80 . During World War II, the sisters were a staple of popular culture, recording with Glenn Miller and Bing Crosby, appearing in films with Abbott and Costello, and performing live around the country. [27] Over Here! She was the leader; she was the one that your eyes would focus on," says Joel Whitburn, founder of Record Research, a company that's tracked Billboard's popular music charts for almost 40 years. The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group. Also during the year, they reached the Top 20 with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. In 1987, the group was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star for their recording work. "[41] Maxene died October 21, 1995, at age 79. 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. [citation needed], Buck Privates, with Abbott and Costello, featured the Andrews Sisters' best-known song, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. She was a warm and wonderful lady who shared her talent and wisdom with others. Their million-sellers with Crosby included "Pistol Packin' Mama",[65] "Don't Fence Me In",[34] "South America, Take It Away", and "Jingle Bells". They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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". They began their career in New York city with Jack Belasco's orchestra and later with Ted Mack making the Vaudeville circuit. Ms. Andrews and her sisters, Patty and Laverne, were one of the most successful women's singing groups, with 19 gold records and sales of nearly 100 million copies. [6], They started their career as imitators of an earlier successful singing group, the Boswell Sisters, who were popular in the 1930s. Unfortunately, the close harmony on songs like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" didn't reflect their family dynamic. 13. 4 The Home Front" CD program notes by Edward Habib, Bei Mir Bist Du Schn (Means That You're Grand), Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me), Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front, Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!! opened on Broadway on March 6, 1974. The Andrews Sisters trio of Laverne Andrews, Maxene Andrews and Patty are listed in order of first, second and third born. "She just seemed to effuse that warmth and personality and charm and smile and vigor more so than the other two sisters. Modeling their act on the commercially successful Boswell Sisters, they joined a traveling revue and sang at county fairs and in vaudeville shows. Cancer took LaVerne in 1967, and within a year Maxene was teaching college in the Lake Tahoe area. Patty was the youngest of the sisters whose hits included Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews, soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews, and mezzo-soprano Patricia "Patty" Marie Andrews. Greek father Peter was a restaurateur in the Minneapolis area; their mother Ollie was a Norwegian homemaker. 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. They had numerous hit records during these years, both on their own and in collaboration with Bing Crosby. She was 94. mattymath. The Andrews Sisters were the most successful female vocal group of the first half of the 20th century in the U.S. One source lists 113 singles chart entries by the trio between 1938-1951, an average of more than eight per year. THE ANDREWS SISTERS were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The critics' major complaint was that Patty's show concentrated too much on Andrews Sisters material, which did not allow Patty's own talents as an expressive and bluesy vocalist to shine through. The Andrews Sisters cooled as a recording act after 1948, as they began to focus on nightclub performing and Patty Andrews became more of a focus of the group as well as launching a concurrent solo recording career. (Mr. Melcher later married Doris Day.) 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. "I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time," their Top Ten hit of 1941, was featured in their film Buck Privates. Patty not only sang lead; she was clearly the star of the group. They got their start in the Depression-era early 1930s, and their first big hit, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen", was recorded . RYM artists in order they were added. 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. They were remarkable. LaVerne denied the suicide attempt to reporters. The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. 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"). January 30, 2013, Los Angeles, California). 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. [1] The sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records. Maxene's was kind of high, and I was between. And just a few years ago, Christina Aguilera's "Candyman" gave a clear tip of the hat to the tune and its makers. 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. hide caption. In 1937 they were heard by recording executive, Dave Kapp and they began a long association with a string of hits. Patty and Maxene reclaimed some success when they starred in the Broadway musical Over Here! [28], Patty continually distanced herself from Maxene, until her death, and would not explain her motives regarding the separation. 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. Patty Andrews, center, with her sisters Maxene, left and LaVerne, in the 1940s. This was followed by a 1-2-3 punch back at the recording studio with their renditions of the rollicking "Beat Me, Daddy, Eight to the Bar," a reinvention of the WW1 waltz "I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time" and the soft, sentimental ballad "Mean to Me. Patty Andrews died January 30, 2013 at the age of 94. Lynda Wells, a niece, confirmed the death. Read about our approach to external linking. Confidential, Patty's solo aspirations caused the trio to break up in 1953, though they reunited a few short years later. [35][37] Some of the trio's late-1930s recordings have noticeable Boswell Sisters vocal influences. All three of us were upset, and we were at each other's throats all the time. During their first weeks with the label, the sisters made the rather idiosyncratic choice to record a jazz-influenced rendition of the Yiddish song Bei mir bist du schon. The recording was released after Christmas 1937; by New Years Eve it had become the most popular song on New York radio stations, and it went on to become the first million-selling record by a female singing group. The Andrews Sisters were by far the most successful female group of the pre-rock era. She was 79. BLOCK: Well, we have a brief footnote to that news. Although LaVerne read music and was, in fact, an accomplished pianist, the trio learned by sense memory, pure instinct and a strong ear. Instead of crooning gently and sweetly, the Andrews Sisters "had a powerhouse sound, like a trio of blasting trumpets, and a unique close harmony." Patty and Maxene's careers experienced a resurgence when Bette Midler covered "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" in 1973. 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). 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!!). The Manhattan Dolls, a New York City-based touring group, performs both the popular tunes sung by the Andrews Sisters and some of the more obscure tunes such as "Well Alright" and "South American Way". The sisters bold, brassy vocal style initially caused them to fail several auditions. It started in 1937 and its still going. Though their fame declined in the postwar years, their act remained popular into the 1960s. 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). It was there they were discovered by Larry Rich, who offered them a job with his traveling revue. 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 Andrews Sisters - Artist Details. Maxene arrived on January 3, 1916, and Patty was born February 16, 1918. The song was co-written by Linda Perry. Read about our approach to external linking. The Andrews Sisters / Wikimedia Commons. After selling more than 75 million records, the Andrews Sisters broke up in 1953 when Patty decided to go solo. 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. [citation needed] Elvis Presley was a fan. Her father, Peter, was a Greek immigrant who changed his name from Andreos to Andrews when he came to America. 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. She was 94. A failed radio performance in 1937 turned out to be the sisters big break. Maxene and LaVerne performed as a duo, and there were attempts over the years to reunite the trio, with varying levels of success. The group's career spanned more than five decades and resulted in 90 million records and 46 top 10 hits. This was a follow-up to Patty's success in Victory Canteen, a 1971 California revue. 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. But it's possible that Patty's most fulfilling partnership was with Wally Wechsler, to whom she was married for more than 60 years. [54][55][56] The trio headlined at the London Palladium in 1948[57] and 1951. [citation needed] The imitation occurred internationally; the Harmony Sisters, a popular group that performed from the 1930s to the 1950s in Finland was one such singing group.[44]. [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. The ashes of LaVerne and Maxene Andrews are interred in the Columbarium of Memory of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California,[29] close to the ashes of their parents. Patty was the star of the sibling act. The sisters performed their hits in service comedy films like Buck Privates and Private Buckaroo. The Andrews Sisters was born on July 06, 1911, is Soundtrack, Actress. Their first picture, Argentine Nights, paired them with another enthusiastic trio, the Ritz Brothers. 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? [5][42], Joyce DeYoung Murray, who replaced LaVerne from late 1966 to 1968, died in March 2014 at the age of 87. 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 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. Subsequent radio work eventually led to the Decca Records label. An earthquake shook the area that very morning and the ceremony was nearly cancelled, which caused Patty to joke, "Some people said that earthquake this morning was LaVerne because she couldn't be here, but really it was just Maxene and me on the telephone." ". 