Jo Stafford - Centenary Hits Collection 1944-59

Jo Stafford was one of the most popular and successful female vocalists of the post-war era, epitomising the style and mood which nostalgia buffs often refer to as "the golden age of popular music" during the time before rock 'n' roll changed the business irrevocably. She racked up more than 100 hits, encompassing recordings as a member of the Pied Pipers and duet hits with Frankie Laine and Gordon MacRae alongside her solo chart entries. This year marks the centenary of her birth, and to mark the occasion we are releasing this great-value 106-track 4-CD set which comprises just about all her career hits in the Billboard charts and the Cash Box Top 40 for Capitol during the '40s and for Columbia after 1950. It naturally includes the No. 1s "Candy" with Johnny Mercer, "Temptation" with Red Ingle, "My Darling My Darling" with Gordon MacRae, and her solo No. 1 "You Belong to Me" and "Make Love To Me", along with dozens of other Top 10 classics. She was an extraordinarily versatile singer, and was able to handle any kind of material, with her hits including pop ballads, upbeat novelty songs, jazzy big band swingers and pure country tunes. This is a comprehensive overview of the recordings which made her such a popular star and made her a fixture in the charts even into the rock 'n' roll era, and is a fine showcase for a highly talented performer.