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Fowler started her career as a singer with [[Al Clauser]] and his Oklahoma Outlaws at radio station [[KTUL]] in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At age 18, she became a featured performer on the station for a 15-minute radio program sponsored by the Page Milk Company.<ref name=CMT>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/page_patti/bio.jhtml |title=Patti Page biography |publisher=[[Country Music Television]]}}</ref> As a nod to the show's sponsor, Fowler was referred to on the air as "Patti Page". In 1946, Jack Rael, a saxophone player and manager of the Jimmy Joy Band, came to Tulsa for a one-night stand. Rael heard Page on the radio, liked her voice, and asked her to join the band. After leaving the band, Rael became Page's personal manager.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/artist.aspx?ob=per&src=prd&aid=3003 |title=Biography – Patti Page |publisher=Verve Music Group.com |access-date=July 23, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050906222849/http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/artist.aspx?ob=per&src=prd&aid=3003 |archive-date=September 6, 2005}}</ref>
Page toured the U.S.United States with the Jimmy Joy Band in 1946. The following year the band traveled to [[Chicago]], where she sang with a small group led by popular orchestra leader [[Benny Goodman]]. This led to Page getting picked up by [[Mercury Records]].<ref name=allmusic/> She became Mercury's "girl singer".<ref name=corporate>{{cite web |url=http://www.corporateartists.com/patti_page.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030629110942/http://www.corporateartists.com/patti_page.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 29, 2003 |title=Patti Page biography |publisher=Corporate Artists.com |access-date=July 23, 2008}}</ref>
==Music career==
Page cut her first two discs ("Every So Often/What Every Woman Knows" and "There's A Man In My Life/The First Time I Kissed You") with the Eddie Getz and George Barnes Orchestras but they failed to chart.<ref>Patti Page, The Singles 1946-1952, CD A: 1946-1948, JSP Records, JSP2301(A), 2009.</ref>
She found success with her third single ("Confess" b/w "Twelve O'Clock FrightFlight"). BecauseThe arrangement of "Confess" was meant to use a strikebacking chorus, backgroundbut singersMercury werewould not availablepay tofor provideone harmonysince vocalsPage forhad thenot song,yet soproduced Pagea andcharting thesingle, labelso decidedif toshe overdubwanted theadditional harmonysingers parts.<refshe name=USA>{{citewould newshave |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-01-01-page-white_N.htmto |title=Jackhire White,them Pattiat Pageher shareown aexpense. 'Conquest'Instead, andher amanager visionJack |work=USARael Todaydecided |date=Januaryto 1,try 2008an |access-date=July 23, 2008}}</ref>experiment. [[Bill Putnam]], an engineer for Mercury Records, was able to overdub Page's voice by syncing the two master discs together--tape recording was not in use yet and this technique was difficult to pull off.<ref>https://www.oregonlive.com/celebrity-news/2013/01/singer_patti_page_dies_at_85.html</ref><ref name=contemporary>{{cite web |url=http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/page-patti-biography |title=Contemporary musicians – Patti Page biography| work=Contemporary Musicians |publisher=End Notes.com |access-date=July 23, 2008}}</ref> Thus, Page became the first pop artist to harmonize her own vocals on a recording. This gimmick got
"Confess" to #12 on the Billbord.<ref name=allmusic/> This technique later was used on Page's biggest hit singles in the 1950s. Page had four more singles chart in 1948-49, with two ("So In Love" and "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming" reaching the top 15. Page also had a top- 15 hit on the ''Billboard'' country chart in 1949 with "[[Money, Marbles, and Chalk]]",. andAfter thenthe recordedexperiment of "[[BoogieConfess" Woogieworked, SantaPage Claus]]",and whichRael latergot becamemore aambitious hitand inbegan trying four part 1950overdubs.
