Ginny Gibson


Ginny Gibson was the professional name of a prolific New York recording vocalist, Virginia Nelson ''. Gibson recorded jingles and popular songs. Her married surname, beginning around 1946, was Nelson. In 1958, she married Richard Dennis Criger. She divorced Criger in 1976. Ginny 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 , who in 1953, co-wrote Santa Baby with Philip Springer. 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.''

Selected discography

M-G-M Records">MGM Records">M-G-M Records

  1. 10661
Ginny Gibson
With Van Horne Quartet
Side A: "You're Finding Out How Much I Love You"
Carl G. Lampl
Buddy Kaye
48-S-551
Side B: "Where in the World"
Ginny Gibson, vocalist
Gibson Boys, vocalists
48-S-550
Carl G. Lampl
Buddy Kaye
  1. 11276
Buddy Kaye Quintet
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "The Sunday Morning Song"
48-S-552
Carl G. Lampl
Buddy Kaye
Side B: "The Goodnight Song"
48-S-553
Buddy Kaye
Carl G. Lampl
  1. 11383
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "Too Far Between Kisses"
48-S-817
Side B: "You Blew Me a Kiss" 48-S-816

  1. 11435
Ginny Gibson
With Orchestra
LeRoy Holmes, conductor
Side A: "The Kiss"

Haven Gillespie
Lionel Newman
53-S-5
Side B: "Condemned Without a Trial"
Hal Blair
Don Robertson
53-S-6
  1. 11499
Ginny Gibson
With Joe Lipman
Side A: "Unless You're Really Mine"
Ted Varnick
Nick Acquaviva
53-S-199

Side B: "Lonely Lover"
53-S-198
Herbert Nelson
Fred Jacobson
  1. 11571
Ginny Gibson
With Joe Lipman
Side A: "Dansero"
53-S-345
Heyman-Daniels-Parker
Side B: "No More Tears"
53-S-344
Frank Feraco
Harry Siskind
Paul Todd

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

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

  1. 11913
Ginny Gibson
With Joe Lipman
Side A: "Once There Was a Little Girl"
54-S-355
Hayward Morris
Lee Kauderer
Side B: "Like Ma-A-D"
54-S-357
Alice D. Simms
Irving Roth
  1. 11961
Ginny Gibson
The Four Jingles
Side A: "Whatever Lola Wants"
From the musical Damn Yankees
Richard Adler
Jerry Ross

Side B: "If Anything Should Happen to You"
Dick Charles
Fred Ebb
55-S-312

  1. 12019
Ginny Gibson
With Orchestra
Joe Lipman, conductor
The Four Jingles
Side A: "Chihuahua Choo-Choo"
From the Los Angeles revue:
That's Life''
Jay Livingston
Ray Evans
55-XY-219
Side B: "Am I Asking Too Much?"
Robert Bergman
Harry Evans
George Ames
55-XY-217
  1. 12113
Ginny Gibson
With Orchestra
And the Jingles
Joe Lipman, conductor
Side A: OHH
Parker
55-XY-578
Side B: "If You Want To Make Me Happy"
Harold Solomon
Jack Segal
55-S-765

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

[Mercury Records]

  2. 5405
Recorded March 14, 1950, New York
Bobby Sherwood, Lou Oles, Carl Poole , Pincus Savitt , Eddie Anderson, Bob Cutshall, Kai Winding, Hymie Shertzer, Ernie Caceres, Johnny Hayes, Babe Russin, Tony Ferina, Lou Stein, Sid Weiss, Morey Feld, Ginny Gibson
Side A: "Muskrat Ramble"
Sherwood & Gibson
Ray Gilbert
Edward "Kid" Ory
3235
Side B: "Dixieland Ball"
Ginny Gibson
Buddy Kaye
Al Frisch
3237
  1. 5468
Recorded March 14, 1950, New York
Ginny Gibson
Bobby Sherwood
And His Orchestra

Side A: "Cherry Bounce"
Charles Columbus
3238

Side B: "Doodle-Doo-Doo"
Art Kassel
Mel Stitzel
3236

Voco Records (sub-label: Tops for Tots)

  2. Tops for Tots V29
Bernie Knee
Ginny Gibson
With the Tops Orchestra
Side B: Kiddie Medley
"Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
"Brother John"
  1. Voco V30T
Ginny Gibson

