Ginny Gibson

Virginia Nelson (born Virginia Marie Shoemaker; November 22, 1924 Rochester, New York – November 27, 1998 Nyack, New York), professionally known as Ginny Gibson, was a prolific New York recording vocalist. Gibson recorded jingles and popular songs. Her married surname, beginning around 1946, was Nelson. In 1958, she married Richard Dennis Criger (1925–2001). She divorced Criger in 1976. Gibson also recorded under the alias "Ginny Blue."

Career
Virginia Shoemaker, as a performer, began singing at age 6 for WHAM radio in Rochester, New York. In 1950, Gibson signed a contract with MGM Records. She was the first to record the song s "Mr. Sandman," "If I Give My Heart to You," and "Dansero." Her recording of "Whatever Lola Wants" from Damn Yankees won national radio and jukebox play. Her manager while at MGM was Joan Javits (né Joan Ellen Javits; born 1931), who in 1953, co-wrote Santa Baby with Philip Springer (born 1926). The other co-composer, Tony Springer, listed in the 1953 Catalog of Copyright Entries, was a fictitious name. Joan was the niece of New York Senator Jacob K. Javits.

In 1954, Gibson recorded 966 new tunes for such songwriters that included Irving Berlin; Cole Porter; Pajama Game and Damn Yankees writers Jerry Ross and Dick Adler; Charles Tobias; and Pat Ballard.

Gibson also sang radio and TV commercials, including the famous "Chiquita Banana," "Hello, Bryers Calling," "Winston Tastes Good," "The Dodge Boys," "Wouldn't You Really Rather Have a Buick?" and "Pepsodent Toothpaste."

She was the off-stage voice on the Coke Time with Eddie Fisher television show, working with Doc Severinsen, Eydie Gormé, and Debbie Reynolds. She was also heard regularly on the Chicago radio show Don McNeill's Breakfast Club and television's The Halls of Ivy and Sky King.

M-G-M Records
Ginny Gibson With Van Horne Quartet Side A: "You're Finding Out How Much I Love You" Carl G. Lampl (1898–1962) (music) Buddy Kaye (words) 48-S-551 Side B: "Where in the World" Ginny Gibson, vocalist Gibson Boys, vocalists 48-S-550 Carl G. Lampl (1898–1962) Buddy Kaye Buddy Kaye Quintet Ginny Gibson Side A: "The Sunday Morning Song" 48-S-552 Carl G. Lampl (1898–1962) (music) Buddy Kaye (words) Side B: "The Goodnight Song" 48-S-553 Buddy Kaye Carl G. Lampl (1898–1962) Ginny Gibson Side A: "Too Far Between Kisses" 48-S-817 Side B: "You Blew Me a Kiss" 48-S-816 (Audio on YouTube) Ginny Gibson With Orchestra LeRoy Holmes, conductor Side A: "The Kiss" (from the 1953 film Niagara) Haven Gillespie (words) Lionel Newman (music) 53-S-5 Side B: "Condemned Without a Trial" Hal Blair (né Harold Keller Brown; 1915–2001) (w&m) Don Robertson (w&m) 53-S-6 Ginny Gibson With Joe Lipman Side A: "Unless You're Really Mine" Ted Varnick (w&m) Nick Acquaviva (w&m) 53-S-199 (Audio on YouTube) Side B: "Lonely Lover" 53-S-198 Herbert Nelson (music) Fred Jacobson (words) Ginny Gibson With Joe Lipman Side A: "Dansero" 53-S-345 Heyman-Daniels-Parker Side B: "No More Tears" 53-S-344 Frank Feraco (words) Harry Siskind (words) Paul Todd (music)
 * 1) 10661 (April 1950)
 * 1) 11276
 * 1) 11383 (1952)
 * 1) 11435 (1953)
 * 1) 11499
 * 1) 11571 (1953)

