Georgia Gibbs (born Frieda Lipschitz; August 17, 1918December 9, 2006) was an American popular singer and vocal entertainer rooted in jazz. Already singing publicly in her early teens, Gibbs achieved acclaim and notoriety in the mid-1950s interpreting songs originating with the black rhythm and blues community and later became a featured vocalist for many radio and television variety and comedy programs. Her key attribute was tremendous versatility and an uncommon stylistic range from melancholy ballad to uptempo swinging jazz and rock and roll.

Early life

Gibbs was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, the youngest of four children of Russian Jewish descent. Her father died when she was six months old, and she and her three siblings spent the next seven years in a local Jewish

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...

. Revealing a natural talent for singing at a young age, Frieda was given the lead in the orphanage's yearly

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp ...

. When her mother, who had visited her every other month, found employment as a midwife, she came back for Frieda, but her job often forced her to leave her daughter for weeks at a time with only a

Philco Philco (an acronym for Philadelphia Battery Company) is an American electronics industry, electronics manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia. Philco was a pioneer in battery, radio, and television production. In 1961, the company was purchased ...

radio for company.

Career

While still in Worcester at age 13, Frieda auditioned for a job at the Plymouth Theatre, one of the prime

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

houses in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. The Plymouth's manager had already heard her sing on the local Worcester radio station, and Gibbs was hired and moved to Boston, eventually landing at the Raymor Ballroom. She joined the Hudson- DeLange Orchestra in 1936 (age 17), and toured with them for 10 months as Fredda Gibson. "You don't really know loneliness unless you do a year or two with a one-night band", Gibbs said of her life on the big-band circuit, "Sing until about 2 a.m. Get in a bus and drive 400 miles. Stop in the night for the greasy hamburger. Arrive in a town. Try to sleep. Get up and eat." She found steady work on radio shows including ''

Your Hit Parade ''Your Hit Parade'' was an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1953 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During its 24-year ru ...

'', ''Melody Puzzles'', and ''The Tim And Irene Show'' and freelanced in the late 1930s and early 1940s singing with the bands of

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

Hal Kemp James Hal Kemp (March 27, 1904 – December 21, 1940) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. Biography Hal Kemp was born in Marion, Alabama. He formed his first band in high school, and by the a ...

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

, and

Frankie Trumbauer Orie Frank Trumbauer (May 30, 1901 – June 11, 1956) was an American jazz saxophonist of the 1920s and 1930s. His main instrument was the C-melody saxophone, a now-uncommon instrument between an alto and tenor saxophone in size and pitch. He a ...

. While a '' Billboard'' article reports that her first time on disk was with Trumbauer's orchestra (''The Laziest Gal in Town'' on

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History From 1916 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing prod ...

),''Billboard'', 13 April 1957, p.42 liner notes from a 1998 Simitar compilation report her appearance on some of DeLange's recordings on Brunswick, and a recording exists with Hal Kemp from 1939. She first charted with Shaw's band in 1942 on ''Absent Minded Moon'' (Victor 27779), which received a lukewarm review at the time. In 1943, with her name changed to Georgia Gibbs, she began appearing on the ''

Camel Caravan A camel train or caravan is a series of camels carrying passengers and goods on a regular or semi-regular service between points. Despite rarely travelling faster than human walking speed, for centuries camels' ability to withstand harsh condi ...

'' radio program, hosted by Jimmy Durante and

Garry Moore Garry Moore (born Thomas Garrison Morfit; January 31, 1915 – November 28, 1993) was an American entertainer, comedic personality, game show host, and humorist best known for his work in television. He began a long career with the CBS netwo ...

, where she remained a regular performer until 1947. It was Moore who bestowed upon her the famous nickname "Her Nibs, Miss Georgia Gibbs," ironically using the title to describe the singer of diminutive stature who had an enormous "authoritative" prominence in American pop music. Gibbs signed with Majestic Records in 1946 cutting multiple records, but her first solo hit single, "

If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts and published in 1950. In the U.S, the best known version of the song was recorded by Eileen Barton in January 1950. Joe Lipman ...

" (on the

Coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

) did not come until 1950. During this period she also was the featured vocalist on tours with comedians Danny Kaye and

Sid Caesar Isaac Sidney Caesar (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2014) was an American comic actor, comedian and writer. With a career spanning 60 years, he was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: ''Your Show of Shows'' (1950� ...

