That year, they scored a Top Ten hit on the Billboard chart with "Ferryboat Serenade (La Piccinina)." In 1987, the group was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star for their recording work. Weschler, her husband of nearly 60 years, had died on August 28, 2010, at the age of 88. The Andrews Sisters re-entered the limelight in the early 1970s when Bette Midler released her own recording of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, modeled closely on theirs. The sisters got into a bitter money dispute with the producers and with each other, leading to the shows closing in January 1975 and the cancellation of plans for a national tour. Nyot Nyow!)" Patty was the star of the sibling act. ", in 1937. Read about our approach to external linking. Bei Mir Bist Du Schn (Means That Youre Grand),, her own recording of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,. [35][37] Some of the trio's late-1930s recordings have noticeable Boswell Sisters vocal influences. Their first picture, Argentine Nights, paired them with another enthusiastic trio, the Ritz Brothers. This song charted on June 17, 1939 at #5. They toured extensively during the 1960s, favoring top nightclubs in Las Vegas, California, and London, England.[23]. starred Maxene and Patty (with Janie Sell filling in for LaVerne and winning a Tony Award for her performance) and was written with both sisters in mind for the leads. [48], Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne appeared in 17 Hollywood films. 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 . Highest chart positions on Billboard; THE ANDREWS SISTERS were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. 1975 in New York City, NY. When LaVerne Andrews died of cancer in 1967, no suitable replacement could be found, and Patty and Maxene soon went their separate ways. The Westonka Historical Society has a large collection of Andrews Sisters memorabilia. The sisters began performing in the early 1930's when the Depression wiped out their father's business. [31], Upon hearing the news of her sister's death, Patty became distraught. 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. Corrections? "Patty was an outstanding presence. This however did not sit well with Patty and a cease and desist order was sent to Skelton. [33] Their versatility allowed them to pair with many different artists in the recording studios, producing Top 10 hits with the likes of Bing Crosby[34] (the only recording artist of the 1940s to sell more records than The Andrews Sisters), Danny Kaye, Dick Haymes, Carmen Miranda, Al Jolson, Ray McKinley, Burl Ives, Ernest Tubb, Red Foley, Dan Dailey, Alfred Apaka, and Les Paul. The group was also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. They boasted an exuberant, close-harmony style well-suited to cheery novelty songs, and their intricate vocal arrangements and rhythmic ability mirrored the sound of the swing bands that constituted their chief competition in their heyday. They continued to record for Decca through the end of 1953, at which point Patty Andrews left the group for a solo career while Maxene and LaVerne Andrews continued to perform as the Andrews Sisters. Lucy played LaVerne, Kim (Lucie Arnaz) played Maxene, and Craig (Desi Arnaz, Jr.) played Bing Crosby. The preeminent singing sister act of all time with well over 75 million records sold by which the swinging big-band era could not be better represented were the fabulous Andrews Sisters: the blonde melodic mezzo Patty Andrews, the brunette soprano Maxene Andrews and the red-headed contralto Laverne Andrews. The collection is remastered in superb sound with surprising presence and vivid detail, the material is priceless, and . Although they were well-established by the time the U.S. entered World War II, their optimistic tenor made them perfect boosters of the war effort, and in later years they remained closely identified with the war years, remembered as wearing military uniforms and singing their signature song, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.". 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 sisters performed their hits in service comedy films like Buck Privates and Private Buckaroo. They were inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame in May 2006. The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. Instrumental to the sisters' success over the years were their parents, Olga and Peter, their orchestra leader and musical arranger, Vic Schoen (19162000), and Jack and David Kapp, who founded Decca Records. Critic William Ruhlmann observed that the Andrews 1941 hit Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy was. "I Wanna Be Loved," with the same sort of arrangement, also topped the charts in June. This song charted on June 17, 1939 at #5.. Her father, Peter, was a Greek immigrant who changed his name from Andreos to Andrews when he came to America. She was born in Mound, Minnesota on 16 February 1918, the daughter of Peter Andreos (changed to 'Andrews' upon arriving in the US) and Olga Sollie. Sisters Patty, LaVerne, and Maxene broke onto the popular song charts back in 1937 with a version of a Yiddish musical theater tune, "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" ("To Me, You Are Beautiful"). They also helped actress Bette Davis and actor John Garfield found California's famous Hollywood Canteen, a welcome retreat for servicemen where the trio often performed, volunteering their personal time to sing and dance for the soldiers, sailors, and Marines (they did the same at New York City's Stage Door Canteen during the war). In 1940, signed to Universal Pictures, they made the first of a series of low-budget "B" movies, Argentine Nights. Formed . Decca had recorded the Boswell Sisters successfully until they broke up in 1935, and the label was on the lookout for a similar group. [51], Universal hired the sisters for two more Abbott and Costello comedies and then promoted them to full-fledged stardom in B musicals. