When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. They also recorded morale-boosting "Victory Discs" for distribution to Allied forces, one of which featured their signature hit, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. The influence of the Andrews Sisters looms large over the last half-century of music: Their catalog, some 1,800 songs, has been thoroughly mined by other artists. Female vocal trio who were one of the most popular and influential acts of the Big Band era. Her father was a Greek Catholic immigrant and her mother a Lutheran from Norway who ran the pure food caf, a Greek caf in Minneapolis which was located adjacent to the Orpheum Theater. Mr. Weschler died in 2010. Their father, Peter Andreos/Andrews, was Greek. When the show was rewritten for Broadway and renamed Over Here!, the producers decided that the Andrews Sisters were the only logical choice for the leads. The group was also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. With a never-say-die flair, they finished up their Universal contract rather inauspiciously with Her Lucky Night (1945), just as WW2 had come to an end.Still highly in demand in the recording studio, on radio, on stage and in clubs, they had no trouble moving on. Retrieved May 10, 2021. [5] All three attended Franklin Junior High School and North High School, both in Minneapolis. THE ANDREWS SISTERS were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. - The Andrews Sisters\r\rI DO NOT OWN AND SONGS OR PICTURES USED IN THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEO. As Maxene blamed Patty's husband, Walter Weschler, as an instigator in separating her from Patty, the estrangement remained permanent until Maxene's death in 1995.The two sisters did reunite briefly when they earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987. Patty Andrews died January 30, 2013 at the age of 94. The Andrews Sisters made their final appearance as a trio in July 1968, after which Maxene Andrews took a job at Lake Tahoe Paradise College of Fine Arts. ", US and Russia trade blows over Ukraine at G20, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat. They never reconciled and were still estranged when Maxene Andrews died in 1995. [5][42], Joyce DeYoung Murray, who replaced LaVerne from late 1966 to 1968, died in March 2014 at the age of 87. The Andrews Sisters' second Decca single, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen," an Anglicized version of a song from the Yiddish theater, became a massive hit. The Andrews Sisters, with Patty at center, in a 1947 publicity photo. [20] The Andrews Sisters formally broke up in 1953. Patty sang in shows and on cruise ships while Maxene continued soloing and did quite well for a time in such musical shows as "Pippin" and "Swing Time Canteen" (the latter as late as 1995).Plagued by heart problems (she suffered a massive heart attack in 1982), Maxene died of a second coronary on October 21, 1995. Modeling their act on the commercially successful Boswell Sisters, they joined a traveling revue and sang at county fairs and in vaudeville shows. In the post-war years, they appeared in Paramount's The World Turns Backward (1947) and teamed with Bing Crosby on "You Don't Have to Know the Language." For the most part, the Andrews Sisters did not focus on romantic material, but rather sang upbeat songs, often borrowed from other cultures. None of these achieved any major success. ", in 1937. As their fame and fortune grew, the sisters came to realize that the public saw them as an entity, not as individuals. After that, the sisters pursued solo careers into the 1990s. The girls vocalized perfectly and stepped in swinging time for two other Bud Abbott - Lou Costello comedies, In the Navy (1941) and Hold That Ghost (1941).Box-office sellouts on stage and in personal appearances across the nation, they were given their own radio show in late 1944, which continued through 1946, featuring such weekly guest stars as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Carmen Miranda, Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, Rudy Vallee, and many other prominent celebrities. The Sollie family disapproved of Olga's marriage, but the relationship was repaired once their first child, LaVerne, was born July 6, 1911. She was 94. ", The Andrews Sisters premiered their own weekly network radio show, Eight-to-the-Bar Ranch, at the end of 1944 as the hits continued with the calypso song "Rum and Coca-Cola," which went to number one in February 1945, becoming the biggest hit of that year. They were from Minneapolis, Minnesota.Their names were LaVerne (July 6, 1911 - May 8, 1967), Maxene (January 3, 1916 - October 21, 1995) and Patty Andrews (February 16, 1918 - January 30, 2013). Soundtrack: Repo Man. The girls reunited in 1956 and worked constantly for the next decade in recording studios (Capitol and Dot), on stages throughout the world (frequently in England), and in countless guest-star television spots.LaVerne's serious illness in 1966, however, promptly ended the trio permanently. 