With the Voco Orchestra
Side A: Little Red Ridinghood
Ted Murry

Raymond Leveen
  1. Tops for Tots V33
Bob Kennedy
Ginny Gibson
Sides A & B: Cinderella''

[RCA Victor Records]

  2. 47-4212
Ginny Gibson
With Hugo Winterhalter and Orchestra
Side B: "Blow, Blow Winds of the Sea"
Harold Duncan
E1-VB-2901-1


  1. 47-4510
The Three Suns
Artie Dunn
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "Stolen Love"
Anna Marie Sickle
Marlene Feinstein
E2-VB-5543


Side B: "Cool, Cool Kisses"
  1. EPB 3051
LPM 1185
Music by Starlight
Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra
Eddie Heywood ; Ginny Gibson
Stuart Foster

[Jubilee Records]

  2. 45-6027
Ginny Gibson
And the Shepherds
With Billy Mure, guitarist
With the Country Slickers
Side A: "If the End of the World Came Tonight"
Sid Lippman
Sylvia Dee
45-T5-107
Side B: "Ain't It Great to Be Crazy"
Sid Lippman
Sylvia Dee
45-T5-108
Note: Red record vinyl

[ABC-Paramount Records]

  2. 45-9717
Don Costa Orchestra
With Ginny Gibson
Side A: "Lullaby To An Angel"
Dick Broderick
346-N1

Side B: "Magic Melody"
Earl Stanley Shuman
Mort Garson
345-N1

  1. 45-9739
Ginny Gibson
With Don Costa and His Orchestra
Side A: "Miracle of Love"
Bob Merrill
AMP 45-465

Side B: "Two Innocent Hearts"
Dorian Burton
Lee Pincus
AMP 45-466


Re-released by:
Sparton Records
526R
  1. 45-9786
With orchestra and chorus
Don Costa, director
Side A: "I Pledge Allegiance To Your Heart"
William "Bill" Norvas
AMP 45-695
Side B: "A Pair of Fools"
Bennie Benjamin
Sol Marcus
AMP 45-696
Re-released by:
Sparton Records
370R
  1. 9872
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "September 'til June"
Sol Parker ''
Dick Broderick
3044
Side B: "Homing Pigeon"
Mel Mandel
Marvin Kahn
3045
Re-released by:
Sparton Records
520R

Forum Records (Charles Records)">Dick Charles">Forum Records (Charles Records)

  2. F703
Ginny Gibson
Side A: "Hand of Love"
Dick Broderick
61-L-7
Side B: "Stay Here, Bluebird"
Adaptation from Massenet's "Elegy"
Fay Tishman
  1. 85276
Ginny Gibson
Dick Wess Orchestra
Side A: "As The World Turns"
Dick Charles
Fay Tishman
ZTSP 85276
Side B: "That's How Love Comes"
Dick Charles
Robert Wilde ''
  1. DC102469
Ginny Gibson
Side B: "Lonely Little Christmas Tree"
Dick Charles
DC102469B

Davis Records (Joe Davis)">Joe Davis (music publisher)">Davis Records (Joe Davis)

  2. 442-45
Ginny Gibson
Accompanied by the Song Spinners
Side A: "Wanting You"
Robert Maurice Wilson
DA-350-45
Side B: "Mommy's Little Angel"
Glenn Gibson
''
DA-349-45
"Wanting You" also
Released by Derby
Cat No. 810; mx DA-171

Kama Records

  2. K-35
Ginny Gibson
R. Wess Orchestra
Side A: "You Pass This Way"
Sunny Skylar
Al Frisch ''
R. Wess
500
Side B: "Bluesville"
Dick Charles
Dick Criger
Kama was a division of Kama Productions, 9 Meadow Street, New York Mills, New York

Selected radio transcriptions

  2. Program #N-902
  3. Program #N-903
  4. Program #N-904
  6. Program 533, Part 1
Bud's Bandwagon
Armed Forces Radio and Television Service
Broadcast June 8, 1955Radio 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 '' was the DJ host. The music was from extant recordings rather than live performances.

Family

Ginny Gibson's father, Wayne A. Shoemaker 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