1975 in New York City, NY. "There was no such thing as being married at that time," she said. (Patty Andrews and, "You Don't Have to Know the Language" (with, "You Don't Know How Much You Can Suffer" (1939) (No. Over 300 of their original Decca recordings, a good portion of which was hit material, has yet to be released by MCA/Decca. Patty and Maxene continued for a while, with singer Joyce DeYoung rounding out their trio. They turned to singing as children, entertaining on local radio and in amateur revues, with Patty taking the lead, Maxene singing high harmony, and LaVerne low. Then he dragged his legs towards the exit. LaVerne had founded the original group, and often acted as the peacemaker among the three during the sisters' lives, more often siding with her parents, to whom the girls were extremely devoted, than with either of her sisters. Some of their accomplishments include selling over 90 million records, recording about 700 songs and earning nine gold records. The sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records. By this point however, rock-and-roll and doo-wop were dominating the charts and older artists were left by the wayside. Their sound, so pure. [2] Their 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" can be considered an early example of jump blues. "I Wanna Be Loved," with the same sort of arrangement, also topped the charts in June. They were doing a show near Naples, Italy, for servicemen preparing to ship out for the South Pacific when they were given a note to read from the commanding officer. 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. The Andrews Sisters' Decca recording reached number six on the U.S. pop singles chart in the spring of 1941 when the film was in release. My Rated Discographies . The Andrews Sisters Guy Lombardo +1. [1] The sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records. 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!). [22], The trio reunited in 1956 and signed a new recording deal with Capitol Records, for whom Patty was already a featured soloist. Universal responded in like by signing them to some of their nonsensical "B" musicals derived purely for escapism as the U.S. prepared itself and became embroiled in WW2. The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. After LaVerne died, Maxene and Patty continued to perform periodically until 1968, when Maxene became the Dean of Women at Tahoe Paradise College,[25] teaching acting, drama, and speech at a Lake Tahoe college and working with troubled teens, and Patty was once again eager to be a soloist.[26]. As music biographer Michael Freedland said, "The Andrews Sisters were swing personified. "With that," Maxene said, Patty "started to cry. All of a sudden, all hell broke loose.". The group sang with various bands and for several radio broadcasts while they were struggling during the mid-1930s to establish their reputation. 1947 +1. (Between 1940-1948, they appeared in 17 films, including lending their voices to two animated features for Disney.) Laverne became a career housewife and Patti stayed in show business as a single after their hopes and ambitions clashed with one another. Patty Andrews, the last of the Andrews Sisters, the jaunty vocal trio whose immensely popular music became part of the patriotic fabric of World War II America, died on Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles. "Their second film was the above-average Bud Abbott - Lou Costello vehicle Buck Privates (1941), which solidly showcased the tunes "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith," "Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four," "I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time," and their infectious signature jump hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The group's other Top Ten hits for 1945 were "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" and "Along the Navajo Trail," both with Crosby, and "The Blond Sailor." In a 1974 interview with The New York Times, Patty explained what that was like: When our fans used to see one of us, theyd always ask, Where are your sisters? Every time we got an award, it was just one award for the three of us. This could be irritating, she said with a touch of exasperation: Were not glued together.. After winning a Minneapolis talent contest when they were still children, they went on to tour vaudeville, too. Patty, the youngest, was a soprano and sang lead; Maxene handled the high harmony; and LaVerne, the oldest, took the low notes. [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. As Patty Andrews said in 1985, The Andrews Sisters really had only one big fight. the Andrews Sisters, singing trio, one of the most popular American musical acts of the 1940s. The sisters, who were born in Minnesota, started their careers by performing in local talent shows and later moved to California. The Andrews Sisters -- LaVerne Andrews (born July 6, 1911; died May 8, 1967), Maxene Andrews (born January 3, 1916; died October 21, 1995), and Patty Andrews (born February 16, 1918) -- were each born in Mound, MN, the children of a Greek immigrant father and a Norwegian immigrant mother who ran a restaurant in Minneapolis. which ran for 10 months in 197475.