Ginny Gibson With orchestra Joe Lipman, director Side A: "Baton Rouge" Bob Merrill (w&m) 53-S-608 Side B: "Don't Stop Kissing Me Goodnight" Sheb Wooley (w&m) 53-S-610 Ginny Gibson With Orchestra Joe Lipman, director Side A: "Aye Aye Aye Aye" Gloria Shane (words) Joe Lipman (music) Noel Regney 53-S-609 Side B: "Serenade to Spring" Dick Charles Gloria Regney 53-S-607
 * 1) 11672
 * 1) 11736 (1953)

Ginny Gibson Side A: "The Song That Broke My Heart" 54-S-358 Side B: "There's a Small Hotel" 54-S-356
 * 1) 11814 (1954)

Ginny Gibson With Joe Lipman Side A: "Once There Was a Little Girl" 54-S-355 Hayward Morris (1922–1977) (music) Lee Kauderer (words) Side B: "Like Ma-A-D" 54-S-357 Alice D. Simms (w&m) Irving Roth (music) Ginny Gibson The Four Jingles (vocals) Side A: "Whatever Lola Wants" ("Lola Gets") From the musical Damn Yankees Richard Adler (w&m) Jerry Ross (w&m) (Audio on YouTube) Side B: "If Anything Should Happen to You" Dick Charles (w&m) Fred Ebb (w&m) 55-S-312
 * 1) 11913 (1954)
 * 1) 11961 (March 1955)

Ginny Gibson With Orchestra Joe Lipman, conductor The Four Jingles (on Side B) Side A: "Chihuahua Choo-Choo" ("Chi-Wa-Wa") From the Los Angeles revue: That's Life (1954) Jay Livingston (w&m) Ray Evans (w&m) 55-XY-219 Side B: "Am I Asking Too Much?" Robert Bergman (w&m) Harry Evans (w&m) George Ames (w&m) 55-XY-217 Ginny Gibson With Orchestra And the Jingles Joe Lipman, conductor Side A: OHH ("How I Love Ya'") Parker 55-XY-578 Side B: "If You Want To Make Me Happy" Harold Solomon (music) Jack Segal (words) 55-S-765
 * 1) 12019 (July 1955)
 * 1) 12113 (1955)

Ginny Gibson With orchestra Joe Lipman, conductor And with the Jingles Side A: "If That Would Bring You Back To Me" Eddie Seiler (w&m) Sol Marcus (w&m) 55-XY-580 Side B: "The Places I've Been" Sy Muskin Sol Parker 55-XY-577
 * 1) 12517

Mercury Records
Recorded March 14, 1950, New York Bobby Sherwood (trumpet, piano, guitar, vocals, arranger), Lou Oles, Carl Poole (né Carl Alan Poole; 1920–1986), Pincus (Pinky) Savitt (1919–1998) (trumpets), Eddie Anderson, Bob Cutshall, Kai Winding (trombones), Hymie Shertzer, Ernie Caceres (alto saxes), Johnny Hayes, Babe Russin (tenor saxes), Tony Ferina (bari sax), Lou Stein (piano), Sid Weiss (bass), Morey Feld (drums), Ginny Gibson (vocalist) Side A: "Muskrat Ramble" Sherwood & Gibson (vocals) Ray Gilbert (words) Edward "Kid" Ory (music) 3235 Side B: "Dixieland Ball" Ginny Gibson (vocals) Buddy Kaye (words) Al Frisch (né Albert T. Frisch; 1916–1976) (music) 3237 Recorded March 14, 1950, New York Ginny Gibson Bobby Sherwood And His Orchestra (same musicians as 5405) Side A: "Cherry Bounce" Charles Columbus (w&m) 3238 (Audio on YouTube) Side B: "Doodle-Doo-Doo" Art Kassel (w&m) Mel Stitzel (music) 3236
 * 1) 5405 (1950)
 * 1) 5468 (1950)

