Always On Watch | January 03, 2013 at 06:22 AM