Jodie Sands born 1927?

 Jodie Sands (born c. 1927) was a popular American singer of the 1950s and 1960s who had fleeting chart fame before descending into relative obscurity. 

Born Eleanor DeSipio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sands’s father was an opera singer, and she received classical training with the hopes of one day performing at the Met. By 1955, she was working the club and cabaret circuit in the northeastern United States and in Canada. Although little has been documented about her, the world first heard Jodie Sands on record in 1955.  She was one of handful of Philly singers propelled into the spotlight thanks to Bob Horn, the original host of Bandstand.  She was signed to the Teen label he co-owned with Artie Singer, a local voice coach and musician, Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann.  

At the time it was customary to have pop artists record cover versions of R&B tunes that were desperately trying to make it onto the charts.  Sands first etching was just that but with a twist.  "Love Me Always," the a-side, was a West Coast song by professional baseball player Arthur Lee Maye and his group, The Crowns.  The twist is that Bob Horn actually played his version on Bandstand and Jodie's cover was, in reality, only a local release.  Her second and final record for Teen, "Let Me Show You Around My Heart," was the b-side of "When You Dance" by The Turbans, another South Philly R&B group.  The next move for Sands would be the biggest and most important one of her career. 

                                   

Signing to Chancellor records in 1957, Jodie Sands immediately had her biggest hit, "With All My Heart."  Sporting a Mediterranean cha-cha beat thanks to label owners Bob Marcucci and Pete DeAngelis, "With All My Heart" was soon heard on every transistor radio in the US and was featured regularly on the now national American Bandstand with new host Dick Clark.  The song made it all the way to #15 on the pop charts garnering her numerous television appearances and a spot in the 1957 film "Jamboree" singing her next Chancellor release, "Sayonara."  

Her next recording "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)" barely made the Top 100 chart the following year, reaching No. 95, but did better in the United Kingdom, where it reached No. 14 in the UK Singles Chart. While the songs were not very rock and roll, their popularity put Sands in the spotlight at a time when many promoters were looking for a “girl singer” to round out their rock and roll bills. 

She became part of Alan Freed’s regular cohort of performers in 1957, appearing on the shows he produced at the Paramount Theater alongside stars like Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker, the Everly Brothers, and Frankie Lymon. She also toured to Hawaii with Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and Paul Anka. In 1957, she was cast in the quasi-concert film Jamboree, which featured several of rock and roll’s biggest stars, including Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. She also appeared in the film American Bandstand. Sands, who already operated in the same circles as Fabian and Frankie Avalon, appeared well-positioned to capitalize on the “teen idol” phenomenon of the late fifties and early sixties. 

After leaving Chancellor records she signed briefly with Thor Records, followed by a one off for Paris records and then 3 singles for ABC-Paramount in 1962, concluding her recording career. Sid Fisher (brother of Eddie Fisher) took an interest in her career and became her manager.  Jodie spent a few years doing nightclub work in the area and then retired, disenchanted and jaded from the cutthroat music world. She taught private voice lessons then later appeared on a 1973 Bandstand Reunion hosted by Ron Joseph and Pat Delsea. 

She also sat for a TV interview on Bob Horn's original set with Tony Mammarella and Sy "Pop" Singer.  Sands continued to perform in clubs until at least 1975 as reported by the Philadelphia Daily News when she was billed at the Holiday Inn, New Jersey, during September that year. 

Please note - According to Rate Your Music, Jodie died in 1996, although I haven’t found this information confirmed anywhere else. I think they have quoted one of the death notices for her siblings in 1996 and 2000, which refer to Jodie Sands by the name of Eleanor Ferro. 

(Edited from womeninrock project, Jimmy DePre blog, Wikipedia & last.fm)