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Margaret Whiting

Margaret Whiting was a dominant pop singer in the '40s and '50s, though whether she's a jazz vocalist is often in question. She had a clear, striking voice and the kind of quasi-innocent sensibility that worked on such songs as "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "Moonlight in Vermont."

Some would question if she was an improviser, or had the kind of timing, sense of swing, and fluidity that defines the genuine jazz or jazz-influenced singer. The daughter of composer Richard Whiting, her run of hits began in the early '40s when she was featured on radio shows, singing with composer/vocalist Johnny Mercer. She was later a prominent vocalist with the bands of Freddie Slack, Billy Butterfield, and Paul Weston.

She had three huge hits in 1948 with "Now Is the Hour," "A Tree in the Meadow," and "Far Away Places," then teamed with Jimmy Wakely for another top hit in 1949, "Slippin' Around." She and Wakely were a very successful team for a time. Whiting had a comeback of sorts in the early '70s, appearing on a Cavalcade of Bands tour with the groups of Bob Crosby and others. Source: Ron Wynn

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Obituary

Correspondence (Illustrated): RIP Margaret Whiting

Correspondence (Illustrated): RIP Margaret Whiting

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

Rifftides reader Mark Stryker sent this reaction to the previous entry. Mr. Stryker is the music critic of The Detroit Free Press. He has good ears.Just a coda re: “Moonlight in Vermont," whose unusual lyrics were written by John Blackburn. The A section words are actually in the form of a haiku, with 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Nor do the lyrics rhyme. Also, a note on the interpretation: Whiting takes a big (and to my ear unfortunate) breath leading from the ...

163

Obituary

Margaret Whiting

Margaret Whiting

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

News of Margaret Whiting's death at 86 on Monday must have sent her fans to the shelves in search of her recording of “Moonlight in Vermont." She recorded the song in 1943 when she was 19. It helped make her a star, and she stayed on the charts well into the 1960s, surviving even as rock and roll displaced scores of her pop music contemporaries. Johnny Mercer did not write the lyric for “Moonlight in Vermont," but when he was ...

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