In 1950, Page had her first million-selling single "[[With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming]]", another song where she harmonized her vocals. Because she was overdubbing her vocals, Page's name had to be listed on the recording credits as a group. According to one early- 1950s chart, Page was credited as the Patti Page Quartet. In mid-1950, Page's single "[[All My Love (Bolero)]]" became her first #1 on the Billboard<ref name=allmusic/> spending five weeks there. That same year, she also had her first top-10 hit with "[[I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine]]", as well as the top-25 single "[[Back in Your Own Backyard]]". With this success, Page earned the privilege of releasing her first LP, the self-titled "Patti Page" which opened with "Confess" and included other of her singles from this period. She also released a Christmas album in 1951; this was reissued five years later with updated cover art on a 12" LP with a few new tracks to fill the run time out.
==="Tennessee Waltz": 1950===
The success of "Bolero" however was quickly eclipsed by what soon became Page's signature song. "The Tennessee Waltz" was written in 1946 by Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart, and was recorded in 1947 by [[Pee Wee King]] and His Golden West Cowboys. Their original version made the country charts in 1948. The song was also a hit for [[Cowboy Copas]] around the same time. Page was introduced to the song by record producer [[Jerry Wexler]], who suggested that she cover a recent R&B version by the [[Erskine Hawkins]] Orchestra. Page liked the song, and she recorded and released it as a single.
"Tennessee Waltz" became a blockbuster hit by complete accident--it was the B-side to "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" which Mercury had intended to promote during the 1950 holiday season. The label intentionally put "Tennessee Waltz" on the disc to avoid drawing attention away from a planned Christmas hit, as they considered the song a throwaway with no hitmaking potential. To everyone's complete surprise, it went on to spent 13five weeks at number#1 one induring December 1950-January 1951, while "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" failed to chart at all and was quickly forgotten. "Tennessee Waltz" also became Page's second single to appear on the country charts, becoming her biggest hit there, reaching number two. The song later became one of the best-selling records of its era, selling 7 million copies in the early 1950s. "Tennessee Waltz" remains the biggest commercial success for the overdubbing technique, pioneered by producer [[Mitch Miller]], which enabled Page to harmonize with herself.<ref name=contemporary/> "Tennessee Waltz" was the last song to sell one million copies of sheet music. The song was covered by several other singers during the next few months.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}
The song was featured in the 1970 film ''[[Zabriskie Point (film)|Zabriskie Point]]'' and in the 1983 film ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]''.<ref name=Patti>{{cite web |url=http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/patti.html |title=Patti Page – The Singing Rage |publisher=Earthlink.com |access-date=July 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016081908/http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/patti.html |archive-date=October 16, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1956, [[Vic Schoen]] became Patti Page's musical director, producing her on a long string of hits that included "[[Mama from the Train]]", "Allegheny Moon", "Old Cape Cod", "[[Belonging to Someone]]", and "[[Left Right Out of Your Heart]]". Page and Schoen's most challenging project was a recording of [[Gordon Jenkins]] narrative-tone poem as ''[[Manhattan Tower (Gordon Jenkins album)|Manhattan Tower]]'' (recorded September 1956). The album was a success both artistically and commercially, reaching number 18 on the ''Billboard'' LP chart, the highest ranking of any of her albums. Schoen's arrangements were more lively and jazzy than the original Jenkins arrangements. Schoen recalled, "Patti was an alto, but I pushed her to reach notes higher than she had sung before for this album. We always enjoyed working together." Page and Schoen continued their collaboration for many years, working together until 1999.
