|
It's a long way from a tiny church in Middletown, Ohio to White House appearances for five presidents, and a command performance for the Queen of England. The McGuire Sisters - Christine, Dorothy and Phyllis - have been there, done that, in a stellar 46-year career that has touched generations across America and around the world. While most music icons point to their greatest hit - or maybe two or three - The McGuire Sisters racked up a string of billboard hits. Their classic harmony - as sharp today as it was when they burst onto the music scene in1952 - has immortalized songs such as "Sincerely," "Picnic," "Sugartime," "He," "Something's Gotta Give," "Just for Old Times Sake," and "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight."
The sisters began singing in a church in Middletown, Ohio where their mother was an ordained minister, when Phyllis was only 4 years old. By 1949, they were performing at military bases and church functions. In 1952, they won a spot on the "Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts" show and the rest is music history.Ę In the years that followed, the sisters performed before the Queen of England, as well as Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George Bush. They signed, what was at that time, an unprecedented contract with Coca-Cola, appeared on top TV shows, and played venues from Las Vegas to New York's Waldorf Astoria.
At the peak of their popularity, in 1968, The McGuire Sisters decided to put a wrap on their careers, with Phyllis flying solo and Dorothy and Christine devoting time to their growing families. For the next 17 years, the only time The McGuire Sisters performed together was at family functions. Then a unique twist of fate changed everything. When Christine and Dorothy were visiting Phyllis in New York City, they were repeatedly stopped by fans, who were asking for autographs and wondering where they would be appearing. "Why not?" they asked themselves. Thus opened a new chapter in the lives of The McGuire Sisters. The three retreated to Phyllis' palatial Las Vegas mansion for six months of rigorous rehearsals. The hard work paid off. The rejuvenated McGuire Sisters made international headlines. They found longtime fans waiting in line, and new ones joining them. Their music quickly bridged the generation gap and The McGuire Sisters were a hit once again.
The McGuire Sisters (Phyllis, Dorothy and Christine) got their big break on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Show, where they replaced the Chordettes and remained for six years. They generated many hits throughout the 1950's and well into the next decade, and so popular were they that, as representatives for Coca-Cola, they received the highest fee in advertising history up to that time. These 24 romantic melodies just inspire harmony, and the orchestrations are brilliant as well. "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" uses imitation among the horn and string sections to reinforce the vocal line, while "Them There Eyes" is punctuated by percussion and horn accents and a half-time coda. The three voices, very similar in tone color and generally having a low tessitura in the female range, blend easily, and their vocal style is natural and without artifice. It's wonderful stuff.
The three sisters McGuire indeed have a unity of blend hard to match among the many famous sibling groups. Their popularity was immense, and their cover versions of songs such as "Sincerely" and "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight," (both originally sung by the Moonglows and Spaniels, respectively) placed higher on the charts than those of their progenitors; the McGuire's sound and image was considered more acceptable to white audiences. While some of the songs, like "He," don't hold up as well over time - the lyrics and orchestrations seem a bit precious - the vivacious delivery is so unabashed, the apparently innate tunefulness so exact, and the arrangements so creative that "Muskrat Ramble" and "Sugartime" leave no doubt as to why the McGuires were loved by so many.
Certainly the two best-known and best-loved "sister" groups of the 1940s and 50s, the Andrews and McGuire Sisters just kept cranking out the top-40 hits. And what hits they were–what can you say about a song like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," other than that they should have given the Andrews Sisters heavy gold medals for helping win World War II with it? And "Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar," one of the most quintessential and definitive songs of the Swing era. If you’re looking for songs that define the glamorous, innocent romanticism of the 1950s, wouldn’t the McGuire’s "Sincerely," "Sugartime," "Something’s Got to Give" and "May You Always" be at or near the top of your list? Ten hits (all band accompanied): "Well All Right (Tonight’s the Night)," "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen," "I’ll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time," "Muskrat Ramble"–these songs were huge, and they’re all here for you to remember and enjoy!
|
