Kit and Kay

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Kit and Kay
General information
Genre (s) Old-time music , country music
founding 1936
resolution 1942
Founding members
Irene Crouse
Vocals, guitar
Orlene Crouse

Kit and Kay were an American old-time and country duo from Missouri .

Life

Childhood and youth

Twins Irene and Orlene Crouse were born on March 2, 1920 in Saline County , Missouri, as daughters of farmers Calvin and Mae Crouse. The Crouse sisters also had two older sisters, Anna and Margaret, and a younger brother, Willard. When their grandfather died, the Crouse family moved to Harrison County , where they lived on a farm near Cainsville. At the age of three, the twins learned to play the ukulele from their aunts and later also learned the banjo , guitar and mandolin.

Career

As children, the Crouses began playing barn dances and other local events with their older sisters . In 1935, the sisters received an invitation from Earl May, the owner of KMA in Shenandoah , Iowa , to appear regularly on his station's programming. Their show quickly became the listeners' favorite and shortly afterwards the quartet was accepted into the KMA Country School ensemble , a live show.

A year later, Anna and Margaret left the group, leaving Irene and Orlene Crouse behind. The twins then moved to KFNF in Shenandoah before moving to Saint Joseph in 1937 . While they were performing on KFNF, the broadcaster KMBC gave them the chance of a five-year contract on the radio. After a moment's hesitation, the sisters agreed and moved to Kansas City , where they now appeared under the name "Kit and Kay". The name was suggested by a fan when KMBC asked for a simpler stage name than "The Crouse Sisters" to be chosen.

In addition to their early morning show on KMBC, Kit and Kay were two of the first artists to perform at the re-created Brush Creek Follies from Ivanhoe Temple. In 1938 her 18th birthday was celebrated live on the radio. Over the next few years, the Brush Creek Follies became one of the most successful live shows in the United States, increasing Kits and Kay's popularity enormously. Although they only accompanied their singing with guitar and mandolin and continued to play the traditional music of the rural population, they were very popular. At this time, old-time music became country music, in which new forms such as honky tonk developed, which were played with electrically amplified instruments. Kit and Kay did not go with the trend, however, but got stuck with old-time music.

In addition to their radio appearances, they have also been booked for concerts across the Midwest , often with their friend and KMBC musician Colorado Pete . On their tours they often played with the Oklahoma Wranglers , who would later make a career as the Willis Brothers. Colorado Pete also took over the job of "chauffeur" for the twins, as he drove himself and the two sisters to the performances.

retreat

In 1942 Kit and Kay decided to leave the music scene. Both had married and were now starting a family. Kit died in May 2005, while Kay now resides in Kanas City and is one of the last two Brush Creek Follies artists still alive.

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