Ginny Gibson Explained

Virginia Nelson (born Virginia Marie Shoemaker; November 22, 1924 Rochester, New York – November 27, 1998 Nyack, New York), professionally known as Ginny Gibson, was a prolific New York recording vocalist. Gibson recorded jingles and popular songs. Her married surname, beginning around 1946, was Nelson. In 1958, she married Richard Dennis Criger (1925–2001). She divorced Criger in 1976. Gibson also recorded under the alias "Ginny Blue."

Career

Virginia Shoemaker, as a performer, began singing at age 6 for WHAM radio in Rochester, New York. In 1950, Gibson signed a contract with MGM Records. She was the first to record the song s "Mr. Sandman," "If I Give My Heart to You," and "Dansero." Her recording of "Whatever Lola Wants" from Damn Yankees won national radio and jukebox play. Her manager while at MGM was Joan Javits (né Joan Ellen Javits; born 1931), who in 1953, co-wrote Santa Baby with Philip Springer (born 1926). The other co-composer, Tony Springer, listed in the 1953 Catalog of Copyright Entries, was a fictitious name. Joan was the niece of New York Senator Jacob K. Javits.

In 1954, Gibson recorded 966 new tunes for such songwriters that included Irving Berlin; Cole Porter; Pajama Game and Damn Yankees writers Jerry Ross and Dick Adler; Charles Tobias; and Pat Ballard.

Gibson also sang radio and TV commercials, including the famous "Chiquita Banana," "Hello, Bryers Calling," "Winston Tastes Good," "The Dodge Boys," "Wouldn't You Really Rather Have a Buick?" and "Pepsodent Toothpaste."

She was the off-stage voice on the Coke Time with Eddie Fisher television show, working with Doc Severinsen, Eydie Gormé, and Debbie Reynolds. She was also heard regularly on the Chicago radio show Don McNeill's Breakfast Club and television's The Halls of Ivy and Sky King.

Selected discography

10661 (April 1950)
Ginny Gibson
With Van Horne Quartet
Side A: "You're Finding Out How Much I Love You"
Carl G. Lampl (1898–1962) (music)
Buddy Kaye (words)
48-S-551
Side B: "Where in the World"
Ginny Gibson, vocalist
Gibson Boys, vocalists
48-S-550
Carl G. Lampl (1898–1962)
Buddy Kaye
11276
Buddy Kaye Quintet
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "The Sunday Morning Song"
48-S-552
Carl G. Lampl (1898–1962) (music)
Buddy Kaye (words)
Side B: "The Goodnight Song"
48-S-553
Buddy Kaye
Carl G. Lampl (1898–1962)
11383 (1952)
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "Too Far Between Kisses"
48-S-817
Side B: "You Blew Me a Kiss" 48-S-816
(Audio on YouTube)
11435 (1953)
Ginny Gibson
With Orchestra
LeRoy Holmes, conductor
Side A: "The Kiss"
(from the 1953 film Niagara)
Haven Gillespie (words)
Lionel Newman (music)
53-S-5
Side B: "Condemned Without a Trial"
Hal Blair (né Harold Keller Brown; 1915–2001) (w&m) Don Robertson (w&m) 53-S-6
11499
Ginny Gibson
With Joe Lipman
Side A: "Unless You're Really Mine"
Ted Varnick (w&m) Nick Acquaviva (w&m) 53-S-199
(Audio on YouTube)
Side B: "Lonely Lover"
53-S-198
Herbert Nelson (music)
Fred Jacobson (words)
11571 (1953)
Ginny Gibson
With Joe Lipman
Side A: "Dansero"
53-S-345
Heyman-Daniels-Parker
Side B: "No More Tears"
53-S-344
Frank Feraco (words)
Harry Siskind (words)
Paul Todd (music)
11672
Ginny Gibson
With orchestra
Joe Lipman, director
Side A: "Baton Rouge"
Bob Merrill (w&m) 53-S-608
Side B: "Don't Stop Kissing Me Goodnight"
Sheb Wooley (w&m) 53-S-610
11736 (1953)
Ginny Gibson
With Orchestra
Joe Lipman, director
Side A: "Aye Aye Aye Aye"
Gloria Shane (words)
Joe Lipman (music)
Noel Regney
53-S-609
Side B: "Serenade to Spring"
Dick Charles
Gloria Regney
53-S-607
11814 (1954)
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "The Song That Broke My Heart"
54-S-358
Side B: "There's a Small Hotel"
54-S-356
11913 (1954)
Ginny Gibson
With Joe Lipman
Side A: "Once There Was a Little Girl"
54-S-355
Hayward Morris (1922–1977) (music)
Lee Kauderer (words)
Side B: "Like Ma-A-D"
54-S-357
Alice D. Simms (w&m) Irving Roth (music)
11961 (March 1955)
Ginny Gibson
The Four Jingles (vocals)
Side A: "Whatever Lola Wants" ("Lola Gets")
From the musical Damn Yankees
Richard Adler (w&m) Jerry Ross (w&m) (Audio on YouTube)
Side B: "If Anything Should Happen to You"
Dick Charles (w&m) Fred Ebb (w&m) 55-S-312
12019 (July 1955)
Ginny Gibson
With Orchestra
Joe Lipman, conductor
The Four Jingles (on Side B)
Side A: "Chihuahua Choo-Choo" ("Chi-Wa-Wa")
From the Los Angeles revue:
That's Life (1954)
Jay Livingston (w&m) Ray Evans (w&m) 55-XY-219
Side B: "Am I Asking Too Much?"
Robert Bergman (w&m) Harry Evans (w&m) George Ames (w&m) 55-XY-217
12113 (1955)
Ginny Gibson
With Orchestra
And the Jingles
Joe Lipman, conductor
Side A: OHH ("How I Love Ya'")
Parker
55-XY-578
Side B: "If You Want To Make Me Happy"
Harold Solomon (music)
Jack Segal (words)
55-S-765
12517
Ginny Gibson
With orchestra
Joe Lipman, conductor
And with the Jingles
Side A: "If That Would Bring You Back To Me"
Eddie Seiler (w&m) Sol Marcus (w&m) 55-XY-580
Side B: "The Places I've Been"
Sy Muskin
Sol Parker
55-XY-577

