Andrews Sisters
FORMED: Minneapolis, MN
DISBANDED: 1953
Building on the rhythmic harmonies of their forebears the Boswell Sisters,
the Andrews Sisters became the most popular female act of the pre-rock era.
The trio's incredibly close harmony, nimble delivery, and effervescent smiles
defined the jitterbugging and boogie-woogie crazes of the '40s. With Bing
Crosby, the Andrews Sisters also became one of the most popular recording
artists of the war years, and provided hours of entertainment on USO tours.
The sisters, LaVerne, Maxene and Patty Andrews were all born in Mound, Minnesota
within seven years of each other in the 1910s. While still teenagers, they
began performing around the region and mounted a vaudeville act by the early
'30s. The Andrews Sisters finally hit New York in the mid-'30s, appearing
with an orchestra led by Leon Belasco. Signed to Decca soon after, the trio
hit big early with the number one hit "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen," a remake
of a song from a Yiddish musical with new lyrics. Though it took several
years to trump the success of their chart debut, the Andrews Sisters remained
popular during the late '30s with "Hold Tight, Hold Tight," "Beer Barrel
Polka," "Well All Right (Tonight's the Night)" and their second Hit Parade
chart-topper, "Ferryboat Serenade."
The group hit Hollywood in 1940, appearing in a few small roles and introducing
a new hit for 1941, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," in an Abbott & Costello
war movie. By the middle of World War II, the Andrews Sisters had hit their
peak with year-defining singles like 1943's "Shoo-Shoo Baby" and "Pistol
Packin' Mama," the following year's "Hot Time in the Town of Berlin" and
"Don't Fence Me In," and 1945's "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" and "Rum
and Coca-Cola" -- many of which featured duets with Bing Crosby.
The immediate post-war years found the trio falling a bit from the highs
of 1943-45. In 1949, Patty made her solo-billed debut with "I Can Dream,
Can't I?," though as on almost every previous Andrews Sisters record, LaVerne
and Maxene backed up Patty's lead vocal. Both it and the following year's
similarly billed "I Wanna Be Loved" hit number one and became the group's
biggest hits in years. In 1953, Patty left the group for a full-time solo
career -- though only one moderate hit resulted on either side after the
split, and the records that did appear often featured all three sisters.
After LaVerne died in the late '60s, a miniature revival kicked off by Bette
Midler's 1973 rendition of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" sparked interest in
the Andrews Sisters once more. One year later, Patty and Maxene teamed up
for a WWII-themed Broadway musical named Over Here. Maxene recorded her first
solo album in 1985 and made a charity appearance several years later, but
died in 1995. Patty continued to perform, and appeared with the Glenn Miller
Orchestra. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Called upon to help support their Greek-Norwegian family when their father's
business was wiped out by the Depression, little Laverne, Patty, and Maxene
Andrews began their professional singing career. In their first radio and
vaudeville appearances, the Andrews girls consciously emulated the closely
harmonic Boswell Sisters, but by the late '30s the Andrews Sisters had developed
their own breezy style. Scoring their first hit in 1937 with "Bei Mist Du
Schoen," the Andrews Sisters quickly rose to the top of the show biz heap
which enhanced their popularity on network radio. In 1940, they signed a
contract with Universal Pictures, and for the next six years were starred
or co-starred in a dizzying array of A- and B-pictures. They were shown to
best advantage in three Abbott and Costello films, notably Buck Privates
(1941), in which they performed such enduring hits as "Boogie Woogie Bugle
Boy" and "Apple Blossom Time." During their Hollywood years, Patty Andrews,
the most personable and energetic of the trio, emerged as the leader of the
group, with Maxene Andrews and Laverne Andrews (both of whom looked uncomfortable
in glamorous Hollywood makeup and costumes) shunted to the background. Though
the Andrews Sisters' films were popular, Patty Andrews always felt that she
and the others came across as somewhat grotesque: "We looked like the Ritz
Brothers in drag." After a guest appearance in Road to Rio (1947) and a voice-over
stint in the Disney animated feature Melody Time (1948), the Andrews Sisters
and Hollywood parted company. The act endured several breakups and reconciliations
over the next decade, but by the mid-'60s they were in vogue again thanks
to the burgeoning nostalgia craze. After Laverne Andrews died in 1967, Patty
Andrews and Maxene Andrews reunited for the short-lived campy Broadway musical
Over Here. Though retired, the Andrews Sisters enjoyed a resurgence of popularity
in 1971 when Bette Midler recorded a lively new rendition of "Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide