Patti Page Is Parade’s Grand Marshal

She dominated pop and country music charts in the 1950s and was the first major crossover artist to popularize country music to a mainstream audience. She was the first female vocalist to be signed to Mercury Records. She was the only singing star to ever have her own TV series on all three major networks. And now, music legend Patti Page will ride in this year’s Pacific Palisades Fourth of July Parade as the Grand Marshal. Many know Page as “The Singing Rage,” who rose to fame in the late 1940s and the 1950s with such hits as “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window,” “Old Cape Cod” and “With My Eyes Wide Open, I’m Dreaming.” Her recording of “Tennessee Waltz” is one of the highest-selling singles ever recorded by a woman and was No. 1 on pop, country and R&B lists. Page’s music career began when she was just a teenager growing up in Claremore, Oklahoma, where she was born Clara Ann Fowler in November 1927. She was working after school in the art department at KTLU Radio in Tulsa when the girl who was Patti Page on the “Meet the Patti Page Show,” sponsored by the Page Milk Company, left to seek a career outside Oklahoma. As the story goes, a station executive who had heard Clara Ann sing at a high school function suggested that she become the “new” Patti Page. With a new name and the help of touring band manager Jack Rael, Page was signed to the fledgling Mercury Records, which released her first hit, “Confess,” in 1948. This song, in which Page sings her own harmony vocals, also made her a pioneer in the field of overdubbing, or using multiple voice techniques. Page’s first million-selling record was “With My Eyes Wide Open I’m Dreaming,” followed by “All My Love,” but it was “Tennessee Waltz” (now one of Tennessee’s official state songs) that made her famous. Her smooth Southern voice and high-cheek-boned beauty also made Page a frequent guest star on the leading variety shows. Page has sold more than 100 million records, making her one of the top female recording artists in history. She has 15 gold records, and still performs concerts throughout the country. Incoming Honorary Mayor Gavin MacLeod told the Palisadian-Post this week, “I saw Patti in a concert in Escondido last year, and she sounds as good as ever. Close your eyes and it’s like being 20 again. When you hear her songs, you’re hearing memories of your life.” Page and her husband, Jerry Feliciotto, live in Solana Beach (north of San Diego) and run a business in New Hampshire manufacturing Patti Page Pancake Mix and Maple Syrup.