The Fontane Sisters

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The Fontane Sisters
Geri, Marge, Bea ( from left to right )

The Fontane Sisters ( German  "The Fontane Sisters" ) were a trio from New Milford , New Jersey , who worked from the mid- 1940s to the early 1960s . It consisted of Bea, Geri and Marge Rosse.

The early years

The mother of an Italian family, Louise Rosse, was both soloist and director of the choir at St. Joseph's Church in New Milford.

Bea and Marge began singing for local events, and they did so well that they were pushed to audition in New York City . Originally they appeared as a trio with their brother Frank under the name Ross Trio (omitting the "e" from Rosse). The group auditioned at NBC and was sent to Cleveland soon after .

When they returned to New York in 1944, Frank was drafted into the army; he was killed in 1945 in World War II . Geri, who had just finished school, took her brother's place and turned it into an all-girl trio.

The sisters initially recorded together as The Three Sisters . In the late 1940s / early 1950s, sheet music was released for at least two of their songs with a full photo of the three sisters: I'm Gonna See My Baby and Pretty Kitty Blue Eyes .

successes

The now all-female group chose the name Fontaine from a great-grandmother; they decided to drop the "i" and make themselves the Fontane sisters.

The sisters worked on maintaining (non-sponsored) programs for NBC and worked with Perry Como shortly after he joined the NBC network. The sisters learned back then in Chicago that the " Supper Club " would make changes to the cast; they were eager for a chance to attend his show, which also meant being closer to home. From the summer of 1948 they were presented in his radio and television show The "Chesterfield Supper Club" and later (1950-1954) in the "The Perry Como Show". The trio also appeared on Chesterfield Sound Off Time , but the television show only lasted one season.

In 1949 they were hired by RCA Victor and appeared on several recordings as a back-up for Perry Como. In 1951 they had a small hit with The Tennessee Waltz .

In 1954 they moved to Randy Woods Dot Records , where they hit the Billboard pop charts with 18 songs, including ten in the Top 40. Their late 1954 recording, Hearts of Stone, sold over a million copies and was awarded a gold Record excellent.

farewell

The Fontane sisters withdrew from show business in 1961 when the youngest sister Geri was expecting their daughter.

The daughter was named after Geri, and as an adult she was named "Geri Fontane Latchford" - "Latchford" based on the name of her father, Al (bert) Latchford. Neither Bea nor Marge had children, and the younger Geri was their parents' only child.

Marge Fontane felt that the trio stopped touring and didn't want to connect with newer members of the music scene. The sisters ultimately agreed not to be part of an evolving rock 'n' roll scene .

Geri married Al Latchford, a history professor. Marge was married to Franklin Hobbs, a well-known radio host at WCCO in Minneapolis . They met when the sisters were still working for NBC in Chicago. She remarried and became Marge Smith, the wife of an advertising executive. Marge moved to Florida with her second husband, and Bea became Mrs. E. Holmes Douglass in 1964.

In 1963 Dot Records released one last album, Tips of my Fingers, and a single ("Tips of my Fingers" / "Summertime Love") from the Fontane Sisters. However, these recordings did not mean a return to any live performances by the trio.

For the next 40 years, the Fontane sisters largely remained out of the public eye. In 2001, RCA Victor released a compilation of recordings by the Fontane Sisters and Perry Como, Perry Como With The Fontane Sisters, which contains many of the songs that were played on Perry Como's radio and television shows.

death

In 2004, reported an article in the New York Daily News , that Geri Fontane Latchford royalties received due to the activities of her mother and two aunts. The same article stated that all three Fontane sisters had died: Geri on September 13, 1993, Bea on March 25, 2002, and Marge on December 3, 2003.