5405 (1950)
Recorded March 14, 1950, New York
Bobby Sherwood (trumpet, piano, guitar, vocals, arranger), Lou Oles, Carl Poole (né Carl Alan Poole; 1920–1986), Pincus (Pinky) Savitt (1919–1998) (trumpets), Eddie Anderson, Bob Cutshall, Kai Winding (trombones), Hymie Shertzer, Ernie Caceres (alto saxes), Johnny Hayes, Babe Russin (tenor saxes), Tony Ferina (bari sax), Lou Stein (piano), Sid Weiss (bass), Morey Feld (drums), Ginny Gibson (vocalist)
Side A: "Muskrat Ramble"
Sherwood & Gibson (vocals)
Ray Gilbert (words)
Edward "Kid" Ory (music)
3235
Side B: "Dixieland Ball"
Ginny Gibson (vocals)
Buddy Kaye (words)
Al Frisch (né Albert T. Frisch; 1916–1976) (music)
3237
5468 (1950)
Recorded March 14, 1950, New York
Ginny Gibson
Bobby Sherwood
And His Orchestra
(same musicians as 5405)
Side A: "Cherry Bounce"
Charles Columbus (w&m) 3238
(Audio on YouTube)
Side B: "Doodle-Doo-Doo"
Art Kassel (w&m) Mel Stitzel (music)
3236

Voco Records (sub-label: Tops for Tots)

Tops for Tots V29
Bernie Knee (vocals)
Ginny Gibson (vocals)
With the Tops Orchestra
Side B: Kiddie Medley
"Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
"Brother John" ("Frère Jacques")
Voco V30T (1951)
Ginny Gibson
(singer and narrator)
With the Voco Orchestra
Side A: Little Red Ridinghood
Ted Murry
(pseudonym of Murray Mencher (de); 1898–1991) (music)
Raymond Leveen (1893–1984) (words)
Tops for Tots V33
Bob Kennedy (narrator and singer)
Ginny Gibson (narrator and singer)
Sides A & B: Cinderella

47-4212
Ginny Gibson
With Hugo Winterhalter and Orchestra
Side B: "Blow, Blow Winds of the Sea" (1953)
Harold Duncan (w&m) E1-VB-2901-1

(Audio on YouTube)
47-4510 (1952)
The Three Suns
Artie Dunn (vocal refrain)
Ginny Gibson (vocal refrain)
Side A: "Stolen Love"
Anna Marie Sickle (w&m) Marlene Feinstein (w&m) E2-VB-5543

(Audio on YouTube)
Side B: "Cool, Cool Kisses"
EPB 3051 (1953) (7" 45 rpm; 2 discs)
LPM 1185 (1956) (LP)
Music by Starlight
Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra
Eddie Heywood (piano); Ginny Gibson (vocals)
Stuart Foster
(stage name for Tamer Aswad; 1923–1968)