Voco Records (sub-label: Tops for Tots)
Bernie Knee (vocals) Ginny Gibson (vocals) With the Tops Orchestra Side B: Kiddie Medley "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" "Brother John" ("Frère Jacques") Ginny Gibson (singer and narrator) With the Voco Orchestra Side A: Little Red Ridinghood Ted Murry (pseudonym of Murray Mencher (de); 1898–1991) (music) Raymond Leveen (1893–1984) (words) Bob Kennedy (narrator and singer) Ginny Gibson (narrator and singer) Sides A & B: Cinderella
 * 1) Tops for Tots V29
 * 1) Voco V30T (1951)
 * 1) Tops for Tots V33

RCA Victor Records
Ginny Gibson With Hugo Winterhalter and Orchestra Side B: "Blow, Blow Winds of the Sea" (1953) Harold Duncan (w&m) E1-VB-2901-1
 * 1) 47-4212

(Audio on YouTube) The Three Suns Artie Dunn (vocal refrain) Ginny Gibson (vocal refrain) Side A: "Stolen Love" Anna Marie Sickle (w&m) Marlene Feinstein (w&m) E2-VB-5543
 * 1) 47-4510 (1952)

(Audio on YouTube) Side B: "Cool, Cool Kisses" LPM 1185 (1956) (LP) Music by Starlight Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra Eddie Heywood (piano); Ginny Gibson (vocals) Stuart Foster (stage name for Tamer Aswad; 1923–1968)
 * 1) EPB 3051 (1953) (7" 45 rpm; 2 discs)

Jubilee Records
Ginny Gibson And the Shepherds (Side A) With Billy Mure, guitarist (Side A) With the Country Slickers (Side B) Side A: "If the End of the World Came Tonight" Sid Lippman (music) Sylvia Dee (words) 45-T5-107 Side B: "Ain't It Great to Be Crazy" Sid Lippman (music) Sylvia Dee (words) 45-T5-108 Note: Red record vinyl
 * 1) 45-6027 (1953)

ABC-Paramount Records
Don Costa Orchestra With Ginny Gibson Side A: "Lullaby To An Angel" Dick Broderick (w&m) 346-N1
 * 1) 45-9717 (Jun 1956)

Side B: "Magic Melody" Earl Stanley Shuman (born 1923) (words) Mort Garson 345-N1

Ginny Gibson With Don Costa and His Orchestra Side A: "Miracle of Love" Bob Merrill (words) AMP 45-465 (Audio on YouTube) Side B: "Two Innocent Hearts" Dorian Burton (w&m) Lee Pincus (w&m) AMP 45-466
 * 1) 45-9739 (1956)

(Audio on YouTube) Re-released by: Sparton Records 526R (catalog no.) With orchestra and chorus Don Costa, director Side A: "I Pledge Allegiance To Your Heart" William "Bill" Norvas (w&m) AMP 45-695 Side B: "A Pair of Fools" Bennie Benjamin (w&m) Sol Marcus (w&m) AMP 45-696 Re-released by: Sparton Records 370R (catalog no.) Ginny Gibson Side A: "September 'til June" Sol Parker (né Solomon Peskin; 1919–2010) (w&m) Dick Broderick (w&m) 3044 Side B: "Homing Pigeon" Mel Mandel (words) Marvin Kahn (1915–1969) (music) 3045 Re-released by: Sparton Records 520R (catalog no.)
 * 1) 45-9786 (February 1957)
 * 1) 9872 (December 1957)

Forum Records (Charles Records)
Ginny Gibson Side A: "Hand of Love" Dick Broderick 61-L-7 Side B: "Stay Here, Bluebird" Adaptation from Massenet's "Elegy" Fay Tishman (1913–2006) (words and arr.) Ginny Gibson Dick Wess Orchestra Side A: "As The World Turns" Dick Charles (music) Fay Tishman (words) ZTSP 85276 Side B: "That's How Love Comes" Dick Charles (music) Robert Wilde (pseudonym of Robert Goldstein) (w&m) Ginny Gibson Side B: "Lonely Little Christmas Tree" Dick Charles DC102469B
 * 1) F703 (1962)
 * 1) 85276 (July 1962)
 * 1) DC102469 (1969)

