Misplaced Pages

#267732

59-645: The Boswell Sisters were an American close harmony singing trio of the jazz and swing eras, consisting of three sisters: Martha Boswell (June 9, 1905 – July 2, 1958), Connie Boswell (later spelled "Connee", December 3, 1907 – October 11, 1976), and Helvetia "Vet" Boswell (May 20, 1911 – November 12, 1988). Hailing from uptown New Orleans , the group blended intricate harmonies and song arrangements featuring effects such as scat , instrumental imitation, ‘Boswellese’ gibberish, tempo and meter changes, major/minor juxtaposition, key changes, and incorporation of sections from other songs. They attained national prominence in

118-571: A ceremony covered by the Pfister Sisters, the Boswells were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2014, Vet's daughter and granddaughter published The Boswell Legacy , the first comprehensive book on the life and times of the influential trio. The same year, the 52-track compilation double-CD Shout, Sister, Shout! was released by Retrospective Records. In his review of

177-404: A condition whose source has never been fully confirmed. A childhood bout with polio and a coaster wagon accident are the two main hypotheses, and Connie backed up both of them in various media sources. One theory holds that Meldania crafted the accident story in order to spare her daughter the stigma attached to the disease. In March 1925, they made their first recording for Victor Records with

236-530: A flying ace of the Great War Connie Boswell continued to have a successful solo career as a singer for Decca. She changed the spelling of her name from Connie to Connee in the 1940s, reputedly because it made it easier to sign autographs. When she tried to become involved with the overseas USO tours during World War II, she was not granted permission to travel overseas because of her disability, so she instead visited hospitalized soldiers and sailors in

295-483: A group that is still recording today. Artists like The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel used close harmony, echoing their chosen role-models, The Everly Brothers . The Louvin Brothers were a duo that used close harmony in the genre of country music . Barbershop harmony has a unique harmonic structure: the melody is in the 2nd tenor or "lead" voice, while the 1st tenor takes the next part up, usually in 3rds, with

354-819: A lower register, grouped close around the single microphone. After moving to New York City in 1931, the Boswell Sisters soon attained national attention and began making national radio broadcasts. The trio had a program on CBS from 1931 to 1933. They soon signed a contract with Brunswick Records and made recordings from 1931 to 1935 under the aegis of producer Jack Kapp . These Brunswick recordings are widely regarded as milestone recordings of vocal jazz. For their Brunswick recordings, "the Boswells took greater liberties, regularly changing style, tempi, modality, lyrics, time signatures and voicings (both instrumental and vocal) to create unexpected textures and effects." The sisters' reworking of melodies and rhythms of popular songs, and

413-601: A major musical based on their lives, was produced at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. The play starred Michelle Duffy, Elizabeth Ward Land, and Amy Pietz and was produced by the same team that produced Forever Plaid . The show was a hit with audiences and a critical success, but failed to be picked up for a much hoped-for Broadway run. The Boswell Sisters were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. At

472-432: A middle-class family home at 3937 Camp Street. The sisters' parents, their Aunt Mattie, and their Uncle Charlie originally sang as a barbershop quartet. This love of music and singing was passed on to the children. Martha, Connie, and Vet studied classical piano, cello, and violin, respectively, under the tutelage of Tulane University professor Otto Finck. They performed their classical repertoire in local recitals, often as

531-480: A mobile recording unit. The session consisted of five songs, three of which were composed by Martha. Victor rejected three of the recordings and accepted "I'm Gonna Cry (Crying Blues)" and "Nights When I Am Lonely" for release (both by Martha). The recording equipment used for this session was the primitive acoustic horn-style of sound capture, which tended to make vocals sound thin and tinny (and so singers were often forced to over compensate by singing at full volume into

590-861: A profound effect on the development of the big band sound in the 1930s." When assessing their legacy, scholars claim the Boswell Sisters "made 'real' jazz commercially viable, destigmatizing the music and opening its appreciation to the wider American public." Martha and Connie were born in Kansas City, Missouri; Helvetia was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Their parents were manager and former vaudevillian from Indiana Alfred Clyde "A. C." Boswell (1877—1944) and his music-loving wife Meldania George Foore (1871—1947), originally from Missouri . The sisters—along with their 14-year-old brother Clyde Jr. (Clydie)—landed in New Orleans, Louisiana as children in 1914. They were raised in

