The Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters were an American close-harmony trio of LaVerne, Maxene, and Patty Andrews, known for swing and boogie-woogie hits and wartime performances.

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy: A 1941 song by the Andrews Sisters about a trumpet-playing soldier whose music inspires his fellow servicemen. Its swing arrangement became one of the trio’s signature recordings and a defining wartime hit.
Close harmony: A style of singing in which voices move together through closely spaced notes or chords. The sisters’ tightly blended parts made close harmony the defining feature of their sound.
LaVerne Andrews: An American singer who performed as the eldest member of the Andrews Sisters. Her low voice anchored the trio’s harmony and she often helped organize its work.
USO: A nonprofit organization that provides programs and services for American military personnel and their families. The sisters performed for troops through USO tours during World War II.
Bing Crosby: An American singer and actor whose relaxed vocal style made him one of the most popular entertainers of the twentieth century. His recordings with the sisters, including “Pistol Packin’ Mama,” brought their voices together on major hits.
Rum and Coca-Cola: A 1944 Andrews Sisters hit adapted from a calypso song associated with Trinidadian musician Lord Invader. The recording shows how the trio turned Caribbean-influenced material into a major American pop hit.
Swing music: A jazz style built around a strong rhythmic pulse, syncopation, and ensemble improvisation. Swing rhythms gave the trio’s vocal arrangements their buoyant, dance-oriented drive.
Maxene Andrews: An American singer who performed as the middle member of the Andrews Sisters. Her voice supplied the trio’s central harmony part between LaVerne and Patty.
World War II: A global war fought from 1939 to 1945 between the Axis powers and the Allies. Wartime service and separation gave many of the trio’s hits their emotional setting.
Glenn Miller: An American trombonist and bandleader whose orchestra became one of the most popular swing bands of the 1930s and 1940s. The sisters recorded and performed in the same big-band world as Miller’s orchestra.

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