Patti Page, Honey-Voiced 1950s Pop Music Legend, Scored With Hits Like "Tennessee Waltz," R.I.P.

Patti Page, the honey-voiced alto best remembered for such 1950s hits as "Tennessee Waltz," "Mockingbird Hill," "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window," and "Old Cape Cod," passed away on Tuesday at Encinitas, California at the age of 85.


Miss Page, born Clara Ann Fowler in 1927 in Oklahoma, was believed to be the first artist to overdub herself.  In 1948, Mitch Miller, a Mercury Records producer at the time, had Patti do it first on a song called "Confess," because there were no backup singers available due to a strike.

She used that same process two years later when she cut "Tennessee Waltz," which sold 10 million copies.

Here's Patti on early television, performing "The Tennessee Waltz."

Thanks for the memories, Patti.  Rest in peace.