The Andrews Sisters

It would not be out of line to call The Andrews Sisters the Beatles of their era. That they did not write their own songs would be a minor quibble; in that era, almost no singers wrote their own songs; indeed, singers were not expected to write their own songs. In an eerie parallel with the Beatles, the sisters also suffered a rift in the later years of their careers. You need listen to only a few of their recordings to realize that there was truly something special about the Andrews sisters.

Their popularity as singers was unmatched for nearly two decades, and, during World War II, they provided a diversion from the reality of the war years. They were also quite active in supporting the war effort with USO tours and the like.

Their singing career led to a series of mostly forgettable movies and, in 1944, to a radio show that aired for two years. In the early shows, the conceit was used that the trio had purchased a dude ranch, tended by ranch hand George "Gabby" Hayes, and guest stars were said to visiting the ranch, but that was dropped later in the show's run. Guests ranged from the Mills Brothers to Ethel Merman to George Jessel.

For more information, see IMDB.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.