.Hailing from Minnesota, eldest sister LaVerne Sophie was born on July 6, 1911, followed by Maxene Angelyn on January 3, 1916, and finally Patricia Marie on February 16, 1918. ", With the U.S. entry into World War II, the Andrews Sisters began appearing frequently at military bases; they later traveled overseas to entertain the troops. [citation needed] Bob Hope said of Maxene's passing, "She was more than part of The Andrews Sisters, much more than a singer. They had numerous hit records during these years, both on their own and in collaboration with Bing Crosby. The Andrews sisters items and images on display were donated in 2010 by Maryland resident Robert Boyer, a fan who had amassed the largest known collection of memorabilia related to the group, including publicity photos, personal snapshots, news clippings, recordings, movie posters, correspondence, magazines and recordings in various formats. A final salute to the Andrews Sisters came in 1991 in the form of Company B, a ballet by the choreographer Paul Taylor subtitled Songs Sung by the Andrews Sisters. The work, which featured nine of the trios most popular songs, including Rum and Coca-Cola and, of course, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, underscored the enduring appeal of the three sisters from Minneapolis. [64], They recorded 47 songs with crooner Bing Crosby, 23 of which charted on Billboard, thus making the team one of the most successful pairings of acts in a recording studio in show business history. The Disney company also utilized the girls' voices in their cartoon features Make Mine Music (1946) and Melody Time (1948).All three girls experienced down times in their personal lives as well during the late-1940s. Patty and Maxene's careers experienced a resurgence when Bette Midler covered "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" in 1973. Moreover, the girls squabbled over their parents' estate shares and individual career desires.In 1953, Patty, the group's lead, declared she was going solo. Read Full Biography. The 2010 video game Mafia II features numerous Andrews Sisters songs, with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", "Strip Polka" and "Rum and Coca-Cola". Nicknamed Americas Wartime Sweethearts, they became great favourites of American troops overseas, performing in USO (United Service Organizations) shows. The girls were also featured in Universal's Follow the Boys (1944) and Paramount's Hollywood Canteen (1944), popular all-star productions designed to promote the war effort. It is claimed that the sisters have sold more than 90 . 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. Patty Andrews, center, with her sisters Maxene, left and LaVerne, in the 1940s. 13 1 Near You / How Lucky You Are. We got on the carousel and we each got the ring and I was satisfied with that. Oh!," and their first two duets with Bing Crosby in 1939: "Ciribiribin" and "Yodelin' Jive" (both featuring jazz violinist Joe Venuti and his orchestra).The country was absolutely enthralled and captivated. 3.50. LaVerne Andrews (July 6, 1911 - May 8, 1967) was the eldest Andrews sister and sang alto - the lowest range for women. . [15], An ad in the 1951 'Radio Annual' showed photos of the Andrews as children, as contemporary singers, and as old women in the then-future year of 1975, although the act would not make it that long. For the most part, the Andrews Sisters did not focus on romantic material, but rather sang upbeat songs, often borrowed from other cultures. The Westonka Historical Society has a large collection of Andrews Sisters memorabilia. [citation needed], The Andrews Sisters were the most sought-after singers in theater shows worldwide during the 1940s and early 1950s, always topping previous house averages. with Vic Schoen and his orchestra, unless otherwise noted: From top: Maxene (top left), LaVerne (top right), and Patty (center) in October 1943. Female vocal trio who were one of the most popular and influential acts of the Big Band era. The Andrews Sisters - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (V-Disc 1941) Zemorg 17.8K subscribers Subscribe 9.4K 880K views 7 years ago A very youthful looking Andrews Sisters performing Boogie. 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. Christina Aguilera used the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" to inspire her song "Candyman" (released as a single in 2007) from her hit album Back to Basics. And she said, 'Boys, the note reads here the war with Japan is over.' The picture was the highest-grossing film of that year. Patty was the star of the sibling act. In the fall of 1966, LaVerne Andrews retired from performing due to illness and was replaced by Joyce de Young; she died of cancer the following spring. Patty Andrews had a strong desire to stand out and didn't like that her career identity seemed permanently tied to the Andrews Sisters. Her father, Peter, was a Greek immigrant who changed his name from Andreos to Andrews when he came to America. Their first appearance co-starred the zany and sometimes corny antics of The Ritz Brothers in an unflattering ditty called Argentine Nights (1940). The Andrews Sisters. [20] The Andrews Sisters formally broke up in 1953. The Andrews Sisters, with Patty singing soprano, sold tens of millions of records in the 1930s and '40s. It was an appropriate coda to her career, as the Andrews Sisters and the Miller orchestra had embodied Americas musical tastes during the World War II years. Like many popular entertainers, they hit the road to tour military bases and installations, says NPR, not only in the United States, but in Africa and Italy as well. In the audio of this story, as in a previous Web version, we identify "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" as a Yiddish folk tune. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia (July 6, 1911 - May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Angelyn (January 3, 1916 - October 21, 1995), and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" (February 16, 1918 - January 30, 2013). )," "Well, All Right," "Hold Tight, Hold Tight" (with Jimmy Dorsey ), "Oh, Johnny! [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. My Rated Discographies . Then he dragged his legs towards the exit. After the Belasco band broke up that summer, they were signed to Decca Records on their own. The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. Cancer took LaVerne in 1967, and within a year Maxene was teaching college in the Lake Tahoe area. Their last appearance together as a trio was on The Dean Martin Show on September 29, 1966. The group sang with various bands and for several radio broadcasts while they were struggling during the mid-1930s to establish their reputation. Patty died of natural causes at her home in Northridge, California, on January 30, 2013, at the age of 94. Anyone can read what you share. As a teenager she worked as a piano accompanist, and she was likely the only sister who could read music. 