Singer Patti Page dies at 85

Beautiful Patti Page.

I loved her "Old Cape Cod", and this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9wJvnRIrJc

Adieu to an American icon...

Who'd have thought getting selected for a Lifetime Achievement Grammy would be so life-threatening? Two selectees in one year?! Can we get the Grammy's to award one to Justin Beiber? ;-)

Patti Page was a little before my time, but my mom had a Patti Page LP with "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window" and she used to play it for us when we were kids. RIP Patti.

A few years ago, the last time I was in Kyoto, I had a particular day when I'd been running around and was a good distance from my hotel. I was too tired to bother with the bus and I wasn't close to the subway, so I grabbed a taxi. The driver, surprisingly, spoke great English and was very engaging. As we talked, I told him I'm from Tennessee. It happened that he had a Patti Page cassette in his stereo.

I told you all of that so it would make sense when I said, "I once sang along to the Tennessee Waltz with a cab driver in Kyoto." Silly as it is, that's a particularly cherished memory.