649-546: A trio, but the city's jazz scene swiftly won them over, personally and professionally. "We studied classical music...and were being prepared for the stage and a concert tour throughout the United States, but the saxophone got us," Martha said in a 1925 interview with the Shreveport Times . In addition to providing the young Boswells with formal, classical musical education, Meldania Boswell took her children regularly to see

SECTION 10

#1732852175268

708-517: A voice actor and singer on Tom Breneman 's KNX radio comedy show "Tom and His Mule Hercules", playing Tom's girlfriend "Miss Somaphine". Breneman soon hired the Boswell trio to perform regularly on KNX (broadcast from the Paramount Pictures studios). "Tom and His Mule Hercules" later became known as "Tom and Miss Somaphine", and finally "Radio Periscope" with the continued participation of Martha, and

767-470: Is more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. The more general term spacing describes how far apart the notes in a chord are voiced. A triad in close harmony has compact spacing, while one in open harmony has wider spacing. Close harmony or voicing can refer to both instrumental and vocal arrangements. It can follow the standard voice-leading rules of classical harmony, as in string quartets or Bach chorales , or proceed in parallel motion with

826-437: The 1920s and 30s. Rather than assign each vocalist to a particular range, such as contralto, alto, soprano, etc., the sisters were comfortable moving unexpectedly across one another's natural ranges. Martha Boswell described it as "a desertion, at various times, of the tones in which we would normally sing", but with the end effect being a "blending" of tones. This idea is supported by a later Vet Boswell comment that "whichever one

885-466: The 1930s. Close harmony singing was especially popular in the 1940s with pop and R&B groups using the technique quite frequently. The Andrews Sisters also capitalized on a similar style with swing music . Many gospel and soul groups in the 1950s and 60s also used this technique, usually 3- or 4-part SSAA or TTBB harmony with one person (either bass or lead) doing a call-and-response type lead. Examples of this are The Blind Boys of Alabama ,

944-402: The 1932 film The Big Broadcast , which featured Bing Crosby and Cab Calloway . The song—one of the sisters' signature tunes—was described in a November 2011 issue of the music magazine Mojo as "by no means as archaic as its age." They sang their 1934 song "Rock and Roll" in the film Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round , bringing with them an early use of the phrase rock 'n' roll , referring in

1003-408: The Boswell home. Norman Brownlee and his band were also regular participants in musical evenings at the Boswell home. Reportedly, father A.C. Boswell tried unsuccessfully to limit these visits to just one night per week—with little success. The sisters were particularly influenced by Brownlee's cornetist Emmett Louis Hardy , another friend of Clydie, whose well-documented talent and skill helped shape

1062-800: The Boswells as a trio. When later in the year Breneman became programming director for station KFVD he continued to program Boswell trio radio appearances. Another New Orleans friend by the name of Bobby Burns Berman had opened a restaurant in Hollywood, and invited the Boswell trio to perform at "B.B.B.'s Cellar". The restaurant performances got them noticed by Hollywood entertainment executives. The Boswells began to get "side-miking" work in Hollywood film musicals at this time, singing for other performers in "They Learned About Women" (MGM), "Let's Go Places" (Fox), and "Under Montana Skies" (Tiffany Productions). Video of "Harlem Hop" number with Boswell Sisters performing background vocals (from "Under Montana Skies") As

1121-472: The Boswells' first record "I'm Gonna Cry (Cryin' Blues)," then settled into her own vocal style. Like many middle-class southern households, the Boswell family employed black house servants who, in this musical home environment, were welcome to sing while working, and the girls were known to join in with the singing. Helvetia in particular remembered that their housekeeper, named Aunt Rhea, sang traditional African-American lullabies to her at bedtime. In interviews,

