The Andrews Sisters: The Lives and Legacy of the Famous Singing Trio during the Swing Era

Summary

The vaudeville era of the early 20th century dominated American entertainment with an endless array of “specialty” acts. Thousands of performers emerged from familiar American lives to test their novel talents with a voracious public in search of the next fad. Violin concertos were played on bicycle pumps, and contortionists defied gravity and the limits of human anatomy. Animal acts of every variety sought to up the ante in bringing the exotic to the American stage. One thread held most of these oddities together. Whatever the talent, it was virtually obligatory in most cases that both humans and animals incorporate singing and dancing into the act. This was particularly true for women regardless of the talent level or genre of specialty.

As radio personalities, the Andrews Sisters became ubiquitous and iconic for a public that had clung to the apparatus through every manner of national catastrophe. Radio networks were operative throughout the day and night, but generally offered a diet of round-the-clock news, much of it grim. Eventually, the trio came to break the onslaught of national and international events with six to eight appearances each day. In these breaks, war-weary Americans were treated to snappy rhythms clothed in an overt musical patriotism to spur them on. In financial terms, the three sisters broke every record ever set by a female singing group, eventually rivaling Elvis Presley and The Beatles as commercial juggernauts. While Uncle Sam was recruiting troops destined for the European continent and Asia, teenagers were home “doing the jitterbug.” The Andrews Sisters, overthrowing the worn out and vacuous personality of the vaudeville model, took the step and rode it to fame and national adoration, adapting to current styles along the way.