April Stevens born 29 April 1936

April Stevens (born Carol LoTempio, April 29, 1936, Niagara Falls, New York) is an American singer. 

She has recorded since she was 15 years old. Her most popular solo recording was her RCA Victor recording of "I'm in Love Again" (music and lyrics by Cole Porter). Accompanied by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Henri René, Stevens' recording peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1951. 

Stevens returned to the U.S. chart in 1959 with the song "Teach Me Tiger", which caused a minor uproar for its sexual suggestiveness and consequently did not receive airplay on many radio stations. The song peaked at No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100. Stevens' recording of this song is often erroneously accredited to Marilyn Monroe. 

She is perhaps best known for her 1963 Atco Records recording of "Deep Purple" (music by Peter DeRose and lyrics by Mitchell Parish) with her brother Antonino LoTempio (singing under the stage name Nino Tempo). A standard song that Larry Clinton and His Orchestra and band vocalist Bea Wain had popularized in 1939, the Stevens and Tempo version reached No.1 on the Billboard chart in November 1963. The song won the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Recording. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.

 

 

                             

"Deep Purple" is notable for April Stevens' speaking the lyrics in a low, sweet voice during the second half of the song while her brother sings. When the duo first recorded the song as a demo, Tempo forgot the words, and Stevens spoke the lyrics to remind him. The producers thought Stevens' spoken

interludes were "cute" and should be included on the finished product, but according to Stevens, her brother was not as easily convinced: "He didn't want anyone talking while he was singing!" 

Producer Ahmet Ertegun had originally intended "Deep Purple" to be the B-side of a song called "I've Been Carrying A Torch For You So Long That It Burned A Great Big Hole In My Heart": he was dubious of Tempo's belief that it would be a hit, calling it "the most embarrassing thing" the duo had ever recorded. When radio stations preferred "Deep Purple," Ertegun relented, and so "I've Been Carrying A Torch..." holds the distinction of being the longest title of a flipside of a Billboard number one record. Despite being considered "rock and roll," "Deep Purple" also reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary singles chart.  

They also enjoyed a 1964 follow-up hit in the U.S. with the standard song "Whispering" (music by Vincent Rose and lyrics by Richard Coburn and John Schonberger). The recording, which had an arrangement similar to their recording of "Deep Purple", reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. They also had chart success with "All Strung Out", which reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. 

Music journalist Richie Unterberger has described the later disc "All Strung Out" as Nino Tempo & April Stevens' "greatest triumph", declaring it "one of the greatest Phil Spector-inspired productions of all time". For years following their charting singles, the duo continued recording, but failed to achieve continued sales success. However, in March 1973 the duo scored a #5-hit in the Netherlands with "Love Story" on A&M Records, two years after Andy Williams took that same song to #13 in the Dutch Top 40.  

 

On October 28, 1999, April and Nino were inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. Nino was not able to attend the gala, but April flew in for the honour, and, surrounded by friends and family, beamed as she delivered her acceptance, along with a reading of a touching and heartfelt letter that Nino had sent for the occasion.    (Info mainly Wikipedia)
 

Nino Tempo born 6 January 1935

Nino Tempo (born Antonino LoTempio, January 6, 1935) is an American musician, singer, and actor.

Nino Tempo was born in Niagara Falls, New York. A musical prodigy, he learned to play the clarinet and the tenor saxophone as a child. He was a talent show winner at four years of age and appeared on television with Benny Goodman at seven. When his family moved to California, he appeared on the Horace Heidt radio show, performing a Benny Goodman clarinet solo. A child actor, he worked in motion pictures in such films as 1949's The Red Pony and in 1953's The Glenn Miller Story starring James Stewart.

 He was also a sought after session musician, working with Elkie Brooks, as a member of The Wrecking Crew for Phil Spector, and recording with Maynard Ferguson (Live At The Peacock-1956). Through a Bobby Darin recording session, Tempo made connections with Atlantic Records and signed with its Atco Records subsidiary.

 

However, Nino Tempo is best known for his 1963 duet "Deep Purple" on Atco with his sister Carol (singing under the stage name April Stevens) that went to No.1 on the Billboard charts. The song won the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Recording. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The record was followed by a series of singles of more oldies in a similar style: "Whispering", "Stardust", "Tea for Two". For years following their charting singles, the duo continued recording, but failed to achieve continued sales success.

However, in March 1973 the duo scored a No. 5 hit in the Netherlands with "Love Story" on A&M Records, two years after Andy Williams took that same song to #13 in the Dutch Top 40. In late 1973, a little less than 10 years after "Deep Purple" topped the Hot 100, Tempo reached #53 in his last appearance on the Hot 100 with the (mostly) instrumental "Sister James" as Nino Tempo And 5th Ave. Sax, an obvious play on Saks Fifth Avenue. Recorded at A&M with the backing, writing, producing, and arranging of Jeff Barry, "Sister James" became one of the first instrumental disco records to reach the national charts. "Sister James" is often classified as an example of Northern Soul. In 1975, Tempo played saxophone on John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album.

Nino & April moved to Chelsea Records for "What Kind of Fool Am I?" in 1976; Tempo had another solo single with "Hooked on Young Stuff" back on A&M in 1979; and he placed three tracks on the soundtrack to The Idolmaker, which charted in December 1980. But after that, he retired from record-making for a decade until he produced and played on Stevens' 1990 comeback album Carousel Dreams. Then he played at a memorial service for Atlantic Records co-founder Nesuhi Ertegun and as a result was re-signed to the label as a jazz instrumentalist. He made three albums, Tenor Saxophone (1990), Nino (1992), and Live at Cicada (1995).

 In 1996, he and Stevens recorded a new track, a version of the old Benny Goodman/Peggy Lee hit "Why Don't You Do Right?," for the Varèse Sarabande compilation Sweet and Lovely: The Best of Nino Tempo & April Stevens. By then, brother and sister were living in semi-retirement in Arizona although Tempo continues to perform to this day. (Info edited from Wikipedia & All Music)



American Bandstand. May 30, 1964