Boswell Sisters

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The Boswell Sisters were an American jazz - girl group from New Orleans , the great popularity enjoyed in the 1930s.

The vocal ensemble consisted of three sisters:

  • Helvetia "Vet" Jones, née Boswell (born May 20, 1911 in Birmingham , Alabama ; † November 12, 1988 in Peekskill)

history

Early years

The father, Alfred Clyde Boswell (1877-1944), came from Indiana . He worked in the circus business before he married Meldania George Foore (1871-1947) from Missouri. A son and daughter died shortly after giving birth. The son Alfred Clyde Jr. (1900–1918), like his siblings very musical (he played the violin ), died of flu . The parents were also good singers. The family moved from Kansas City to New Orleans in 1914, where Alfred Boswell accepted a position as manager of the Fleischmann Yeast Company .

The three sisters were introduced to music at an early age. All learned several instruments and were classically trained by Professor Otto Finck, a cellist at the French Opera House in New Orleans . Martha specialized in the piano . So she played the accompaniment for most of the songs and also composed. Vet learned to play the violin, banjo and dance . Connee developed polio at the age of three . Although she recovered, she could never walk properly. At her mother's request, she learned the cello ; there were also piano, trombone , guitar and alto saxophone . Through their mother, the siblings came into contact with various styles of music in New Orleans, including jazz . To this end, she took them to the Lyric Theater , where African American musicians performed.

Connee and Vet gained their first stage experience in the passion play Veronica's Veil in the French Opera House. Jazz musicians from the city often gathered at the Boswell family home on Camp Street, including the cornet player Emmett Hardy, who died in 1925 . Martha made music with them and developed a feeling for blues and ragtime early on .

Career

The sisters enjoyed success in vaudeville theaters in and around New Orleans from an early age . As early as 1925 they appeared on radio broadcasts in New Orleans; initially only with instruments, later also with vocals. Mainly Connee took over the lead vocals . They also appeared with the New Orleans Philharmonics, and from 1925 they made their first recordings, which, however, were not very successful. Because of a cold, Connee used the microphone to add volume to her voice. She was one of the first performers to use the microphone as an amplifier. From 1930 they made recordings for Victor Records . However, they only became known nationwide when they went to New York in 1930. After some recordings for Okeh Records , they had their greatest successes between 1931 and 1935 with Brunswick Records .

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

In 1934 they recorded a piece called Rock and Roll , one of the first to use the term . In total, the Boswell Sisters had 20 top hits, including the 1935 number one hit The Object of My Affection . The sisters switched to Decca Records in early 1936 . Three recordings were made here, the last on February 12, 1936. Connee Boswell had already worked solo before and was able to successfully continue her solo career. Martha and Vet got married and withdrew from the music business.

reception

The Boswell Sisters had a great influence on other groups and performers. Ella Fitzgerald often referred to Connee Boswell as her only source of inspiration. The Andrews Sisters were influenced by the group's Dixieland style. In 1980 the jazz ensemble The Pfister Sisters was founded in New Orleans. The three singers let themselves be influenced by The Boswell Sisters; In 2000 the album All's Well That's Boswell was created . It contains various songs by the Boswell Sisters that have so far only been used in films and not on records. Before that, they had already sung Boswell Sisters songs with Vet Boswell.

In 2001 the musical The Boswell Sisters premiered in San Diego . In 2014, The Historic Collection of New Orleans hosted an exhibition about the Boswell Sisters entitled Shout, Sister, Shout! The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans opened on the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the siblings in New Orleans. The exhibition was accompanied by Kyla Titus, the granddaughter of Vet Boswell, at the request of her mother (Vet's daughter), who died in 2010. It had previously opened The Boswell Museum in East Springfield . After her death, the exhibits were brought to New Orleans. Kyla Titus also published the book The Boswell Legacy in 2014 .

Awards

In 1998 the Boswell Sisters were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame . In 2008 he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Martha Boswell Lloyd. In: findagrave.com. November 26, 2007, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c Connee Boswell. In: findagrave.com. January 1, 2001, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  3. ^ Vet Boswell Jones. In: findagrave.com. November 25, 2007, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Alfred Boswell. In: findagrave.com. September 14, 2014, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Meldania Boswell. In: findagrave.com. September 14, 2014, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  6. ^ A b c Mary Grace: What's So Special About New Orleans ?: Boswell Sisters revived in New Orleans. In: What's So Special About New Orleans? March 24, 2014, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  7. ↑ a b Boz Bios - MBoz - Bozzies. Retrieved October 14, 2019 (American English).
  8. ↑ a b Boz Bios - VBoz - Bozzies. Retrieved October 14, 2019 (American English).
  9. ↑ a b Boz Bios - CBoz - Bozzies. Retrieved October 14, 2019 (American English).
  10. ↑ a b The Vocal Group Hall Of Fame | The Boswell Sisters. Retrieved October 14, 2019 (American English).
  11. ↑ a b The Boswell Sisters | American vocal trio. Retrieved October 15, 2019 .
  12. ^ The Andrews Sisters | Members, songs, & facts. Retrieved October 15, 2019 .
  13. ^ All's Well That's Boswell - The Pfister Sisters | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved October 15, 2019 (American English).
  14. ^ The Pfister Sisters - About Us. Retrieved October 15, 2019 .