1180-541: The Jackie Taylor Orchestra as backing musicians. In October 1930, the Boswells then recorded a total of five songs for OKeh Records accompanied solely by Martha Boswell on piano: Four of the OKeh recordings were issued on two records, and internationally the tracks were paired with jazz recordings by Louis Armstrong and Frankie Trumbauer. The Boswells received numerous mentions in various radio/stage/screen magazines of

1239-781: The Rhythm Kings Gennett Records the first recorded jazz solos. After the breakup of the Rhythm Kings in Chicago, Roppolo and Paul Mares headed east to try their luck on the New York City jazz scene. Contemporary musicians recalled Roppolo making some recordings with Original Memphis Five and California Ramblers musicians in New York in 1924. These sides were presumably unissued, or if issued unidentified. Roppolo and Mares then returned home to New Orleans where they briefly reformed

SECTION 20

#1732852175268

1298-540: The Rhythm Kings and made some more recordings. After this, Roppolo worked with other New Orleans bands such as the Halfway House Orchestra, with which he recorded on saxophone. Roppolo exhibited ever more eccentric behavior and violent temper. This was finally too much for his family to take, and Leon was committed to the state mental hospital in 1925. Some writers have speculated that he was suffering from tertiary syphilis . Leon Roppolo died in New Orleans at

1357-478: The U.S. and "did considerable entertaining at Army and Navy posts throughout the country during World War II". Connie and fellow singer Eddie Cantor "were among the original founders of the March of Dimes, and from 1960 on her appearances were limited to benefits for hospitals and other institutions active on behalf of the handicapped". The Boswell Sisters approached harmony in a manner different from most vocal groups of

1416-743: The United States in the 1930s during the twilight of the Jazz Age and the onset of the Great Depression . After the trio split in 1936, Connie continued as a solo vocalist in radio, film, and later television for an additional quarter century. The trio's "unique singing style and ground-breaking arrangements fused 'blackness' and 'whiteness' in music," and their collaborations with "the preeminent white swing musicians of their day—the Dorsey Brothers , Glenn Miller , Benny Goodman , Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang , Artie Shaw , Victor Young , Bunny Berigan —had

1475-527: The age of 15 he decided to leave home to travel with the band of Bee Palmer , which soon became the nucleus for the New Orleans Rhythm Kings . The Rhythm Kings became (along with King Oliver 's band) one of the best regarded hot jazz bands in Chicago in the early 1920s. Roppolo's style influenced many younger Chicago musicians, most notably Benny Goodman . Some critics have called Roppolo's work on

1534-454: The album, Robert Christgau wrote of the Sisters: "They were so prolific and original that except for Billie [Holiday] and their fan Ella they were not just the premier jazz singers of the decade, rewriting melodies at will, but pop stars with a dozen top 10 singles. The Boswells didn’t just imitate instruments when the fancy struck them, they sang as though they were instruments, outswinging both

1593-413: The baritone and bass voices supporting. The bass line tends to be more rhythmic and covers the root notes of the harmonic progression, providing more "support" and independence than in classical vocal music, since Barbershop is usually sung a cappella. Barbershop can be sung by people of any gender. Public domain pieces, such as " Sweet Adeline ", and newer pieces are abundant. National organizations promote

1652-430: The chords have four or more notes and the harmonies are more complex. In jazz , this influence flowered in the works of George Gershwin and Duke Ellington . A well-known example of consistent instrumental close harmony is Glenn Miller 's " Moonlight Serenade " which uses the full range of single-reed wind instruments (soprano clarinet, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones) to make a distinctive sound by harmonizing

1711-458: The course. The Boswells were among the few performers who were allowed to make changes to current popular tunes since, during this era, music publishers and record companies pressured performers not to alter current popular song arrangements. Connie also recorded a series of more conventional solo records for Brunswick during the same period. In an interview with CBS Records and Sony Music producer and archivist Michael Brooks, Connie Boswell revealed

1770-554: The cover of their second album, Rock & Roll . The Ditty Bops have covered Boswell Sisters songs in concert. Caffeine Trio from Brazil also claims to have been influenced by them. There is also an Australian group, the Boswell Project, based in Adelaide, South Australia . A London harmony trio, The Haywood Sisters, have also recorded some Boswell Sisters hits and are greatly influenced by their style. In 2001, The Boswell Sisters ,