. Success as a singer outside of radio and variety shows continued to elude her, as noted in a 1952 ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' article: Through 1949 and 1950 she appeared on TV shows '' Cavalcade of Stars'' and ''

All Star Revue ''Four Star Revue'' (also known as ''All Star Revue'' and ''All Star Summer Revue'') was an American variety/comedy program that aired on NBC from October 4, 1950, to December 26, 1953. The series originally starred four celebrities, Ed Wynn, Dan ...

''. In 1951 she signed with

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

where she ultimately had success "sticking with plain Georgia Gibbs". Possessed of a versatile voice, she cut a long list of well-received records in every category from torch songs to rock-and-roll, jazz, swing, old fashioned

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s and cha-chas. The most successful, 1952's "Kiss Of Fire", which she performed on ''The Milton Berle Show'' in that spring, reached No. 1 on the pop music charts. "Kiss of Fire" was adapted from the Argentinian

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

''El Choclo'' and the lyrics, arrangement and delivery communicate passion on a Wagnerian scale. Sultry and throbbing, with a touch of

vibrato Vibrato ( Italian, from past participle of " vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms ...

, Gibbs's voice is best showcased on romantic ballads and torch songs like "

My Melancholy Baby "My Melancholy Baby" is a popular song published in 1912 and first sung publicly by William Frawley. The music was written by Ernie Burnett (1884–1959), the lyrics by George A. Norton. Background Ernie Burnett, who composed the music, was ...

", " I'll Be Seeing You", " Autumn Leaves", and " You Keep Coming Back Like a Song". Yet she could also belt out steaming jazz numbers like "Red Hot Mama", "A-Razz-A-Ma-Tazz"; jive with tunes like "Ol Man Mose", " Shoo Shoo Baby"; or rock out with "I Want You to Be My Baby". Her ''Swingin' With Her Nibs'' album (1956) demonstrated her natural affinity for improvisation as well. In 1957, Gibbs signed with RCA Victor going on to chart with over 40 songs before retirement from singing, and was briefly successful doing rock 'n' roll songs as well. Her Mercury record " Silent Lips" was a big hit in Sweden (September 1958-March 1959) peaking at number 5 in the best selling charts, and there were even several Swedish cover versions of that song, "Ingenting" by among others

Towa Carson Birgit Rose-Marie Anlert (née Carlsson, born 31 March 1936), known professionally as Towa Carson, is a Swedish schlager singer. She debuted in 1954 and had the most success in the 1950s and 1960s, with hits such as ''"De tre klockorna"'' (S ...

Lill-Babs Barbro Margareta Svensson (9 March 1938 – 3 April 2018), known by her stage name Lill-Babs, was a Swedish singer, actress and television host. From the early 1950s until her death in 2018, she was one of Sweden's best-known and popular singers. ...

and Britt Rylander. Also " The Hula Hoop Song" did well in Sweden (February–March 1959) peaking at number 12. She continued to appear on many television shows including ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

'', and hosted one of her own, ''Georgia Gibbs and her Million Record Show''. She cut her final album ''Call Me'', in 1966 and rarely performed after that. Some notoriety followed Gibbs for her

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of music popularized by black performers, such as Etta James's "The Wallflower" (recorded by Gibbs with modified lyrics under the title " Dance With Me Henry", released March 26, 1955) and

LaVern Baker Delores LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American R&B singer who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were " Tweedle Dee" (1955), " Jim Dandy" (1956), and " ...

's " Tweedle Dee" (which outsold Baker's version, prompting complaint from her). Decades later, Gibbs commented that she, like most artists of the day, had no say in their choice of material and arrangements. A widely told story has LaVern Baker taking out a life insurance policy on herself in advance of a flight to Australia and naming Georgia Gibbs as the beneficiary. "You need this more than I do," Baker is said to have written to Gibbs, "because if anything happens to me, you're out of business."

Personal life

In 1970 she married foreign correspondent and author Frank Gervasi, biographer of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i prime minister Menachem Begin, and whose books include ''To Whom Palestine?'', ''The Case for Israel'', ''The Real Rockefeller'' and ''The Violent Decade''. They had first met in Paris in the 1930s, but lost touch with one another for 12 years. The marriage lasted until his death in 1990; they had one child who predeceased Georgia. Georgia Gibbs died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

on December 9, 2006, aged 88, at New York's

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital. MSKCC is one of 52 National Cancer Institute� ...

. Survivors included grandson Sacha Gervasi (from her husband's previous marriage), her brother Robert Gibson and nieces Patty Turk, Jody (Babydoll) Gibson, and Jody's sister Amy. Gibbs' last interview, conducted by Greg Adams, was subsequently published online.