Davis Records (Joe Davis)
Ginny Gibson Accompanied by the Song Spinners Side A: "Wanting You" Robert Maurice Wilson (born 1921) (w&m) DA-350-45 Side B: "Mommy's Little Angel" Glenn Gibson (pseudonym of Bert Davis) DA-349-45 "Wanting You" also Released by Derby Cat No. 810; mx DA-171
 * 1) 442-45 (October 1955)

Kama Records
Ginny Gibson R. Wess Orchestra Side A: "You Pass This Way" ("Only Once") Sunny Skylar (w&m) Al Frisch (né Albert T. Frisch; 1916–1976) R. Wess (arr.) 500 Side B: "Bluesville" Dick Charles Dick Criger Kama was a division of Kama Productions, 9 Meadow Street, New York Mills, New York
 * 1) K-35 (May 1962)

Selected radio transcriptions

 * The Eddie Safranski Orchestra, SESAC transcriptions


 * 1) Program #N-902 (May 17, 1955)1. "Oh Me! Oh My," Jack Haskell (vocalist)

2. "Walking Down The Aisle," Jack Haskell (vocalist)

3. "Do You," Ginny Gibson & Jack Haskell (vocalists)

4. "I Can't Forget You," Ginny Gibson (vocalist)

5. "Indian War Dance" Eddie Safranski and His Orchestra, Ginny Gibson, Jack Haskell
 * 1) Program #N-903 (May 17, 1955)1. "Cuttin'Capers," Jack Haskell (vocalist)

2. "The Way I Think of You," Jack Haskell (vocalist)

3. "Nevada Hop," Ginny Gibson, vocalist

4. "I Wonder Why," Ginny Gibson (vocalist)

5. "Scutter-Botch," Eddie Safranski and His Orchestra, Ginny Gibson, Jack Haskell
 * 1) Program #N-9041. "Breezy," Ginny Gibson (vocalist)

2. "Do You Remember," Ginny Gibson (vocalist)

3. "Swingin' On a Rainbow," Ginny Gibson (vocalist)

4. "Dreaming By The Fire," Ginny Gibson (vocalist)

5. "Doodle Bug," Eddie Safranski and His Orchestra, Ginny Gibson


 * Bud's Bandwagon

Bud's Bandwagon Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) Broadcast June 8, 19551. "Like Mad," Ginny Gibson
 * 1) Program 533, Part 1 (June 8, 1955)

2. "Tara's Theme," Sam "The Man" Taylor, tenor sax

3. "Write Me Baby," The Four Knights

4. "How Important Can It Be?" Sarah Vaughan

5. "Red Wing," George Lewis and his New Orleans Rhythm Boys

6. Bud interviews Earle Lyon (1918–2012) and Richard Bartlett who plug their 1955 film, The Silver StarRadio transcription disc Bud's Bandwagon was a radio program of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, aired five days a week for four years. Bud Widom (né Leonard Widom; 1918–1976) was the DJ host. The music was from extant recordings rather than live performances.

Family
Ginny Gibson's father, Wayne A. Shoemaker (1902–1962) had, at one time, been Public Relations Director of the Rochester Civic Music Association. Wayne Shoemaker was also a strong regional chess player — affiliated with the Finger Lakes Chess Society.

Death
Virginia M. Criger died November 27, 1998, in Nyack, New York. She was buried in Mount Repose Cemetery, Haverstraw, New York. Etched at the top of her tombstone are the words of the title song she once recorded, "You Pass This Way Only Once." And at the bottom are the words, "Our Beloved 'Ginny Gibson.'"

Selected compositions

 * "What a Nervous Situation"
 * Ginny Gibson (w&m)
 * Dick Broderick (w&m)
 * © Sikorski Music Corp., New York
 * 31 January 1956; EP96565