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.
The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ev'ry rose is covered with dew
And while the world is waiting for the sunrise
And my heart is calling you
Dear one, the world is waiting for the sunrise
Every little rose bud is covered with dew
And my heart is calling for you
And my heart is calling you
The lyrics to "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" by Les Paul & Mary Ford carry a message of anticipation and hope. The opening line "Dear one, the world is waiting for the sunrise" paints a picture of the world awakening, covered in dew and fresh with possibility. The mention of the rose buds emphasizes the beauty and fragility of this moment, and the repetition of "And my heart is calling you" grounds the song in a personal sense of longing.
As the song continues, the birds join in, adding to the sense of a new day dawning. The thrush's call for its mate echoes the singer's own call for their loved one. The use of nature imagery throughout the song gives the impression of a world in balance, perfectly suited for new beginnings. The lyrics tap into the universal feelings of hope and longing that come with a fresh start, and offer a sense of comfort in knowing that these feelings are shared.
Overall, "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" paints a hopeful picture of a new day, full of possibility and beauty.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear one, the world is waiting for the sunrise
Beloved, the world is anticipating the rising of the sun
Ev'ry rose is covered with dew
Each and every flower is adorned with dew
And while the world is waiting for the sunrise
During the period when the world is waiting for the sun's arrival
And my heart is calling you
And my emotions are yearning for your presence
The thrush on high his sleepy mate is calling
The bird nestled above is calling for its slumbering partner
And my heart is calling you
And my feelings are beseeching for you
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ernest Seitz, Eugene Lockhart, Harry Alford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bradentonguy50
I know that nobody will believe me but I actually played a single song on the trumpet with Les Paul in 1984 when he played one night a week at Fat Tuesdays in NYC. I had been a professional trumpet player for 40 years. I took my trumpet with me to see him with the intention of asking him if I could please play one song with him because it was my lifetime dream. Incredibly, he graciously agreed.
When I got up on the stage I got very kind of giddy with excitement and awe. He asked me where I was from and I told him. Then he asked me what song I wanted to play. My mind raced for 5 seconds as I asked myself “what song could I possibly play on the trumpet which could possibly be compatible with Les on guitar, a drummer and an acoustic bass? All of a sudden, a song flashed into my mind that I remembered hearing on the radio around 1956 when I was 5 years old. I had not heard the song since then. So I said “How about ‘Walkin and Whistlin Blues’” Les howled with laughter and said “ I wrote that one but it flopped. Those were my cousin Harold’s feet on that recording”
So he vamped a few measures and I launched into the mournful melody.
When we finished the song The little audience of 100 or less gave me a wonderful round of applause which actually surprised me. The reason I was surprised was that I had played over 40 years as a sideman in innumerable bands for such events as galas, weddings etc and people who attend such events do not applaud the band.
Needless to say, those 3 minutes were the most electrifying, unforgettable and LUCKY minutes of my life.
PJ Riverdale
Love the live notes at the top of the recorded tack kick in.
Lester on Epiphone "Clunker".
At this point, the Gibson deal and eponymous guitar was still in the future.
Stills from their rehearsal segment for the broadcast also show a TV front Fender Pro Amp.
A largely pre battered Mary brightens up the tiny screen while early kaleidoscope effects play on her and Les.
Maybe we'll see this on ME TV. Or not.
Their TV " act" back then would have a "live" song and then " the hit" which would be them miming to the record.
"Sunrise" is considered by some to be better than "How High The Moon" with far more intricate guitar tracks.
They also mimed this one on their
" At Home With" filler show later on.
bradentonguy50
I know that nobody will believe me but I actually played a single song on the trumpet with Les Paul in 1984 when he played one night a week at Fat Tuesdays in NYC. I had been a professional trumpet player for 40 years. I took my trumpet with me to see him with the intention of asking him if I could please play one song with him because it was my lifetime dream. Incredibly, he graciously agreed.
When I got up on the stage I got very kind of giddy with excitement and awe. He asked me where I was from and I told him. Then he asked me what song I wanted to play. My mind raced for 5 seconds as I asked myself “what song could I possibly play on the trumpet which could possibly be compatible with Les on guitar, a drummer and an acoustic bass? All of a sudden, a song flashed into my mind that I remembered hearing on the radio around 1956 when I was 5 years old. I had not heard the song since then. So I said “How about ‘Walkin and Whistlin Blues’” Les howled with laughter and said “ I wrote that one but it flopped. Those were my cousin Harold’s feet on that recording”
So he vamped a few measures and I launched into the mournful melody.
When we finished the song The little audience of 100 or less gave me a wonderful round of applause which actually surprised me. The reason I was surprised was that I had played over 40 years as a sideman in innumerable bands for such events as galas, weddings etc and people who attend such events do not applaud the band.
Needless to say, those 3 minutes were the most electrifying, unforgettable and LUCKY minutes of my life.
Mark Berryhill
Too freakin cool. I love it!
bradentonguy50
@bus You are quite welcome. Young people today think that Les Paul is just the model of a guitar. They have no idea that he was a real person!
Casz
That's a great story. I enjoyed reading it.
James Carson
@bradentonguy50 On the contrary, I'm 23, and own several of Les Pauls records on both 45 and 78. One of my all time favourite musicians. Thanks for sharing your story!
Jesse .Sutton
There's something really special about the culture of 'sitting in' with another band. I used to be in the Monday night band at a blues club, but there was a much bigger club next door. One night, members of a touring band kept on coming over and jamming with us local boys during their set breaks, like they just COULDN'T play enough music. What a great night!
Pickleman
1:07 is like a glimpse into the future of guitar playing, he's straight up shredding
William Forrest
Imagine seeing that guitar solo with the cool video effects back in 1951. You can't tell me that's not a preview of psychedelic rock and I bet few people watching it then knew what they were seeing.
Piano-ccc
So f-en true
R W
I was thinking the VERY same thing. Just imaging what that would have sounded like through all the different pedals we have today.