Legacy

Interest in Gibbs' work has enjoyed a revival with the re-issue on CD of long unavailable material. In her 2006 book, ''Great Pretenders: My Strange Love Affair With 50s Pop Music'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' music critic Karen Schoemer wrote: "What really turned me around, though, were her R&B covers... Georgia was the rare fifties canary with a genuine flair for rock and roll... by the time I was through listening... I had a healthy new respect for Georgia, and a sense of indignation over her neglect by critics."

Singles

Selected records

* 1939: ''If It's Good (Then I Want It),'' (with Hal Kemp and his Orch.) * 1940: ''The Laziest Gal In Town'' (as "Fredda Gibson"), (with Frankie Traumbauer and his Orch.) * 1942: ''Absent Minded Moon'' (with

's Orch.) * 1944: ''Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet'' (

V Disc V, or v, is the twenty-second and fifth-to-last letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''vee'' (pronounced ), plural ...

with

's Orch.) * 1946: ''Feudin' And Fightin', Ballin' The Jack (Majestic), Is It Worth It?,'' (Orch. directed by

Earle Hagen Earle Harry Hagen (July 9, 1919 – May 26, 2008) was an American composer who created music for movies and television. His best-known TV themes include those for ''Make Room for Daddy'', ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', ''I Spy'', ''That Girl'' and ...

), ''Ol' Man Mose, Put Yourself In My Place Baby, Willow Road, You Keep Coming Back Like A Song'' * 1947: ''Fool That I Am, How Are Things In Glocca Morra?, I Feel So Smootchie, Necessity, You Do'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser) * 1948: ''The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else, The Things We Did Last Summer, Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams'' * 1950: ''A-Razz-A-Ma-Tazz, Ballin' The Jack (Coral), Cherry Stones'' (with

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the young ...

and

The Mellomen The Mellomen were a popular singing quartet active from the late 1940s through the mid-1970s. The group was founded by Thurl Ravenscroft and Max Smith in 1948. They recorded under a variety of names, including Big John and the Buzzards, the Crackerj ...

, Orch. dir. by George Cates), ''Dream A Little Dream Of Me'' (with

and

, Orch. dir. by George Cates), ''Get Out Those Old Records'' (with the Owen Bradley Sextet), ''I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine, I Was Dancing With Someone, I'll Get Myself A Choo Choo Train, I'll Know, A Little Bit Independent (with

), Looks Like A Cold Cold Winter, Red Hot Mama, Simple Melody (with

), Stay With The Happy People, Then I'll Be Happy'' * 1951: ''Be Doggone Sure You Call, Be My Life's Companion'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), '' Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White,

Cry Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secreto ...

, Good Morning Mister Echo, Got Him Off My Hands, I Still Feel The Same About You, I Wish I Wish'' (with Glenn Osser and his Orch.), ''My Old Flame, The Oklahoma Polka'' (Orch. and Chorus directed by Glenn Osser), ''Once Upon A Nickel, Shoo Shoo Baby, Tom's Tune, What Does It Mean'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''(Ooh-oo, Ooh-oo, Ooh-oo) What You Do To Me'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''While We Danced, While We're Young, While You Danced Danced Danced'' * 1952: '' Kiss Of Fire, A Lasting Thing, Make me Love You, A Moth And A Flame, My Favorite Song, The Photograph On The Piano, Sinner Or Saint, So Madly In Love, Winter's Here Again'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser) * 1953: '' Autumn Leaves, The Bridge Of Sighs, For Me For Me, He's Funny That Way, Home Lovin' Man, How Long Has This Been Going On, I Love Paris, If I Had You, If You Take My Heart Away'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''I'll Always Be In Love With You, It Had To Be You, My Blue Heaven, Regret If You Can, Say It Isn't So, Seven Lonely Days, Somebody Loves Me, That's All, Thunder And Lightning'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''What Does It Mean To Be Lonely'' * 1954: '' After You've Gone, All Alone, Baby Won't You Please Come Home?, Baubles Bangles and Beads, Every Road Must Have A Turning'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''How Did He Look, I'll Always Be Happy With You'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''I'll Be Seeing You'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''It's The Talk Of The Town, Love Me'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''Mambo Baby, The Man That Got Away, Melancholy Baby, More Than Ever'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''My Sin, Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell, Tweedle Dee, Wait For Me Darling, What'll I Do, Whistle And I'll Dance, You're Wrong, All Wrong'' * 1955: ''Blueberries'' (with

Hugo Peretti Hugo E. Peretti (December 6, 1916 – May 1, 1986) was an American songwriter, trumpeter, and record producer. Born in New York City to an Italian American family, Peretti began his music career as a teenager, playing the trumpet in the Bors ...

and his Orch.), ''

Come Rain or Come Shine "Come Rain or Come Shine" is a popular music song, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the Broadway musical '' St. Louis Woman'', which opened on March 30, 1946, and closed after 113 performances. Chart perf ...

