Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss, June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009) and Mary Ford (Iris Colleen Summers, July 7, 1924 – September 30, 1977) were introduced to each other by Gene Autry in 1946 and married in 1949.
They first appeared in the pop charts in 1950. Between the years 1950 and 1954, Les Paul and Mary Ford had 16 top-ten hits. They had five top-ten hits within nine months. "Tennessee Waltz", "Mockin' Bird Hill", "How High the Moon" (#1 for nine weeks), "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" and "Whispering". From August 1952 to March 1953 they had five more top-ten hits; "My Baby's Coming Home", "Lady of Spain", "Bye Bye Blues", "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" and "Vaya Con Dios" (#1 for 11 weeks). Their 1954 version of "I'm a Fool to Care" went to #6, and was featured in a memorable Southern Comfort commercial in 2013 that got over 1 million views on YouTube.
In 2009, they were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Les Paul and Mary Ford are famous for creating a makeshift recording studio in their garage. In their garage studio, they used multitrack recording to record many of their hits including ‘Lover’, ‘Nola’, ‘Brazil’ and ‘Whispering' with only the two of them.
YouTube has a large selection of clips from their syndicated TV show "Les Paul & Mary Ford At Home" (1954-'55).
Les Paul and Mary Ford divorced acrimoniously in December 1964, which also ended the collaboration between the two.
The duo have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Les Paul had hosted a 15-minute radio program, The Les Paul Show, on NBC in 1950, featuring his trio (himself, Ford, and rhythm player Eddie Stapleton) and his electronics, recorded from their home and with gentle humour between Paul and Ford bridging musical selections, some of which had already been successful on records, some of which anticipated the couple's recordings, and many of which presented dazzling re-interpretations of such jazz and pop selections as "In the Mood," "Little Rock Getaway," "Brazil," and "Tiger Rag." Several recordings of these shows survive among old-time radio collectors today.
The show also appeared on television a few years later with the same format, but excluding the trio and retitled The Les Paul & Mary Ford Show (aka Les Paul & Mary Ford At Home) with "Vaya Con Dios" as a theme song. Sponsored by Warner Lambert's Listerine, it was widely syndicated during 1954–55 and was only five minutes long (one or two songs) on film and therefore used as a brief interlude or fill-in on programming schedules. Since Les created the entire show himself, including audio and video, he maintained the original recordings and was in the process of restoring them to up-to-date quality at the time of his death.
Caravan
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The myst'ry of their fading light
That shines upon our caravan
Sleep upon my shoulder as we creep
Across the sand so I may keep
The mem'ry of our caravan
You are so inviting
Resting in my arms
As I thrill to the magic charms
Of you beside me here beneath the blue
My dream of love is coming true
Within our desert caravan
The lyrics to "Caravan" by Les Paul & Mary Ford paint a vivid picture of a romantic night spent in the desert. The first verse describes the beauty of the stars above and the mystery of their fading light, which shines down on the caravan. The second verse is more intimate, with the singer inviting their partner to sleep on their shoulder as they travel across the sand. They want to hold onto the memory of this special moment and the love they share. The third verse expresses the excitement and thrill of being with their partner and how they feel as if their dream of love is finally coming true. The imagery of the desert setting highlights the intensity and passion of their relationship.
The lyrics of "Caravan" are beautifully crafted and are a testament to the songwriting talent of Duke Ellington and Irving Mills, who wrote the original version of the song in 1936. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, but Les Paul & Mary Ford's version is perhaps the most well-known. The song was released in 1953 and reached number nine on the Billboard pop chart. It was also a hit in the UK, where it reached number 16.
"Caravan" has been featured in many films and TV shows over the years, including the 1957 film "The 27th Day," the 1995 film "To Die For," and the 2016 TV series "The Crown." The song has also been sampled by various hip hop and electronic artists, including DJ Shadow, The Prodigy, and MF DOOM.
Line by Line Meaning
Night and stars above that shine so bright
The darkness illuminated by the bright stars above us is a beautiful wonder.
The myst'ry of their fading light
The mystery of how these stars' lights are slowly fading away is fascinating.
That shines upon our caravan
The stars' light illuminates the caravan we are traveling in at night.
Sleep upon my shoulder as we creep
As we slowly and quietly make our way through the desert in the night, you sleep on my shoulder.
Across the sand so I may keep
Our caravan is moving across the sand, and I want to remember every detail of our journey together.
The mem'ry of our caravan
I want to remember this magical moment we are sharing in our caravan forever.
This is so exciting
I am filled with excitement and anticipation for what is to come on our journey together.
You are so inviting
Your presence and company on this journey are so enticing and alluring.
Resting in my arms
As we travel, you are resting safely in my embrace.
As I thrill to the magic charms
As we journey together, I am filled with excitement at the enchanting and mystical feelings that surround us.
Of you beside me here beneath the blue
You are beside me here, in this vast desert, beneath the blue sky.
My dream of love is coming true
I am living my dream of love with you on our magical journey together.
Within our desert caravan
Our journey together, traveling through the desert in our caravan, is a moment in time that we will always cherish and hold dear in our hearts.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RACHEL MARY BERKELEY PORTMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
YourUncleScroatie
He invented Rock an Roll.
T D
And big bands that went do-wop, Texas swing, etc. It wasn't just black people, and it wasn't just Les Paul. Listen to Bob Wills 1945 recording of Stay a While Longer.