17), "Down in the Valley (Hear that Train Blow)" (1944) (No. They began singing together as children; by the time they were teenagers they made up an accomplished vocal group. But Wells says that their status as companions, and Maxene's health issues as she got older, led Maxene to adopt her as a daughter. The groups renditions of swing tunes in close harmony sold millions of copies; the act was also hugely popular in live performance and in film. The Andrews Sisters / Wikimedia Commons. [48], Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne appeared in 17 Hollywood films. 20), "Money Is the Root of All Evil (Take it Away, Take it Away, Take it Away)" (with, "Pross Tchai (Goodbye-Goodbye)" (1939) (No. She was 94. Maxene's was kind of high, and I was between. Ethnicity: *father - Greek. The song was co-written by Linda Perry. January 30, 2013, Los Angeles, California). While touring, they often treated three random servicemen to dinner when they were dining out. Well, All Right! Still, it did not stop concentration camp inmates from secretly singing it, this being most likely since the song was originally a Yiddish song "Bei Mir Bistu Shein", and had been popularized within the Jewish community before it was recorded as a more successful "cover" version by the Andrews sisters. (Tonight's The Night) was a song recorded by the Andrews Sisters in 1939 arranged with Vic Schoen. The defining 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: Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne. Mr. Weschler died in 2010. Besides this, and a few brief private encounters, they remained somewhat estranged for their remaining years, with Maxene dying in 1995.[30]. By the time they were done selling records, they'd moved some 100 million units, and racked up a whopping 46 Top 10 hits. Patty, the youngest, was a soprano and sang lead; Maxene handled the high harmony; and LaVerne, the oldest, took the low notes. Patty Andrews returned to her solo career and in 1971 appeared in a musical revue called Victory Canteen in Los Angeles. 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 . They adopted a girl and a boy, Aleda Ann and Peter. American Horror Story, Just Shoot Me, Gilmore Girls, Mama's Family, War and Remembrance, Jakob the Liar, Lolita, The Polar Express, The Chronicles of Narnia, Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!). Patty Andrews, a soprano, was lead singer for the trio, Maxene sang second soprano, and LaVerne took the lowest line. ", Along with Bing Crosby, separately and jointly, The Andrews Sisters were among the performers who incorporated ethnic music styles into America's Hit Parade, popularizing or enhancing the popularity of songs with melodies originating in Brazil, Czechoslovakia, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Trinidad, many of which their manager chose for them. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 - May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January 3, 1916 - October 21, 1995), and mezzo-soprano Patricia "Patty" Marie Andrews (February 16, 1918 - January 30, 2013). Reply Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Popular Posts THE SAD LIFE OF CATHARINE LORRE BETTY HUTTON AND HER DAUGHTERS They were the Benny Goodman and the Glenn Miller and the Artie Shaw bands combined into vocal harmony.". According to Patty Andrews, "We had a recording date, and the song was brought to us the night before the recording date. A failed radio performance in 1937 turned out to be the sisters big break. As teenagers, the Andrews Sisters formed a singing act and began performing in vaudeville reviews throughout the Midwest. Their father, Peter Andreos/Andrews, was Greek. "Patty was an outstanding presence. "[10] They followed this success with a string of best-selling records over the next two years and, by the 1940s, had become a household name.[11]. 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. During World War II (1939 - 45), a trio of sisters known as the Andrews Sisters topped the music charts with hits such as their Oscar-nominated "Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy." Their names were LaVerne, Maxene, and Patty Andrews, and they were the best-selling female vocal group in the twentieth century. Following Maxenes death in 1995, Patty continued to perform, sometimes as a featured vocalist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Well, All Right! 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. LaVerne denied the suicide attempt to reporters. The trio's last Top Ten hit was "Sparrow in the Tree Top," another pairing with Bing Crosby, in 1951. But, in a sense, they had no competition. 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." 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. The trio has said their name is a tribute to The Andrews Sisters. Oh, Johnny! [46][47], In 2008 and 2009, the BBC produced The Andrews Sisters: Queens of the Music Machines, a one-hour documentary on the history of the Andrews Sisters from their upbringing to the present. Maxene had a successful comeback as a cabaret soloist in 1979 and toured worldwide for the next 15 years, recording a solo album in 1985 entitled "Maxene: An Andrews Sister" for Bainbridge Records. The sisters were LaVerne Sofia Andrews (b. July 6, 1911, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.d. The song was a Yiddish show tune, Bei Mir Bist Du Schn (Means That Youre Grand), with new English lyrics bySammy Cahn, and the Andrews Sisters version, recorded in 1937, became the top-selling record in the country. The two remained together until LaVerne's death from liver cancer on May 8, 1967, at the age of 55. Patty, the youngest, became the lively melodic leader, engulfed by the warm harmonies of LaVerne and Maxene.The old Yiddish song "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" was translated into English for them by Sammy Cahn and the girls walked off with their first huge hit in late 1937 (and paid a flat fifty dollars and no royalties!). She was 79. Maxene died from a heart attack in 1995, andPatty passed on January 30, 2013. "With that," Maxene said, Patty "started to cry. All of a sudden, all hell broke loose.". 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