Born Clara Anne Fowler in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Patti Page received her first break while in high school when she performed on Tulsa station KTUL. The Page Milk Company sponsored the radio program which gave rise to her professional singing name Patti Page. Throughout the 1950s Patti Page sold more records than any other female vocalist but admittedly the majority of her hits were "novelty" numbers ("The Doggie in the Window", "Mister And Mississippi", "Mockingbird Hill" etc) and critics often dismissed her ability, failing to recognize that given a "standard" tune Page was a more than capable singer.