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Nino Tempo and April Stevens

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Vocalists

The Resume

    Born in Niagara Falls, New York
    Nino Tempo (January 6, 1935- ), birth name was Antonino Lo Tempio
    April Stevens (April 29, 1929- ), birth name was Caroline Vincinette Lo Tempio
    Recorded the singles ‘Deep Purple’ (1963), ‘Whispering’ (1963), ‘Stardust’ (1964), and ‘All Strung Out’ (1966)
    Stevens solo recorded the singles ‘I’m in Love Again’ (1951) and ‘Gimme a Little Kiss, Will Ya Huh?’ (1951)
    Tempo appeared in the films ‘The Red Pony’ (1949), ‘The Glen Miller Story’ (1954), and ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’ (1956)

Why they might be annoying:

    They were a brother and sister who were often mistaken for husband and wife.
    Stevens shaved seven years off her age so she could claim to be the younger sibling.
    The schtick that made ‘Deep Purple’ a hit – Stevens reciting the lyrics while her brother sings – started when Tempo forgot the words during rehearsals and she spoke the lyrics as a reminder.
    Tempo said, ‘After I had a hit in the pop world with 'Deep Purple', the jazz world just never really took me seriously again.’
    ’Deep Purple’ won a Grammy for Best Rock and Roll Recording, which (along with the previous year’s winner, ‘Alley Cat’ by Bent Fabric) pretty conclusively demonstrates that the early 60s membership of NARAS had no clue what rock and roll actually was.

Why they might not be annoying:

    Tempo learned to play clarinet and tenor sax as a child and sang on stage with Benny Goodman’s orchestra when he was seven.
    Tempo was a member of the group of L.A. session musicians known as Wrecking Crew.
    Stevens was discovered while record shopping when the owner of the Laurie record label approached her and asked if she could sing.
    The crew of the Challenger requested Stevens’ solo song ‘Teach Me Tiger’ as wake-up music (1983).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying