Título: Jo Stafford
Seção: Capitol Records and United Service Organization
Background: Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917 - July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer and occasional actress, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical training to become an opera singer before following a career in popular music, and by 1955 had achieved more worldwide record sales than any other female artist. Her 1952 song "You Belong to Me" topped the charts in the United States and United Kingdom, the record becoming the first by a female artist to reach number one on the U.K. Singles Chart.

Conteúdo: While Stafford was still working for Dorsey, Johnny Mercer told her, "Some day I'm going to have my own record company, and you're going to record for me." She subsequently became the first solo artist signed to Capitol after leaving the Pied Pipers in 1944. A key figure in helping Stafford to develop her solo career was Mike Nidorf, an agent who first heard her as a member of the Pied Pipers while he was serving as a Captain with the United States Army. Having previously discovered artists such as Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, and Woody Herman, Nidorf was impressed by Stafford's voice, and contacted her when he was demobilized in 1944. After she agreed to let him represent her, he encouraged her to reduce her weight and arranged a string of engagements that raised her profile, and confidence.  The success of Stafford's solo career led to a demand for personal appearances, and from February 1945 she embarked on a six-month residency at New York's La Martinique nightclub. Her performance was well-received--an article in the July 1945 edition of Band Leaders magazine described it as "sensational"--but Stafford did not enjoy singing before live audiences, and it was the only nightclub venue she ever played. Speaking about her discomfort with live performances, Stafford told a 1996 interview with The New Yorker's Nancy Franklin, "I'm basically a singer, period, and I think I'm really lousy up in front of an audience--it's just not me."  Stafford's tenure with the United Service Organ

user: When did she sign with Capital records?

assistant: She subsequently became the first solo artist signed to Capitol after leaving the Pied Pipers in 1944.

user: What was the USO?

assistant: Stafford's tenure with the United Service Organizations (USO) during World War II--which often saw her perform for soldiers stationed in the U.S.

user: What role did she play?

assistant: Stafford was a favorite of many servicemen during both World War II and the Korean War; her recordings received extensive airplay on the American Forces radio

user: Did she travel over seas?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: Why was the USO important to her

assistant: a veteran told Stafford that the Japanese would play her records on loudspeakers in an attempt to make the U.S. troops homesick enough to surrender.

user: Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?

assistant: Stafford's involvement with servicemen led to an interest in military history and a sound knowledge of it.