1829-826: The day: Later groups such as the Pfister Sisters, the Stolen Sweets , Boswellmania, the Puppini Sisters , YazooZazz, the Spanish group O Sister!, the Italian trio Sorelle Marinetti , and the Israeli band the Hazelnuts imitated the sisters' recordings. Canada's Company B Jazz Band includes many Boswell Sisters arrangements in its repertoire and even created a set saluting the Boswells' appearance in Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round for

The Boswell Sisters - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-464: The different sections all within a single octave. Miller studied the Schillinger technique with Joseph Schillinger , who is credited with helping Miller create the "Miller sound", and under whose tutelage he himself composed what became his signature theme, "Moonlight Serenade". In organ performance, block harmony means that close position chords are added below the melody in the right hand, and

1947-496: The early 1930s the Boswell Sisters, Three X Sisters , and Pickens Sisters were the talk of early radio female harmonizing. The Andrews Sisters started out as imitators of the Boswell Sisters. Young Ella Fitzgerald loved the Boswell Sisters and in particular idolized Connie, after whose singing style she initially patterned her own. In 1936, the group signed to American Decca, now headed by their producer Jack Kapp, but after just six single records they broke up. The last recording

2006-492: The emerging medium of radio. By the early 1920s, they were performing regularly at local vaudeville theaters, with an act that combined classical, semi-classical, and jazz styles—though, as their popularity increased, the classics faded into the background. The sisters performed as they would for virtually their entire career: Martha and Connie seated at the piano, with Vet close behind. This arrangement served to disguise Connie's inability to walk, or stand for any length of time,

2065-454: The fashionable nasally intonations favored by most white female singers of the day. By sticking to their natural voices and leaving their genuine New Orleans accents intact, the Boswells were able to avoid the introduction of false mannerisms and artificial melodrama into their song renditions: For the American public, the Boswell Sisters' sound contrasted sharply with the popular white singers of

2124-706: The front page of the Arkansas City Daily Traveler on Monday, December 10, 1928. The Boswell sisters arrived in San Francisco at the beginning of 1929. They were able to sign with a California vaudeville circuit and start performing again within the week, as advertised in the Napa Valley Register on January 5, 1929. Their next break came when an old New Orleans acquaintance invited the sisters to appear on his weekly radio program at KFWB. This initial exposure led to an opportunity for Martha to perform as

2183-476: The horn). At the time of this first recording session Martha was 19, Connie 17 and Vet only 13 years of age. The Boswells would not record again until 1930, instead performing on a succession of vaudeville circuits in the Midwest and later California. In December 1928, while completing their Midwest vaudeville tour through Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma, Connie Boswell was injured and briefly hospitalized, as reported on

2242-523: The inaugural television broadcast of CBS, and performed on Hello, Europe , the first internationally broadcast radio program. The Boswell Sisters were among radio's earliest stars, making them one of the first hit acts of the mass-entertainment age. In 1934, the Sisters appeared 13 times on the radio show Bing Crosby Entertains on CBS. They were featured in fan magazines, and their likenesses were used in advertisements for beauty and household products. During

2301-488: The leading African–American performers of the day at the renowned Lyric Theatre . Although Black and White performers and audiences of the period normally were segregated, the Lyric Theatre offered a "Midnight Frolics" program for white-only audiences. There, young Connie heard Mamie Smith , whose " Crazy Blues " (1920), the first blues record performed by an African American, was a hit. Connie later imitated Smith's style on

2360-557: The left hand doubles the melody an octave lower, while in open harmony the middle note of the chord is played an octave lower creating an "open" space in the chord. Leon Roppolo Leon Roppolo ( nicknamed "Rap" and sometimes misspelled as "Rappolo") was born in Lutcher, Louisiana , United States, up-river from New Orleans. His family, of Sicilian origin, moved to the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans about 1912. His first instrument

