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, soprano Maxene Angelyn “Maxene”, and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie “Patty”. Throughout their long career, the sisters sold well over 75 million records (the last official count released by MCA Records in the mid-1970s).
They started their career as imitators of an earlier successful singing group, the Boswell Sisters who were popular in the 1930s. After singing with various dance bands and touring in vaudeville with the likes of Leon Belasco and comic bandleader Larry Rich, they first came to national attention with their recordings and radio broadcasts in 1937.
Instrumental to the sisters’ success over the years were their parents, their orchestra leader and musical arranger, Vic Schoen, and Jack and David Kapp, who founded Decca Records.
The Andrews Sisters’ harmonies and songs are still influential today, and have been covered by entertainers such as Bette Midler, Christina Aguilera, and others. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
In 1942, the musical Private Buckaroo opened with quite the accompanying soundtrack. One hit in particular, “Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree,” stood out above the rest. Based on the 19th-century English folk song “Long, Long Ago,” the song was updated for the 1939 Broadway musical Yokel Boy. The Glen Miller Orchestra also recorded a version of the song in 1942, but our favorite version comes straight from the film. In the clip, The Andrews Sisters, perform this charming song with an appearance from Shemp Howard of The Three Stooges.
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https://youtu.be/PPJZTRqQ1Xw
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