BARRY LEVINE: Sister acts gained rock ‘n’ roll national prominence

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a two-part series on sister musical acts. Today’s column covers the major female musical acts who started before the beginning of the modern rock ‘n’ roll era in July 1955. Part 2 on march 15 focuses on sister groups after July 1955.

The period before the start of the modern rock ‘n’ roll era had several outstanding sister groups including the Boswell Sisters, Andrews Sisters, Fontane Sisters, McGuire Sisters and Lennon Sisters.

Here’s a breakdown of three of the five groups and what they accomplished.

The Boswell Sisters were a close harmony jazz singing group, consisting of sisters Martha, Connee and “Vet.” They gained national prominence during the 1930s because of the trio’s harmonies and rhythmic experimentation.

My three favorite World War II veterans, Durward Hayes, 95, George Combs, 94, and Earl Wall, 90, all of Albany, may have heard of the Boswell Sisters, but there aren’t too many others. …

The New Orleans trio made their first record in 1925, but did not gain national fame until they moved to New York in 1931. The group split in February 1936.

The group had 20 Top 20 hits from 1931 to 1938, 12 of which reached the Top 10. They had one No. 1 hit – “The Object of My Affection” in 1935.

Among their other hits were “I Found Myself a Million Dollar Baby” in 1931, “Dinah” in 1934, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” “St. Louis Blues,” “Cheek to Cheek” and “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” in 1936. Their version of “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” was re-issued in 1938 and became a Top 5 hit.

After the group split, Connee continued performing as a solo artist but had to sing from a seated position because of a childhood illness.

A close harmony singing group in the swing and boogie-woogie eras, the Andrews Sisters consisted of Laverne, Patty and Maxene. The group sold more than 75 million records and is considered the most popular female group of the first half of the 20th century.

They started their career by imitating the Boswell Sisters. They first gained national acclaim with their recordings and radio broadcasts in 1937, especially with their No. 1 hit, “Bei Mir Bist Du Sch