20), "(Everytime They Play the) Sabre Dance" (with, "I'm Biting My Fingernails and Thinking of You" (with, "I Wish I Had a Dime (For Ev'rytime I Missed You)" (1941) (No. All have reinvented themselves in Andrews Sisters' style at one time or another. Song was written by Franic Fay, Dan Howell and Don Raye. )," "Well, All Right," "Hold Tight, Hold Tight" (with Jimmy Dorsey ), "Oh, Johnny! A failed radio performance in 1937 turned out to be the sisters big break. Maxene retired shortly after and became Dean of Women at a Tahoe, Nevada college. They made their film debut in Argentine Nights, a 1940 comedy that starred the Ritz Brothers, and the next year appeared in three films with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello:Buck Privates, In the Navyand Hold That Ghost. Their film credits also include Swingtime Johnny (1943), Hollywood Canteen (1944) and the Bob Hope-Bing Crosby comedy Road to Rio (1947). They adopted a girl and a boy, Aleda Ann and Peter. The McGuire Sisters are Christine McGuire, Dorothy McGuire and Phyllis McGuire. With their jazzy renditions of songs like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B), Rum and Coca-Cola and Dont Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me), Patty, Maxene and LaVerne Andrews sold war bonds, boosted morale on the home front, performed withBing Crosby and with theGlenn Miller Orchestra, made movies and entertained thousands of American troops overseas, for whom the women represented the loves and the land the troops had left behind. Their singing voices are heard in two full-length Walt Disney features: "Make Mine Music",[53] in a segment which featured animated characters Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet; and "Melody Time", in the segment Little Toot (both of which are available on DVD today). As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. We hardly really knew it, and when we went in we had some extra time and we just threw it in, and that was the miracle of it. They recorded two versions so I'll post both up!\r\rSongs:\rWell, All Right! 13 1 Near You / How Lucky You Are. [63] The western-themed "The Andrews Sisters' Show" (subtitled "Eight-to-the-Bar Ranch"), co-hosted by Gabby Hayes, began in 1944 and featured a special guest every week. After the Belasco band broke up that summer, they were signed to Decca Records on their own. Laverne died of cancer at age 55 in 1967; Maxene of a heart attack at age 79 in 1995; Patty from natural causes at age 94 in 2013. The Andrews Sisters also seem to have given little thought to the meaning of the lyrics. After selling more than 75 million records, the Andrews Sisters broke up in 1953 when Patty decided to go solo. Patty Andrews, a soprano, was lead singer for the trio, Maxene sang second soprano, and LaVerne took the lowest line. By this point however, rock-and-roll and doo-wop were dominating the charts and older artists were left by the wayside. (Mr. Melcher later married Doris Day.) Patty died of natural causes at her home in Northridge, California, on January 30, 2013, at the age of 94. In 1962, they signed with Dot Records and recorded a series of stereo albums until 1967, both re-recordings of earlier hits which incorporated up-to-date production techniques, as well as new material, including "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", "Still", "The End of the World", "Puff the Magic Dragon", "Sailor", "Satin Doll", "Mr. Bass Man", the theme from Come September, and the theme from A Man and a Woman. Unfortunately, while the adhesive harmonies of The Andrews Sisters were intricately close, their personal harmonies were more discordant.Second only to perhaps Bob Hope in commitment and extensive USO touring, the girls' profound influence extends even today with such current pop idols as Bette Midler, The Pointer Sisters, Barry Manilow, The Manhattan Transfer and Christina Aguilera. They practically grew up on the vaudeville circuit, roughing it and toughing it with various bands and orchestras.Signed by orchestra leader Leon Belasco in 1937, the girls made their very first recordings with "There's a Lull in My Life" (an early solo by Patty), "Jammin'" and "Wake Up and Live." [45] The sisters were again featured in a Fallout game in 2015, when their songs "Pistol Packin' Mama" and "Civilization" were featured in the game Fallout 4. DeYoung fulfilled concert appearances, including an appearance on The Dean Martin Show on November 30, 1967, but she did not record with Patty and Maxene. Patty, ever the trouper, continued on television, in clubs and in film cameoswherever there was an audience.In 1973, Patty and Maxene reunited for their first Broadway musical, the nostalgic "Over Here" (Tony-winning Janie Sell played the LaVerne counterpart) in which they performed their old standards following the show's second act; but it did little to repair the strained Patty/Maxene off-stage relationship, especially since LaVerne wasn't around to foster peace-making tactics. with Vic Schoen and his orchestra, unless otherwise noted: From top: Maxene (top left), LaVerne (top right), and Patty (center) in October 1943. Patty and Maxene reclaimed some success when they starred in the Broadway musical Over Here! They can be seen singing "You Don't Have to Know the Language" with Bing Crosby in Paramount's Road to Rio with Bob Hope, that year's highest-grossing movie. The two remained together until LaVerne's death from liver cancer on May 8, 1967, at the age of 55. The picture was the highest-grossing film of that year. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. by Bruce Eder. No other female vocal group, and very few male ones, came close to their success from the late '30s to the early '50s, an era when first big bands and then solo singers dominated popular music. The Andrews Sisters were an American singing group in the 1930s, the 1940s and the 1950s. The Andrews Sisters sold more than 75 million records and entertained World War II troops in Africa and Europe. Maxene suffered a serious heart attack while performing in Illinois in 1982 and underwent quadruple bypass surgery, from which she successfully recovered. )", "I Wish I Had a Dime (For Every Time I Missed You)", "I'm Bitin' My Fingernails and Thinking of You", 75100 million records sold from a little over 600 recorded tunes, record-breaking theater and cabaret runs all across, countless appearances on radio shows from 1935 to 1960 (including their own), guest spots on every major television show of the 1950s and 1960s, including those hosted by, "A Penny a Kiss-A Penny a Hug" (1950) (No. [1] The sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records. As music biographer Michael Freedland said, "The Andrews Sisters were swing personified. 