JETTE SATIN

KORLA PANDIT AND JETTE SATIN

On several Vita recordings Korla accompanied a young female singer, called "Jette Satin". Miss Satin, who was of Mexican-Italian descent, was in fact Gerri Garcia, the niece of Marie Mancusco. Gerri’s mother apparently was a famous opera singer. Beryl and Korla discovered Gerri singing at Tom Breneman's on Vine Street. This was where the "Breakfast in Hollywood" and "Hollywood Holiday" ABC Radio shows, on which Korla appeared in 1948, were broadcast live on a daily basis.

The Pandits created the name and persona "Jette Satin" for Gerri Garcia. It is very likely that Korla and Jette started their actual collaboration in early 1951. The amount of songs Korla recorded with Jette is limited and were all released on Vita records. Those songs include: Lover Come Back To Me, It's A Sin To Tell A Lie, Remembering, There's A Story Goin' Round, Tonight You Belong To Me, You Belong To My Heart and the material that ended up on the Vita album Merry Xmas. As far as we know these are the only songs on which she was accompanied by Korla Pandit on piano and organ. Recently we discovered that Jette/Gerri also recorded under the name Jeril Deane. One of her singles as Jeril Deane was released in 1954 on Vita records. No doubt this was Korla’s doing, returning the favour. For a, most likely, incomplete discography, please see below.

It is unknown if Korla ever performed live with Jette; so far no announcements or reviews of such engagements have emerged.

The large photograph below of Jette Satin and Korla Pandit in the studio as used on this page, was, for a long time, the only known picture of Jette. In 2008 this second image of Jette Satin turned up. If you have other photographs of Jette Satin or an address for her, please contact us.

Jette Satin

The caption to this picture reads “Korla Pandit, popular TV star, paid a return engagement to the Bill Garr show over KWKW. Listeners were given a rare treat of hearing his recordings as well as his voice. With him is Jette Satin, Korla’s new singing discovery”. Unfortunately, the image is not dated.

KP JETTE SATIN AND KORLA

JETTE SATIN DISCOGRAPHY

78 RPM 10" SINGLES:

1 THEY SAY (TONIGHT YOU BELONG TO ME) / REMEMBERING (Vita 220, released 1951)

2 LOVER COME BACK TO ME / IT'S A SIN TO TELL A LIE (Vita 228, released 1951)

3 THERE'S A STORY GOING ROUND / YOU BELONG TO MY HEART (Vita 230, released 1951)

45 RPM 7" SINGLES:

1 LOVER COME BACK TO ME / IT'S A SIN TO TELL A LIE (Vita 45-228, released 1951)

2 THERE'S A STORY GOING ROUND / YOU BELONG TO MY HEART (Vita 45-230, released 1951)

33 RPM 10" ALBUMS:

1 MERRY XMAS (Vita LP-1, released 1951)

Jette Satin sings on several songs on this album.

From Variety Weekly Edition, Wednesday, June 20, 1951 (page 48):

Inside Orchestras - Music

Mills Music has ordered Vita Records to withdraw from the market a released billed "They Say," which Mills Music claims is merely the old Billy Rose-Lee David ballad "Tonight You Belong To Me" decked out in a new tag and new lyrics. Vita disk was chirped by a femme thrush and played by Korla Pandit, organist on KTLA, Coast telestation. The Vita platter attracted some attention in the Pacific Northwest. Mills order to withdraw the platter pointing out that neither Vita nor Pandit had asked permission to etch "Tonight" or to alter it. Pub's burn was more sizzling since a reprise campaign on "Tonight" is currently underway. Peggy Lee has a new Capitol version out
and Hadda Brooks has waxed it for Modern.

JERIL DEANE

In the mid to late 1950’s Gerri Garcia also recorded under the name of Jeril Deane.

From 1957 to 1959 she sang, as Jeril Deane, on the Breakfast Club, a long-running morning variety show on NBC Blue Network/ABC radio (and briefly on television) originating in Chicago, Illinois.

The following 45’s have been documented as Jeril Deane releases. However, it is quite likely there are more single releases for Jeril Deane. It is also quite possible some of these singles were re-released over the years. As far as we know, there was never a full length album released under the name Jeril Deane.

JERIL DEANE DISCOGRAPHY

45 RPM 7" SINGLES:

1 Gotta See Ya Once More / What'll I Do (Vita Records V-1022, released 1954) Recorded with The Drifters (a white pop trio, not THOSE Drifters)

2 Run Darlin' Don't Walk / Slipping Away (Solo RRC 103-45, released 1956) Recorded with The Choraleers

3 Run Darlin' Don't Walk / Slipping Away (Sparton 332 R, released 1956) Recorded with The Choraleers

4 I Want To Love While I'm Young / I Don't Know How To Cry (Solo MRC 105-45, released 1957)

5 Gone But Not Forgotten / I'm Gettin' The Message Alright (Solo MRC 106-45, released 1957) Recorded with The Leaders

6 My Mother's Eyes / Summer Winds (Dot 45-16013, released 1959)

It is most likely that some titles were also released as 78RPM singles.

jeril deane web.jpg

Postscript: in September 2010 a lot of Jeril Deane promo records, acetates and photos was offered for sale on Ebay. After a couple of days, the lot was withdrawn from Ebay, apparently because Jeril Deane objected against the sale. Despite promises made by the vendor to get us in touch with Jeril Deane/Gerri Garcia (who is now in her 80s), this never happened.

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