Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters, composed of LaVerne, Maxene, and Patty Andrews, were a highly influential vocal trio that rose to fame in the late 1930s. Originating from Minneapolis, they gained widespread recognition with their hit rendition of the Yiddish song "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön," which sold over a million copies. By the 1940s, the sisters were popular figures in American entertainment, hosting their own radio shows and performing extensively for troops during World War II through the USO, significantly contributing to wartime morale. Their musical versatility encompassed various genres, including boogie-woogie, swing, gospel, and Hawaiian music, leading them to record more than six hundred songs and achieve remarkable chart success.
The Andrews Sisters’ impact on pop music is profound, influencing many artists of subsequent generations, such as the Supremes and Bette Midler. After LaVerne's passing in 1967, Maxene and Patty briefly continued as a duo before disbanding in 1968. They did reunite for a Broadway production in 1974, marking their last performance together. Maxene passed away in 1995, and Patty, the last surviving sister, died in 2013. Their legacy endures through their extensive catalog and the lasting influence they had on the music industry.
Andrews Sisters
Identification Close-harmony singing trio
The Andrews Singers were the top-selling popular vocal group in the world before the Beatles. They entertained millions of Americans through their radio broadcasts and live appearances as well as thousands of troops on their frequent United Service Organizations (USO) tours.
The Andrews Sisters—LaVerne, Maxene, and Patty—began their careers in their native Minneapolis but quickly hit the big time in 1937 with their close harmonization of the Yiddish song “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön,” which sold one million copies. By the 1940s, they were well known to American audiences. Between 1944 and 1951, they had their own radio shows. The trio toured extensively during World War II through the United Service Organizations (USO) to entertain the troops, and they helped Bette Davis and John Garfield establish the Hollywood Canteen, a club for servicemen in Hollywood, California, in 1941.
The Andrews Sisters specialized in boogie-woogie and swing music, but they recorded everything from gospel to polkas, Hawaiian music, and ballads. During their career, they recorded more than six hundred songs, reached the top ten on the Billboard charts more often than Elvis Presley or the Beatles, and made seventeen motion pictures.
Impact
The Andrews Sisters revolutionized pop singing in the 1940s and influenced many later artists, including the Supremes, the Pointer Sisters, Bette Midler, and the Manhattan Transfer.
LaVerne Andrews died on May 8, 1967, at age fifty-five. Although Maxene and Patty found a temporary replacement for her to fill in at performances that year, and later briefly performed as a duo, they ultimately dissolved the group in August 1968. Maxene accepted a position as dean of women at Tahoe Paradise College in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and Patty pursued solo work. They reunited in 1974 to appear in the World War II Broadway musical Over There!, which ran for ten months; it was the last time they would perform together. Maxene died on October 21, 1995, at seventy-nine. Patty, the last surviving sister, died on January 30, 2013, age ninety-four.
Bibliography
Andrews, Maxene, and Bill Gilbert. Over Here, Over There: The Andrews Sisters and the USO Stars in World War II. Kensington Publishing, 1993.
Berkvist, Robert. "Patty Andrews, Singer with Her Sisters, Is Dead at 94." The New York Times, 30 Jan. 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/arts/music/patty-andrews-singer-with-the-andrews-sisters-dies-at-94.html. Accessed 18 Oct. 2017.
Nimmo, H. Arlo. The Andrews Sisters: A Biography and Career Record. McFarland, 2004.
Sforza, John. Swing It! The Andrews Sisters Story. UP of Kentucky, 2000.