Pictured from left to right are mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty", soprano Maxine Angelyn "Maxene" and contralto LaVerne Sophia.
Background Early Life
LaVerne Andrews, the first born of the trio, was born on July 6th, 1911 in Minneapolis, MN. 5 years later the second child of the family, Maxene Andrews, was born on January 3rd, 1916 in Minneapolis also. Last but definitely not least, Patty Andrews, who was born on February 16 in Minneapolis. They were raised by their mother, Olga, who had been born in Norway, and their father, Peter, who had emigrated from Greece. The sisters were all exceptional singers and began mimicking radio tunes at a young age. They began performing together after they started calling themselves "The Andrews Sisters." The girls would perform at school dances and local talent shows, usually taking home a prize. The Big Break After 6 years of being on the road, the girls had their first major success with "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" which sold 350,000 copies. The song held the Billboard No. 1 slot for 5 weeks. This achievement established The Andrews Sisters as successful recording artists and they became celebrities. The Andrews Sisters signed a contract with Decca records which worked with the girls with most of their songs. At one point in their career, the girls recorded the song "I Can Dream, Can't I?" which was thought of as the most artistic and memorable song ever recorded. The song held No. 1 on the Billboard charts, remaining in the top ten for 20 consecutive weeks. A Successful Career During the mid 1940's, the sisters released new singles, six of which became bestsellers; one went gold and another reached platinum status. The group also released 112 albums and over 1,800 songs. They sold over 90 million records, earning 19 gold disks. The girls sang with many other great singers such as Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby and many more. The Andrews Sisters continued to be a success, filming many music videos and recording more and more songs throughout their career. The Andrews Sisters were one of the most, if not the most popular recording artists in the business at the time. Tough Times In the early 1950's, the leader and composer of the band, Vic Schoen, left the group. This was very hard for the girls considering that Schoen had accompanied the group in over 90 percent of their songs. He was also a very skilled singer and great to work with. They could still keep their singing career going but they weren't as booming as before. The group kept on going through these hard times, releasing more albums and songs during the end of their career. "America's Wartime Sweethearts" During the war The Andrews Sisters volunteered their free time to entertain enlisted and wounded men by singing, dancing and signing autographs. After a while the group became known as "America's Wartime Sweethearts." In 1945 they participated in an 8-week USO tour and performed for thousands of serviceman. They had been hoping to do a tour like the USO since the war started to give back to the soldiers that were fighting. Outside of the Career Aside from singing, the sisters were established radio personalities and made appearances in 17 Hollywood movies. Some of the movies included In the Navy and Buck Privates, 1941; Private Buckaroo, 1942; How' About's It?, 1943; and many more. They had dancing appearances and appearances on TV shows, performing some of their hits. After their Career In 1954, Patty Andrews parted the group, hoping to start a solo career. However, she did not have as much success being together in a group with her sisters. In the meantime, Maxene and LaVerne started their own act, both audiences and critics received the act well. In 1956 the sisters decided to reunite, for their professional status and for their personal lives. They began to sing again but with a different style than the original music sung by the group. Many described it as a light rock-and-roll. This did not go well with the public, who wanted the same old-timey music. Remembering the Andrews Sisters LaVerne Andrews died of cancer in 1967. She was 55 and she died in her home in Brentwoods Estates. In 1995, while Maxene Andrews was on vacation in Cape Cod, she had a severe heart attack and died. She was 79 years old. And the most recent death of Patty Andrews was in 2013. She was 94 years old and died in Northrigde, Los Angeles, CA. After the Deaths After LaVerne's death, Patty and Maxene did not go on with their title of the Andrews Sisters because they did not have LaVerne to sing with them. Maxene and Patty soon started different careers. After a few years of working at Tahoe Paradise College, Maxene took the job of Vice-President for the college. Patty continued performing and made guest appearances on late night shows and radio talk shows. Some shows that she appeared on included Lucile Ball's "Here's Lucy", and The Gong Show. The Impact on All of Us Even though the Andrews Sisters have all had their time here on this planet, everyone has them in their hearts. We will always remember them as the singing sisters that made an effort to bring joy to the soldiers fighting in the war. Not only that but they were a very inspiring group in all that they do. Many people still listen to their songs and get inspired to do things to help others and bring joy to them and also to sing and be successful in singing like their idols, the Andrews Sisters. Everything They Accomplished In the Andrews Sisters' career they recorded over 1,700 songs and sold over 90 million records. Another accomplishment is earning 9 gold records. Their greatest accomplishment is making a legacy and showing leadership to all. We will always honor all that they have done. |
This is a record of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, sung by the Andrews Sisters and recorded by Decca Records, as you can see. Decca Records worked with the Andrews Sisters for most of their songs, recording them. Decca Records was the recording company that got the Andrews Sisters a start in becoming recording artists.
Autographed photos like this one, were very valuable. They were even more valuable if a famous and well-known person or symbol were on the picture. Back when the Andrews Sisters were still in their singing career, these autographed photos ran for much less than today. The price today ranges from $100 to $900 in most cases.
Many books were made about the Andrews Sisters. These are two of the many that there are. This proves that the Andrews Sisters were known and will be remembered always. You can find these books at many libraries around the United States.
As you can see in this picture, the Andrews Sisters are dancing with Bing Crosby. This is an image from a music video made with Bing Crosby. The Andrews Sisters weren't just a singing group but they danced too. Take their music videos for example, they are dancing for a majority of the time.
|