"Tampico" is a popular song, composed in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat. Events Below, ...

by Allan Roberts, with lyrics by Doris Fisher. It was recorded and released in that year by

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

, earning a gold record award. The recording, featuring June Christy on vocals, became a top-10 hit in 1945, peaking at #3 on the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

. Christy later commented to the "Jazz Journal International" that she had been disappointed that her first recording with Kenton was "Tampico," but was fortunate that it was a hit and established her right away.Singing jazz:: the singers and their styles By Bruce Crowther, Mike Pinfold, Hal Leonard Corporation, p.125

Background

The song takes a satirical look at the Mexican city of its title, suggesting that at the time,

Tampico, Tamaulipas Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fift ...

, had become more Americanized than the U.S. itself, and that many of the souvenirs which could be bought there had been manufactured in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. ''"You buy a beautiful shawl; a souvenir for Aunt Flo. Authentic Mexican art – made in Idaho."''

Other recordings

Other recordings of "Tampico" have been made by Benny Goodman, Doris Fisher and

Edmundo Ros Edmundo Ros OBE, FRAM (7 December 1910 – 21 October 2011), born Edmund William Ross, was a Trinidadian-Venezuelan musician, vocalist, arranger and bandleader who made his career in Britain. He directed a highly popular Latin American orchestr ...

among others. The song was also performed by

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...

The Chesterfield Supper Club ''The Chesterfield Supper Club'' is an NBC Radio musical variety program (1944–1950), which was also telecast by NBC Television (1948–1950). Radio ''The Chesterfield Supper Club'' began on December 11, 1944, as a 15-minute radio program, ...

and can be heard on the album '' At the Supper Club Part III''.

Beverly Kenney Beverly Kenney (January 29, 1932, Harrison, New Jersey – April 13, 1960, Greenwich Village, New York City) was an American jazz singer. Early life Kenney was born in Harrison, New Jersey on January 29, 1932, the second of Charles Joseph and ...

also recorded her rendition in her 1959 album, Like Yesterday.

References

{{Reflist

Sources

*Agostinelli, Anthony Joseph (1986). ''Stan Kenton: The Many Musical Moods of His Orchestras.'' AJ Agostinelli. *Colt, Freddy (2013). ''Stan Kenton, il Vate del Progressive Jazz.'' Mellophonium Broadsides, San Remo (Italy). *Easton, Carol (1981). ''Straight Ahead: The Story of Stan Kenton.'' Da Capo. ISBN 978-0-306-80152-5. *Gabel, Edward F. (1993). ''Stan Kenton: The Early Years, 1941-1947.'' Lake Geneva, WI: Balboa Books. ISBN 978-0936653518.

External links

List of recordings of Tampico
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

1945 songs 1940s songs Jazz songs Jo Stafford songs Songs written by Allan Roberts (songwriter) Songs written by Doris Fisher (songwriter) * Tampico recordin