Tribute to April Stevens, featuring Sheldon Zoldan

In 1951 when she was only 22, singer April Stevens had her first hit, and the hits kept coming. This tribute to Stevens is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.

The tributes were written and recorded by longtime writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan, who also is the creator behind Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. All of those stories and these tributes include links to the featured songs. Here, you can watch Stevens and her brother, Nino Tempo, sing the Grammy-winning “Deep Purple" on YouTube.

To get on the Song of the Day subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to the show!

Available on Apple, Spotify, Audible and in other directories, and on YouTube.

Transcript

Kate:
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Hello and welcome to Everyday Creation,

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a show about living our purpose and lifting

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our vibes for ourselves and the world.

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I'm Kate Jones, here with a tribute to

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singer April Stevens,

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who knew how to create hits with or

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without her brother, Nino Tempo.

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This is one of 44 short yet illuminating

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episodes

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about significant figures in the music industry who

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passed away in 2023.

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My guest Sheldon Zoldan,

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a longtime writer and newspaper editor,

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wrote these tributes and recorded them. Here's what

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he says about Stevens, who died on April

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17th

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last year.

Sheldon:
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It didn't matter if she was singing alone

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or with her brother.

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April Stevens made hits.

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Stevens died April 17th

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in Scottsdale,

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Arizona.

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She was a couple weeks shy of her

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94th

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birthday.

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Stevens was born

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Caroline

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Vincinette 

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LoTempio

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before changing her name.

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It didn't take her long to record her

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first hit. She was only 22 years old

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when she recorded Cole Porter's

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"I'm in Love Again."

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The song reached number 6 on the singles

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chart in 1951.

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Her next two songs reached number 10

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and number 27.

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Her song "Teach Me Tiger"

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in 1959

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only reached 86 on the charts

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but caused a stir because some radio stations

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thought the lyrics were too sexual.

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Times change.

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NASA played the song in 1983

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to wake up astronauts

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on a shuttle mission.

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Stevens had her biggest hit with her brother,

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Nino Tempo.

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They recorded

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our Song of the Day,

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"Deep Purple," in 1963,

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and it reached number 1 on the Billboard

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Hot 100 chart in November

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and won the Grammy for Best Rock and

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Roll Song.

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Peter DeRose wrote the music in 1933.

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Mitchell Parrish added lyrics in 1938.

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Bing Crosby had a big hit with it.

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Stevens and Tempo recorded it in 14 minutes.

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The song was supposed to be the B

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side,

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but radio stations liked it better than the

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A side single.

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Tempo didn't have a chance to memorize the

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words,

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so Stevens would recite the words and then

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her brother would sing them.

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The producer liked how it worked and kept

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it in.

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The duo had a couple more hits

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in the 1960s

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early '70s,

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but Stevens retired from the music business by

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the 1980s.

Kate:
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This is Kate again.

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Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a

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music-related story sent daily to an email

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list of subscribers.

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All of those stories and these tributes

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include links to the featured songs.

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In this episode's description,

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you can link to "Deep Purple" on YouTube,

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as well as get information on how to

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join Sheldon's subscriber list.

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If you enjoyed this tribute,

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please check out the next one about Harry

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Belafonte,

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whose significance

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goes way beyond music.

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And please share the tributes with anyone who

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might appreciate

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these well-researched glimpses

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into the lives of the people who created

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some of the music we love.

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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.