1946 found them in the Top Ten with the gold-selling "South America, Take It Away" (with Crosby), "Rumors Are Flying" (accompanied by guitarist Les Paul), and "Christmas Island" (backed by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians). [58] They hosted their own radio shows for ABC and CBS from 1944 to 1951,[59] singing specially written commercial jingles for such products as Wrigley's chewing gum,[60] Dole pineapples,[61] Nash motor cars, Kelvinator home appliances,[62] Campbell's soups, and Franco-American food products. Reply Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Popular Posts THE SAD LIFE OF CATHARINE LORRE BETTY HUTTON AND HER DAUGHTERS Peter Andreas (later "Andrews") was Greek and his wife was of Norwegian ancestry raised in the Lutheran faith. Their first appearance co-starred the zany and sometimes corny antics of The Ritz Brothers in an unflattering ditty called Argentine Nights (1940). As the troops headed overseas, the sisters were drafted into service in their own way, playing more USO tours than any other entertainer besides Bob Hope. a perfect example of the way in which the Andrews Sisters adapted their vocal lines to the sound of a horn chart. The million-selling "Pistol Packin' Mama," backed with "Vict'ry Polka," was a two-sided hit with Crosby in 1943-1944, then they topped the charts with their own "Shoo-Shoo Baby" in January 1944. The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. Greek father Peter was a restaurateur in the Minneapolis area; their mother Ollie was a Norwegian homemaker. Besides this, and a few brief private encounters, they remained somewhat estranged for their remaining years, with Maxene dying in 1995.[30]. Patty's solo aspirations caused the trio to break up in 1953, though they reunited a few short years later. Maxene's was kind of high, and I was between. Their singing was initially influenced by the Dixieland style of the Boswell Sisters of New Orleans, but they soon expanded their repertoire to include a wide range of current song types. In Private Buckaroo (1942), they put on a show for servicemen singing, among others, the huge hit "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me". In 2007, their version of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schn" was included in the game BioShock, a first-person shooter that takes place in an alternate history 1960, and later in 2008, their song "Civilization" (with Danny Kaye) was included in the Atomic Age-inspired video game Fallout 3. The sisters specialised in swing and played with some of the top band leaders of the era, including Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey. They began singing together as children; by the time they were teenagers they made up an accomplished vocal group. [17], Maxene and LaVerne tried to continue the act as a duo and met with good press during a 10-day tour of Australia, but a reported suicide attempt by Maxene in December 1954[21] put a halt to any further tours (Maxene spent a short time in the hospital after swallowing 18 sleeping pills, an occurrence that LaVerne told reporters was an accident). 5000 Greatest songs ever list by artist. "Then in one year our dream world ended. [49] Universal Pictures, always budget-conscious, refused to hire a choreographer, so the Ritzes taught the sisters some eccentric steps. You might not be familiar with The Andrews Sisters, but you should be if you're at all interested in entertainment history. According to a press release from Unversal Studios during the early years of their career, LaVerne was 5'6 and 125 lbs., Maxene was 5'4 and 115 lbs., and Patty was 5'6 and 110 lbs. They were popular during the swing and boogie-woogie eras. While touring, they often treated three random servicemen to dinner when they were dining out. Maxene arrived on January 3, 1916, and Patty was born February 16, 1918. *mother - Norwegian. [citation needed] Elvis Presley was a fan. They were inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame in May 2006. They were getting ready to perform outside Naples, Italy, for troops headed to the Pacific when Patty was handed a piece of paper to read. The Andrews Sisters were a popular harmonizing singing group consisting of three sisters, Patty Andrews, Maxene Andrews and Laverne Andrews. Patty Andrews's spokesman, Alan Eichler, said she died from natural causes at her Los Angeles home. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews, soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews, and mezzo-soprano Patricia "Patty" Marie Andrews. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Maxine was only four when she first appeared on her first radio broadcast in Minneapolis. Although their recording activity was slowed by the musicians' union strike that began in 1942, they had another Top Ten hit that year with "Strip Polka." AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: It's an only-in-America tale of how three Minnesota sisters of Norwegian-Greek heritage came to have a huge hit with a . Patty was the star of the sibling act. The American premier of the show was June 21, 2009, in their summer vacation enclave of Mound, Minnesota. It reached the Top 10, and its success led to several new compilations of the Andrews Sisters own hits. 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