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.
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coming to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
And I looked over yonder and what did I see
Coming for to carry me home
So a band, a band of angels, it was a coming for me
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Well if you get there before I do
Coming for to carry me home
Tell all my friends, I'm a coming too
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
The song "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" by Les Paul & Mary Ford has roots in African American history and the Underground Railroad, which was a network of secret routes and safe houses used to help slaves escape to freedom in the 19th century. The lyrics describe a chariot coming to carry the singer home, and the band of angels seen over yonder represents the hope and faith that slaves held onto during their difficult journey to freedom. The repetition of "swing low, sweet chariot" reinforces this hopeful message, as if the singer is calling upon the chariot to come and save them.
The second half of the song adds the perspective of someone who may have already passed on but is still waiting for the chariot to come and take them home. The line "if you get there before I do, tell all my friends I'm coming too" suggests that the singer has hope for an afterlife, where they will be reunited with their loved ones.
Overall, "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" is a powerful spiritual song that represents the resilience and hope of the African American community during a time of great turmoil and oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Swing low, sweet chariot
I see my ride home, carried by angels, arriving soon
Coming to carry me home
It's time for me to return to my true home and leave this earthly world behind
And I looked over yonder and what did I see
I saw something in the distance that caught my attention
Coming for to carry me home
It was the angels who were sent to bring me back home to heaven
So a band, a band of angels, it was a coming for me
A group of heavenly beings were coming to take me away
Coming for to carry you on home
The angels were also there to take other souls, not just mine
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
The angels' ride is getting closer and closer
Well if you get there before I do
If you arrive in heaven before me
Tell all my friends, I'm a coming too
Let everyone know that I will be joining them in paradise
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind