The Andrews Sisters
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Born

  • February 16, 1920
  • Mound, MN

Full Name

  • Patricia Marie Andrews

Marriages

  • Wally Weschler

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The Andrews Sisters

The most successful female group in the history of popular music, the Andrews Sisters will always be associated with World War II. Some of their most memorable numbers, ''Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,'' ''Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree,'' and ''I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time,'' are inseparable from wartime culture. Their upbeat attitudes and songs of hope were just what the country needed during its days of struggle.

Born and raised in Minnesota, the sisters began their professional career in 1933, touring with the Larry Rich vaudeville troupe. When the troupe broke up six months later they took whatever singing jobs they could get to earn a living before they finally landed a steady job with Leon Belasco's society orchestra in 1936. It was with Belasco where they first met arranger Vic Schoen, who would later become their musical director.

In early 1937 Belasco cut a single with the sisters. It went nowhere, and their father convinced them to come back to Minneapolis and attend secretarial school. They were packing their bags when Schoen, who was then with Billy Swanson's orchestra, invited them to sing on a radio program. Decca A&R vice president Dave Kapp heard the broadcast and asked the sisters to his office. After a short audition he signed them to a contract, and they made their first recording for Decca in October of 1937. Soon they had their first number one hit with ''Bei Mir Bist Du Schon,'' a novelty tune originally recorded as a B-side.

Their unique vocal arrangements and tight harmonies quickly made the sisters one of the most popular musical acts in the country, with a string of hits and regular appearances on radio. During World War II they often performed for servicemen both in America and abroad. However, after the war ended their popularity waned, and they began to concentrate on recording duets with other well-known artists, like Danny Kaye, Guy Lombardo and Carmen Miranda.

In early 1951 they left Decca and by the end of 1953 had split up, with Patty going solo. In 1956 they re-united and signed with Capitol Records, re-recording their old hits along with some newer material. In the early 1960s they recorded for Dot Records. In 1966 Laverne left the group due to illness. The following year she died from cancer. Maxene and Patty continued working together until 1968, when Maxene retired and Patty resumed her solo career. They re-united briefly in 1974 for the Broadway production Over Here, and both continued solo careers well into the 1990s. Maxene died in 1996.