, Dance With Me Henry, Goodbye To Rome (Arrivederci Roma),

I Want You to Be My Baby "I Want You to Be My Baby" is a jump blues song written by Jon Hendricks for Louis Jordan whose recording, made on May 28, 1953, was released that autumn. In the summer of 1955 "I Want You to Be My Baby" was remade as the debut disc by comedy m ...

, Kiss Me Another, Sweet And Gentle, 24 Hours A Day'' * 1956: ''Comes Love, 'Deed I Do, Fool Of The Year'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''The Greatest Thing'' (with

and his Orch.), ''Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe, Happiness Street, I Get A Kick Out Of You, I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good), Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love), Lonesome Road, Morning Noon And Night'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''On The Sunny Side Of The Street, One For My Baby, The One I Love (Belongs To Somebody Else), Pretty Pretty'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''Rock Right, Silent Lips'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''Tra La La'' (Orch. directed by Glenn Osser), ''Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away), You've Got To See Mama Ev'ry Night'' * 1957: ''Fun Lovin' Baby,

Great Balls of Fire "Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 popular song recorded by American rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie '' Jamboree''. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. The Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 rec ...

, Hello Happiness Goodbye Blues, I Am A Heart A Heart A Heart, I Never Had The Blues, I'll Miss You, I'm Walking The Floor Over You'' (with Joe Reisman and his Orch. and Chorus), ''It's My Pleasure, The Sheik of Araby, Sugar Candy'' (with Joe Reisman and his Orch. and Chorus) * 1958: ''The Hula Hoop Song, Keep In Touch, Way Way Down, You're Doin' it'' * 1959: ''Better Loved You'll Never Be, Hamburgers Frankfurters And Potato Chips, Pretend, The Hucklebuck'' * 1960: ''Do It Again, Fin Jan, Hush-A-Bye, In Other Words, Last Night When We Were Young, Loch Lomond, So In Love, Something's Gotta Give, Stay Here With Me, Tammy, Willow Tit Willow'' * 1963: ''Arrivederci Roma (Epic), Ballin' The Jack (on the Epic label), Baubles Bangles And Beads (Epic), Candy Kisses, Dance With Me Henry (Epic), How About Me, I Will Follow You, Kansas City, Kiss Of Fire (Epic), Nine Girls Out Of Ten Girls, Nobody's Asking Questions, Sugar Puff, Tater Poon, Tweedle Dee (Epic), When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)'' * 1965: ''Don't Cry Joe, I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way, In Time, Let Me Dream, You Can Never Get Away From Me'' * 1966: ''Blue Grass, Call Me, Kiss Of Fire '66, Let Me Cry On Your Shoulder, Mon Coeur A Tant De Peine Laisse-Moi Pleurer, Northern Soul, Venice Blue''

TV appearances

*'' American Bandstand'' **Guest - December 18, 1957 (1957) *''The Big Record'' **Herself - Patti Page (Host);

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...

;

Erroll Garner Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad " Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first r ...

(1957) *''The Cavalcade of Stars'' **Herself -

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

;

Art Carney Arthur William Matthew Carney (November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an American actor and comedian. A recipient of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six Primetime Emmy Awards, he was best known for his role as Ed Norton on the si ...

(1951) *'' Frankie Laine Time'' - Guest -

Jack E. Leonard Jack E. Leonard (born Leonard Lebitsky; April 24, 1910 – May 10, 1973) was an American comedian and actor who made frequent appearances on television variety and game shows. Biography Leonard was born Leonard Lebitsky on April 24, 1910, in ...

;

Jerry Vale Jerry Vale (born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter and actor. During the 1950s and 1960s, he reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, including a cover ...

(1956) *''

'' **scheduled guest -

The Sparkletones The Sparkletones (sometimes credited as Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones) were an American rock and roll/rockabilly group from Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. History The Sparkletones formed in 1956 at Cowpens High School in Spartanbu ...

; Mills Brothers;

Sammy Kaye Sammy Kaye (born Samuel Zarnocay Jr.; March 13, 1910 – June 2, 1987) was an American bandleader and songwriter, whose tag line, "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the Big Band Era. The expression springs fr ...

(1957) **Herself -

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, " Be-Bop-a-Lula ...

& the Blue Caps;

Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...

(1957) **Herself -

Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

;

Sal Mineo Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film '' Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955), which earned him a nomination ...

;

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

(1958) **scheduled guest - scheduled:

;

Jane Morgan Jane Morgan (born Florence Catherine Currier; May 3, 1924) is an American former singer of traditional pop. Morgan initially found success in France and the UK before achieving recognition in the US, receiving six Music recording certification, ...

;

Ice Capades The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Olympic and US National Champion figure skaters who had retired from formal competition. Started in 1940, the Ice Cap ...

(1958) **scheduled guest - scheduled: Charlton Heston; Eartha Kitt (1959) **Herself -

Fabian Forte Fabian Forte (born Fabiano Anthony Forte, February 6, 1943), professionally known as Fabian, is an American singer and actor. Forte rose to national prominence after performing several times on '' American Bandstand''. He became a teen idol o ...

; John Wayne (on tape) (1959) **Herself -

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...

; Wayne & Shuster (1959) **scheduled guest - scheduled: Suzanne Pleshette; Tom Poston (1959) **scheduled guest - scheduled:

Red Buttons Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1957 film '' Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his acting work ...

; Rowan & Martin (1960) **scheduled guest - Oscar Hammerstein tribute:

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

;

Jill Corey Jill Corey (born Norma Jean Speranza; September 30, 1935 – April 3, 2021) was an American popular standards singer. She was discovered and signed on one day when she was 17. She went on to have her own radio shows and to star in a feature film ...

(1960) *''The

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a d ...

Show'' **Herself -

; Buster Keaton; The Keystone Kops (1950) *''Four Star Revue'' **Herself -

; Eddie Cantor;

Jack Carson John Elmer Carson (October 27, 1910 – January 2, 1963) was a Canadian-born American film actor. Carson often played the role of comedic friend in films of the 1940s and 1950s, including ''The Strawberry Blonde'' (1941) with James Cagney and ...

; Jack Gilford; Bob Sweeney; Hal March;

Spike Jones Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gun ...

Orchestra (1951) *''

The Garry Moore Show ''The Garry Moore Show'' is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talent ...

'' **Guest - December 2, 1958 *''The Shower of Stars'' **guest star - Frankie Laine;

Gene Austin Lemeul Eugene Lucas (June 24, 1900 – January 24, 1972), better known by his stage name Gene Austin, was an American singer and songwriter, one of the early " crooners". His recording of " My Blue Heaven" sold over 5 million copies and was for ...

; Gary Crosby;

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program '' The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

(1956) **guest star -

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...

; Yvonne De Carlo;

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

(1957) *''

The Steve Allen Show ''The Steve Allen Show'' was an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC,

'' - guest star -

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

;

Steve Lawrence Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935) is an American singer, comedian and actor, best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé, billed as " Steve and Eydie", and for his performance as Maury Sline, the manager and f ...

;

Smith and Dale Smith and Dale were a famous American vaudeville comedy duo. They consisted of Joe Smith (born Joseph Sultzer on February 17, 1884February 22, 1981) and Charlie Dale (born Charles Marks on September 6, 1881November 16, 1971), who both grew up in ...

(1956) *''

Toast of the Town ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night ...

'' **guest star - 1956

(1955) **Herself - scheduled: Eartha Kitt; Lionel Hampton; Phil Foster (1955) **Herself -

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

;

Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress notable for her film career in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in Manhattan and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Goddard initially began her career ...

(1952) **Herself - Bunny Briggs; Nancy Andrews (1949)

Footnotes

References

*''

''
"From The Shoulder"
July 28, 1952.
Top 50 Era-Defining Songs of the 1950s list
*Review
''So Hot It Sizzles!''
Michael Pendragon, February 2004 *''Great Pretenders: My Strange Love Affair with 50s Pop Music'', Karen Schoemer, Free Press, 2006
Massachusetts Birth Certificate link shows her birthdate and place

External links

*
Georgia Gibbs Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (1995) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbs, Georgia 1918 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Apex Records artists Bell Records artists Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from leukemia Imperial Records artists Jewish American musicians Jewish jazz musicians Mercury Records artists Musicians from Worcester, Massachusetts Singers from Massachusetts Traditional pop music singers 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women