Jo Stafford, one of the last great vocalists from the “songbird" era of big band vocalists, passed away Wednesday at the age of 90. A World War II icon dubbed “GI Jo" and beloved by soldiers for her performances and recordings such as “Long Ago and Far Away," Stafford possessed one of the most graceful, limpid voices in the postwar popular music world, and she retained her popularity into the 1950s, scoring hits on her own and with Frankie Laine.
