The Song Spinners were an American singing quartet of two men and two women which began as a folk song group on radio in the 30's and then enjoyed a burst of popularity during the

1942–44 musicians' strike Year 194 ( CXCIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Septimius and Septimius (or, less frequently, year 947 ''Ab urbe co ...

. They accompanied

Dick Haymes Richard Benjamin Haymes (September 13, 1918 – March 28, 1980) was an Argentinian singer and actor. He was one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, an actor, television host ...

on "

You'll Never Know "You'll Never Know", sometimes referred to as "''You'll Never Know (Just How Much I Love You)''" in later years, is a popular song with music written by Harry Warren and the lyrics by Mack Gordon. The song is based on a poem written by a young Ok ...

" and several other hits. They had a #1 hit in 1943 with "

Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer "Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer" is a World War II song with lyrics by Harold Adamson and music by Jimmy McHugh, published in 1943 by Robbins Music Corp. Theme The lyrics tell of the aftermath of an Allied night aerial bombing mission over en ...

". They also had a hit with " Johnny Zero" (originally known as "Johnny Got a Zero") that peaked on #7 on ''Billboard'' chart. The song was inspired by

John D. Foley John D. Foley (March 1, 1918 – December 21, 1999), served in the United States Army Air Forces as a gunner during World War II. He was the inspiration of the popular 1943 song " Johnny Got a Zero". Biography Foley enlisted in November 1941. Aft ...

(March 1, 1918 – December 21, 1999), who served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

as a gunner during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and was popularly known as Johnny Zero. In the song, Johnny does poorly in school, with the other children mocking him with "Johnny got a zero" every time he fails a test. However, when he grows up and becomes a fighter pilot, the words take on an entirely different meaning. In 1948, The Song Spinners recorded " My Happiness" as an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

with

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

. In addition to frequent radio performances of popular songs, the Song Spinners composed and recorded numerous jingles and remained active in this field through the 1960s.

Membership

Though the membership of The Song Spinners was likely fluid depending on singer availability, the leaders of The Song Spinners were Margaret and Travis Johnson.

Margaret Johnson

Johnson was born Oct. 24, 1907 in

La Grange, Missouri La Grange is a city in Lewis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 825 at the 2020 census. Since the 1960 census, the population has been dwindling. It is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. History L ...

. After graduating from Baylor in 1928, she married fellow singer Travis Johnson and they moved to New York to get into the music business. Margaret did modeling before in 1936, she played Honey Chile on the Bob Hope radio show. The Johnsons started The Song Spinners to perform background vocals on a radio show called "The Wayside Cottage". During the

, Decca Records hired Margaret to arrange and perform vocal accompaniment for Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, the

hit "You'll Never Know" and "Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer". Margaret returned to radio after the musicians strike. And she appeared in the early days of TV. Then she got into jingles. Her most famous jingle was "Winston taste good like a cigarette should". Margaret and Travis Johnson retired in 1967 and moved to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. After Travis died in 1970, Margaret performed in seniors homes as a volunteer pianist until her death on May 27, 2007.

Discography

" (1943) *" Johnny Zero" (1943) *" My Happiness" (

and The Song Spinners) (a cappella) (1948)

References

External links

* American vocal groups {{US-singing-group-stub