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.
Tennessee Waltz
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When an old friend I happened to see
I introduced him/her to my loved one and while they were dancin'
My friend stole my sweetheart from me
I remember the night and the Tennessee Waltz
Now I know just how much I have lost
Yes, I lost my little darlin' the night they were playing
I was dancin' with my darlin' to the Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened to see
I introduced him/her to my loved one and while they were dancin'
My friend stole my sweetheart from me
I remember the night and the Tennessee Waltz
Now I know just how much I have lost
Yes, I lost my little darlin' the night they were playing
The beautiful Tennessee Waltz
The lyrics to the song Tennessee Waltz by Les Paul and Mary Ford are simple yet devastating. The singer is reminiscing about a time when they were dancing with their lover to the Tennessee Waltz and saw an old friend. The singer introduces their lover to their friend, only to have their friend steal their sweetheart away while they were dancing together. The singer is left feeling the pain of loss, realizing that they have lost their little darlin' on the very night that the beautiful Tennessee Waltz was being played.
The song is a classic example of a country music ballad and embodies themes of love, betrayal, and heartbreak. The lyrics are poignant and express the heartache of a man who has lost everything he held dear. The slow waltz tempo and the mournful tone of the song add to the melancholic mood, making it a tear-jerker for many listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
I was dancin' with my darlin' to the Tennessee Waltz
I was having a good time dancing with my sweetheart to the sweet melody of the Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened to see
But suddenly, I saw an old friend of mine
I introduced him/her to my loved one and while they were dancin'
I was being polite, so I introduced my friend to my beloved, and while my friend and my loved one were dancing,
My friend stole my sweetheart from me
my supposed friend betrayed me and took away my sweetheart from me
I remember the night and the Tennessee Waltz
The memory of that night and the beautiful Tennessee Waltz is still fresh in my mind
Now I know just how much I have lost
Sadly, I am now aware how much I have lost
Yes, I lost my little darlin' the night they were playing
It was the night they played the Tennessee Waltz that I lost my dear love
The beautiful Tennessee Waltz
At the same time the beautiful melody of the Tennessee Waltz filled the air
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Redd Stewart, Pee Wee King
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vanenghruaitluanga2623
I was dancing with my darling to the Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened to see
I introduced him to my loved one and while they were dancing
My friend stole my sweetheart from me
I remember the night and the Tennessee Waltz
Only you know how much I have lost
Yes I lost my little darling the night they were playing
That beautiful Tennessee Waltz
I was dancing with my darling to the Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened to see
I introduced him to my loved one and while they were dancing
My friend stole my sweetheart from me
I remember the night and the Tennessee Waltz
Only you know how much I have lost
Yes I lost my little darling the night they were playing
That beautiful Tennessee Waltz
@usmale4915
Thank you for the Les Paul & Mary Ford upload. I haven't listened to them in a very long time. They were fantastic, especially with their version of "How High The Moon"! Mary Ford's vocal(s) are over-dubbed 12 times on that recording along with Les Paul, whom also over-dubbed himself 12 times. But to me, their best recording is "Vaya Con Dios"!
@silenceisgoldn
forever a classic. my grandfather introduced me to this gem decades ago. long live the classics...
@Tx1113
Classic and timeless!! love it
@bobmadoogaschannel7979
Les Paul is well known for his work with electric guitars, but he also pioneered recording technologies, including overdubbing, which is used in this recording as Mary Ford sings a beautiful duet with herself. By the way, Patti Page also used a multi-track recordig in her hit single.
@urzathehappy72
Nice thanks for the info.
@gyanf
Skeeter Davis also sang with herself as did Connie Francis. Great days with basic technology!
@shirandadeerwoman9124
Grew up with this music. Doesn't get much better than Les Paul and Mary Ford. Classic.Beautiful.
@shirandadeerwoman9124
@Roger [kirby] Waters PBS aired a documentary on Les Paul, I believe it was called, "Chasing Sound".Really something. Saw it almost ten years ago.
@usmale4915
@Gyan Fernando And you just can't forget Lesley Gore, whom also did a lot of "double-tracking" on her main vocal(s), plus her self-harmonies! Just listen to her 1963 recording "She's A Fool", and you will know what I am saying.
@dimpanmei7
Why Havnt i hear this from before. Its absolutely amazing. Lovely melody. Gave me some peace of mind in these hard times. 🥰