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. 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. They had numerous hit records during these years, both on their own and in collaboration with Bing Crosby. [27] Over Here! The preeminent singing sister act of all time with well over 75 million records sold by which the swinging big-band era could not be better represented were the fabulous Andrews Sisters: the blonde melodic mezzo Patty Andrews, the brunette soprano Maxene Andrews and the red-headed contralto Laverne Andrews.With their precise harmonies and perfectly syncopated dance moves, the girls reached heights of worldwide fame still unattained by any group which followed. 3.50. Laverne became a career housewife and Patti stayed in show business as a single after their hopes and ambitions clashed with one another. In 1953, the group broke up with Laverne going to New York to study dramatics. This was a follow-up to Patty's success in Victory Canteen, a 1971 California revue. Soundtrack: Repo Man. 1947 brought the Top Ten hits "Tallahassee" (with Crosby), "Near You," and "The Lady From 29 Palms." They appeared in more than a dozen films during the next seven years sometimes just singing, sometimes also acting. The Andrews Sisters were officially retired, and Patti went solo in 1954, signing with Capitol records. During the war, they entertained the Allied forces extensively in Africa, and Italy, as well as in the U.S., visiting Army, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard bases, war zones, hospitals, and munitions factories. "[41] Maxene died October 21, 1995, at age 79. "There was no such thing as being married at that time," she said. 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. The sisters were LaVerne Sofia Andrews (b. July 6, 1911, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.d. They quickly personified a new kind of swing and Big Band vocal performance: exceptional harmonic structures, soaring above their active, dynamic stage presence. As a teenager she worked as a piano accompanist, and she was likely the only sister who could read music. Modeling their act on the commercially successful Boswell Sisters, they joined a traveling revue and sang at county fairs and in vaudeville shows. [14] The sisters later told biographers that they were asked to record the tune on short notice and were unaware either of the copyright issue or of the implications of the lyrics. Providing a musical security blanket to a war-torn country via records, films, radio, clubs, stages, canteens, they bravely traveled overseas war zones emphasizing through song the motto that America was strong and proud and to keep on singing and swinging! It launched the careers of many now notable theater, film, and television stars, including John Travolta, Marilu Henner, Treat Williams, and Ann Reinking. There were rumblings amid the group. The Andrews Sisters / Wikimedia Commons. In an interview in 1971, Patty said: "There were just three girls in the family. 17), "Down in the Valley (Hear that Train Blow)" (1944) (No. The Andrews Sisters trio of Laverne Andrews, Maxene Andrews and Patty are listed in order of first, second and third born. They had no children. It is claimed that the sisters have sold more than 90 . 1951 Radio Annual, p.12 (Radio Daily Corp., New York, 1950), "Songs That Won The War Vol. . 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). Before the end of the year, they and Crosby had gone to number one with the double-sided hit "(There'll Be A) Hot Time in the Town of Berlin (When the Yanks Go Marching In)" and "Is You Is or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)," as well as Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In. Her singing was." She also had a cameo as herself along with many other stars in the 1970 film The Phynx. Don Raye also wrote the sisters' famous songs such as, \"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy\", \"Beat Me Daddy, Eight to The Bar\" and \"I Love You Much Too Much\".\rI will also be posting \"I Love You Much Too Much\". Patty Andrews returned to her solo career and in 1971 appeared in a musical revue called Victory Canteen in Los Angeles. the Andrews Sisters, singing trio, one of the most popular American musical acts of the 1940s. After his death in 2010, Patty began a slow and steady decline and died on January 30, 2013, just two weeks before her 95th birthday.Fortunately, The Andrews Sisters' legendary feuding can never overshadow their exhaustive musical contributions and unparalleled success during 36 years of performing together. Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters trio, died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to her management. Laverne started the trio of sisters and they appeared in kiddie revues on local radio stations and at the Orpheum in their hometown of Minneapolis. Her mother, Olga, was Norwegian. An overnight sensation upon release wherein it sold more than a million copies, their contract was immediately revised by Decca and throughout the rest of the decade, they recorded smash after smash -- "The Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the Barrel! [54][55][56] The trio headlined at the London Palladium in 1948[57] and 1951. They also appeared in a number of films, supporting Abbott and Costello in Buck Privates, In the Navy, and Hold That Ghost (all 1941), and appearing in their own series of musical comedies, which included Private Buckaroo (1942), Whats Cookin? And just a few years ago, Christina Aguilera's "Candyman" gave a clear tip of the hat to the tune and its makers. In 2008, Mound dedicated "The Andrews Sisters Trail". 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