45-6027 (1953)
Ginny Gibson
And the Shepherds (Side A)
With Billy Mure, guitarist (Side A)
With the Country Slickers (Side B)
Side A: "If the End of the World Came Tonight"
Sid Lippman (music)
Sylvia Dee (words)
45-T5-107
Side B: "Ain't It Great to Be Crazy"
Sid Lippman (music)
Sylvia Dee (words)
45-T5-108
Note: Red record vinyl

45-9717 (Jun 1956)
Don Costa Orchestra
With Ginny Gibson
Side A: "Lullaby To An Angel"
Dick Broderick (w&m) 346-N1

Side B: "Magic Melody"
Earl Stanley Shuman (born 1923) (words)
Mort Garson
345-N1
45-9739 (1956)
Ginny Gibson
With Don Costa and His Orchestra
Side A: "Miracle of Love"
Bob Merrill (words)
AMP 45-465
(Audio on YouTube)
Side B: "Two Innocent Hearts"
Dorian Burton (w&m) Lee Pincus (w&m) AMP 45-466

(Audio on YouTube)
Re-released by:
Sparton Records
526R (catalog no.)
45-9786 (February 1957)
With orchestra and chorus
Don Costa, director
Side A: "I Pledge Allegiance To Your Heart"
William "Bill" Norvas (w&m) AMP 45-695
Side B: "A Pair of Fools"
Bennie Benjamin (w&m) Sol Marcus (w&m) AMP 45-696
Re-released by:
Sparton Records
370R (catalog no.)
9872 (December 1957)
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "September 'til June"
Sol Parker (né Solomon Peskin; 1919–2010) (w&m) Dick Broderick (w&m) 3044
Side B: "Homing Pigeon"
Mel Mandel (words)
Marvin Kahn (1915–1969) (music)
3045
Re-released by:
Sparton Records
520R (catalog no.)

Forum Records (Charles Records)

F703 (1962)
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "Hand of Love"
Dick Broderick
61-L-7
Side B: "Stay Here, Bluebird"
Adaptation from Massenet's "Elegy"
Fay Tishman (1913–2006) (words and arr.)
85276 (July 1962)
Ginny Gibson
Dick Wess Orchestra
Side A: "As The World Turns"
Dick Charles (music)
Fay Tishman (words)
ZTSP 85276
Side B: "That's How Love Comes"
Dick Charles (music)
Robert Wilde (pseudonym of Robert Goldstein) (w&m)
DC102469 (1969)
Ginny Gibson
Side B: "Lonely Little Christmas Tree"
Dick Charles
DC102469B

442-45 (October 1955)
Ginny Gibson
Accompanied by the Song Spinners
Side A: "Wanting You"
Robert Maurice Wilson (born 1921) (w&m) DA-350-45
Side B: "Mommy's Little Angel"
Glenn Gibson
(pseudonym of Bert Davis)
DA-349-45
"Wanting You" also
Released by Derby
Cat No. 810; mx DA-171

Kama Records

K-35 (May 1962)
Ginny Gibson
R. Wess Orchestra
Side A: "You Pass This Way" ("Only Once")
Sunny Skylar (w&m) Al Frisch (né Albert T. Frisch; 1916–1976)
R. Wess (arr.)
500
Side B: "Bluesville"
Dick Charles
Dick Criger

Kama was a division of Kama Productions, 9 Meadow Street, New York Mills, New York

Selected radio transcriptions

The Eddie Safranski Orchestra, SESAC transcriptions

Program #N-902 (May 17, 1955)
Program #N-903 (May 17, 1955)
Program #N-904

Bud's Bandwagon

Program 533, Part 1 (June 8, 1955)
Bud's Bandwagon
Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS)
Broadcast June 8, 1955Radio transcription disc

Bud's Bandwagon was a radio program of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, aired five days a week for four years. Bud Widom (né Leonard Widom; 1918–1976) was the DJ host. The music was from extant recordings rather than live performances.

Family

Ginny Gibson's father, Wayne A. Shoemaker (1902–1962) had, at one time, been Public Relations Director of the Rochester Civic Music Association. Wayne Shoemaker was also a strong regional chess player — affiliated with the Finger Lakes Chess Society.

Death

Virginia M. Criger died November 27, 1998, in Nyack, New York. She was buried in Mount Repose Cemetery, Haverstraw, New York. Etched at the top of her tombstone are the words of the title song she once recorded, "You Pass This Way Only Once." And at the bottom are the words, "Our Beloved 'Ginny Gibson.'"

Selected compositions

"What a Nervous Situation"

Ginny Gibson (w&m)

Dick Broderick (w&m)

31 January 1956; EP96565