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The Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. 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).[1] The sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records.[2] Their 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" can be considered an early example of jump blues. Other songs closely associated with the Andrews Sisters include their first major hit, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön (Means That You're Grand)" (1937), "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the Barrel)" (1939), "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (1940), "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)" (1942), and "Rum and Coca Cola" (1945), which helped introduce American audiences to calypso.

The Andrews Sisters' harmonies and songs are still influential today, and have been copied and recorded by entertainers such as Patti PageBette MidlerChristina AguileraPentatonix, and others. The group was among the inaugural inductees to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame upon its opening in 1998.[3] Writing for Bloomberg, Mark Schoifet said the sisters became the most popular female vocal group of the first half of the 20th century.[4] They are still widely acclaimed today for their famous close harmonies. They were inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame in May 2006.


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The Great American Songbook

The 1940s: WWII, Singers Take Center Stage

Read "The 1940s: WWII, Singers Take Center Stage" reviewed by Joan Merrill


The 1940s might have been the 20th century's most pivotal decade for America and the world. Millions died as war gripped the globe once again, and the Atomic Age and Cold War sprang up in the latter half of the decade as peace was finally achieved. Through it all, music and entertainment reflected the times. Reluctant at first to join the fighting, America had no choice after Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941--"a date ...

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