Jo Stafford--R.I.P.

Music is surely part of the environment, and we lost one of the all-time great singers—who was never known to cop an attitude—last week.

Jo Stafford was especially loved by the World War II generation, and stayed active through the 1960s.  When asked why she had stopped singing, she replied, "For the same reason that Lana Turner doesn't pose in bathing suits anymore."

Stafford's hits included "I'll Be Seeing You,"  "Jambalaya,"  "Make Love to Me!," and the 1952 monster smash "You Belong To Me," that stayed at Billboard magazine's number one position for an incredible 12 weeks.

Gifted with a cool expressive tone, often described as honey-voiced, and perfect intonation, some critics described Stafford as using no vibrato, but that is incorrect.  She did use vibrato tastefully, but to a much lesser extent than singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, whose voices lacked Stafford's sweetness.

Much loved by soldiers during the War, she was nicknamed G.I. Jo.

Réquiem ætérnam dona ei Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat ei. Reuiéscat in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.