Recordings

  • Tennessee Waltz (1951, RCA Victor)
  • Kissing Bridge (1953, RCA Victor)
  • Happy Days and Lonely Nights (1954)
  • Willow Weep For Me (1954)
  • Hearts Of Stone (1954) (their biggest hit, originally recorded by Johnny Torrence and The Jewels; also covered by The Charms)
  • Rock Love (1955) (originally recorded by Lula Reed; also played by Eddie Fontaine)
  • Most of All (1955) (originally recorded by The Moonglows)
  • Rollin 'Stone (1955) (originally recorded by The Marigolds)
  • Playmates (1955) (originally recorded by Kay Kyser in 1940)
  • Seventeen (1955) (originally recorded by Boyd Bennett )
  • Daddy-O (1955) (originally recorded by "Mary Kath", known as Bonnie Lou)
  • Adorable (1955) (originally recorded by The Colts)
  • Nuttin 'For Christmas (1955)
  • Eddie My Love (1956) (originally recorded by The Teen Queens)
  • I'm In Love Again (1956) (originally recorded by Fats Domino )
  • Lonesome Lover Blues (1956) (originally recorded by Billy Eckstine in 1946)
  • Doin 'The Rock and Rolla (1956)
  • (Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You (1956)
  • Please Don't Leave Me (1956) (originally recorded by Fats Domino )
  • Still (1956) (originally recorded by Lavern Baker)
  • Voices (1956)
  • With a Little Bit of Luck (1957) (also performed by Harry Belafonte and The Tarriers)
  • The Banana Boat Song (1957) (originally recorded by The Tarriers)
  • I'm Stickin 'with You (1957) (originally recorded by Jimmy Bowen in 1957)
  • Jealous Heart (1958) (originally recorded by Tex Ritter 1945)
  • Chanson D'Amour (1958)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Two Gypsy Folk Tales . Ottawa Citizen . August 8, 1949. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  2. ^ A b c d Ray McKinley: Biographies of Dot Artists . Fontane Sisters. In: The Billboard . October 9, 1954, ISSN  0006-2510 , p. 44 (English, scan in Google book search).
  3. ↑ a b c Judy Werley: Fontane Sisters' Mother Still Keeps Busy , The Evening News. June 27, 1975. Retrieved January 11, 2011. 
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Fontane Sisters Spend Yule with Parents in Cornwall , The Newburgh News. December 26, 1951. Retrieved November 3, 2010. 
  5. ^ A b May Okon: They Have Hair Harmony, Too , New York Sunday News. February 20, 1955, p. 7. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved on April 4, 2015. 
  6. ↑ Adrian M. Slifka: Networks budget Millions For 'Rainbow' TV shows , Youngstown Vindicator. August 14, 1954. Retrieved October 24, 2010. 
  7. ↑ Chesterfield Sound Off Time in the Internet Movie Database , accessed on May 11, 2020.
  8. ↑ Recorders Snare Wax Talent . In: The Billboard . January 22, 1949, p. 16 ( scan in Google book search).
  9. ^ Dot Inks Term Pact With Fontane Sisters . In: The Billboard . April 17, 1954, p. 15 , col. 1 ( scan in Google book search).
  10. ^ Joseph Murrells: The Book of Golden Discs . The record that sold a million. 2nd, changed and completely updated edition. Barrie and Jenkins, London 1978, ISBN 0-214-20512-6 , pp. 68 (English, Scan  - Internet Archive [accessed on May 12, 2020] with registration).
  11. ↑ a b c Martha Schiff: Where Are The Fontane Sisters Now? , The Evening News. January 23, 1977. Retrieved January 10, 2011. 
  12. ↑ Franklin Hobbs . Minneapolis-St. Paul Museum of Broadcasting. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  13. ↑ HOBBS from A1. He was WCCO radio's beloved voice for 20 years . In: Star Tribune . October 20, 1995, p. 6 ( newspapers.com [accessed May 11, 2020]).
  14. ^ Attendants For Fontane Bridal Named , The Evening News. April 1, 1964. Retrieved January 10, 2011. 
  15. ^ Perry Como With The Fontane Sisters. (No longer available online.) RCA Victor, July 8, 2001, archived from the original on November 8, 2012 ; Retrieved July 2, 2010 .
  16. ↑ Helen Peterson: MUSIC TO THEIR HEIRS Long-lost royalties delivered. (No longer available online.) In: New York Daily News. May 13, 2004, archived from the original on April 21, 2019 ; Retrieved July 2, 2010 .
  17. ↑ Geri Fontane. (No longer available online.) In: OTRRpedia. Archived from the original on April 8, 2015 ; Retrieved April 6, 2011 .
  18. ↑ Bea Fontane. (No longer available online.) In: OTRRpedia. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016 ; Retrieved April 6, 2011 .