During the 1950s, Page regularlymade appearedregular onTV televisionappearances, including ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', ''[[Bob Hope television specials|The Bob Hope Specials]]'', ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]'', and ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]''. This eventually led to Page having television specials of her own. She later had her own series, beginning with ''Scott Music Hall'' in the 1952–53 season and a syndicated series for [[Oldsmobile]]<ref name=NNDB>[http://www.nndb.com/people/205/000045070/ Patti Page profile] ''NNDB.com;'' retrieved 7-23-08.</ref> in 1955, ''[[The Patti Page Show]]''. However, this show only lasted one season, as did ''[[The Big Record]]'' (1957–58) and ''The Patti Page Olds Show'', sponsored by Oldsmobile (1958–59). Page also began an acting career at this time, beginning with a role on ''[[Playhouse 90]]''. Page made her movie debut in 1960 in ''[[Elmer Gantry (film)|Elmer Gantry]]''.<ref name=NNDB/> She also recorded the theme song for ''[[Boys' Night Out (film)|Boys Night Out]]'', in which she played the part of Joanne McIllenny.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656303/ Patti Page appearances] ''IMDb.com;'' retrieved 7-23-08.</ref> In 1959, Page recorded [[The Sound of Music (song)|the title song]] from the musical ''[[The Sound of Music]]'' for [[Mercury Records]]<ref>[http://www.discogs.com/Patti-Page-The-Sound-Of-Music-Little-Donkey/master/644503 "Patti Page – 'The Sound Of Music' / 'Little Donkey'"], Discogs.com, accessed December 8, 2015. The song debuted at No. 99 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=0QoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA5 "''Hot 100'' Ads 16"], ''The Billboard'', December 28, 1959, p. 5, accessed December 8, 2015</ref> on the same day that the musical opened on Broadway. The song on her TV show ''The Patti Page Olds Show'' helped to promote the Broadway show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/275953/versions#nav-entity|title=Cover versions of The Sound of Music by Patti Page - SecondHandSongs|website=secondhandsongs.com}}</ref>
InThe pop world was becoming less favorable to pre-rock singers by 1960 and it was also a weak time for the early"established" 1960sASCAP affiliate record labels such as Columbia, RCA, and Mercury, with indie and regional labels dominating pop during this era, so Page's successchart beganhits todried declineup.<ref name=CMT/> She did not chart again until 1961 with "You'll Answer to Me" and "Mom and Dad's Waltz". Page's last major chart hit was "[[Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte (song)|Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte]]" from the [[Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte|film of the same name]]<ref name=NNDB/> starring [[Bette Davis]] and [[Olivia de Havilland]]. It peaked at number eight. It was her last top-10 hit (and her first since 1957)<ref name=oldies/> and was nominated for a [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|"Best Song" Oscar]]. She performed it at the 1965 Academy Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/lifetime-achievement-award-patti-page|title=Lifetime Achievement Award: Patti Page|date=30 January 2013}}</ref> She also recorded the song in Italian, Spanish, and German for foreign markets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2M9xBHk4EE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/I2M9xBHk4EE |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (German Version)|last=Patti Page - Topic|date=18 January 2017|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
===Adult contemporary and country music: 1966–1982===
Before releasing "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte", Page signed with [[Columbia Records]], where she remained until the end of the decade. She released a few studio albums for Columbia in the 1960s. In 1961, her singles began to chart on the [[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks]] chart. Many of these singles became hits, peaking in the top 20, including cover versions of "[[You Can't Be True, Dear]]", "[[Gentle on My Mind (song)|Gentle on My Mind]]", and "[[Little Green Apples]]" (the last being her final pop-chartappearance entryon the Billboard). Page, who wasas aan fanOklahoma ofnative was well-acquainted with country music, recorded many country songs over the years. Some of these were recorded for Columbia and were released as Adultadult Contemporarycontemporary singles, including [[David Houston (singer)|David Houston's]] "[[Almost Persuaded (song)|Almost Persuaded]]" and [[Tammy Wynette]]'s "[[Stand by Your Man]]". With Page's leftviability Columbiaon the pop charts diminishing as she got older and with a radically changed cultural climate in 1970America, returningshe decided to Mercuryfocus Recordssolely andon shiftingcountry herrecordings. careerIn away1970 fromshe popleft Columbia and intocame countryback musicto Mercury. In 1973, she returned to working with her former record producer [[Shelby Singleton]].<ref name=oldies/>
Working for Mercury, Columbia, and Epic in the 1970s, Page recorded a series of country singles, beginning with 1970's "I Wish I Had a Mommy Like You", which became a top-25 hit, followed by "Give Him Love", which had similar success. In 1971, she released the country music album ''I'd Rather Be Sorry'' for Mercury records. In 1973, a duet with country singer [[Tom T. Hall]] titled "Hello, We're Lonely" was a top-20 hit, reaching number 14 on the [[Hot Country Songs|''Billboard'' country chart]].
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