2419-462: The melody and the beat is going too rapidly. And to me they sound like savage chanters!" During this period, the Boswells developed their signature recording technique somewhat by accident. Normally the sisters would sing into a large carbon microphone from a distance of about three feet, but on one particular day there was a problem: Connie was sick with a head cold and couldn't project her voice as usual. They decided to sing together more softly and in

The Boswell Sisters - Misplaced Pages Continue

2478-480: The melody in thirds or sixths . Origins of this style of singing are found in harmonies of the 1800s in America. Early radio quartets continued this tradition. Female harmonists, like The Boswell Sisters (" Mood Indigo ", 1933) and The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce ("Who? You That's Who!", 1927), who then became Three X Sisters , performed and recorded this style in the 1920s, and continued it on commercial radio of

2537-588: The more traditional TTBB or SSAA 4-part structure, but with heavy use of solos and call-and-response, which is rooted in the African American church. These groups sometimes sang a cappella but also used instrumental backing, especially when recorded by the bigger labels. Pop music and doo-wop can be seen as a commercialization of this genre. Impressionist composers like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel often used close harmony in their works and other intervals, such as 7ths, 9ths, and 11ths may be used since

2596-457: The music with local chapters in many communities. Soul and gospel groups flourished in America in the years after World War II, building on the foundation of blues, 1930s gospel songs and big band music. Originally called " race music " by white mainstream radio and its target market, it was the precursor to rock and roll and rhythm and blues of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, influencing many English and American artists of that era. They often used

2655-475: The note seemed to fit the voice better, we left it that way. We never had a set tenor or alto." Allowing one another the freedom to choose a different pitch range, in the moment, and basically switch places, became a hallmark of their harmony style. A primary example of the Boswell passing harmony/cross-voicing technique would be the trio's singing on "The Lonesome Road" recorded in 1934. The Boswell Sisters' recording of “Nights When I Am Lonely” for Victor in 1925

2714-474: The often chaotic nature of the New York jazz recording sessions in the early 1930s. But years later, both Connie and Vet spoke with pride about the trio's first session with top-flight New York studio accompanists, after which the musicians stood up to applaud and cheer. "That's a real compliment...when those boys stand." The Boswell Sisters soon appeared in films during this time. They sang the lively "Shout, Sister, Shout" (1931), written by Clarence Williams , in

2773-641: The participation of top New York jazz musicians (including the Dorsey Brothers , Benny Goodman , Bunny Berigan , Fulton McGrath , Joe Venuti , Arthur Schutt , Eddie Lang , Joe Tarto , Mannie Klein , Chauncey Morehouse , Dick McDonough , and Carl Kress ), made these recordings unlike any others. Some of the sessions with Dorsey Brothers' band musicians were notable in having the young Glenn Miller writing instrumental arrangements for his bandmates from Connie’s dictation. Melodies were rearranged and slowed down, major keys were changed to minor keys (sometimes in mid-song), and unexpected rhythmic changes were par for

2832-454: The period: However, the trio's unique approach to arrangements, which often involved reworking melodies and lyrics, altering tempos and keys in mid-song, as well as their improvisational style, did not always garner universal acclamation. In their inaugural year of radio broadcasting in California, "station employers received letters of opprobrium from outraged listeners voicing disapproval of

2891-538: The sisters gained regional notice through their radio appearances, the trio made as many as 50 broadcast transcription recordings for the Continental Broadcasting Corporation, and a selection of these were shipped out for broadcast in Hawaii. In July 1930, the Boswells made their first disc recordings in almost five years, beginning with two songs recorded for Victor Records in Hollywood. Both featured

2950-705: The sisters recalled driving around New Orleans listening for new and interesting sounds, which they often found when being outside African–American churches and barrooms of the French Quarter or when listening to street musicians at the French Market. Connie's other primary vocal influence was the legendary Italian opera tenor Enrico Caruso , whom she saw perform at the Athenaeum in New Orleans: "I used to sit and listen and be amazed by his breathing. Then I’d try and do what he

3009-553: The sisters' knowledge of jazz harmony, syncopation, and improvisation. Hardy and Clydie both died young and unrecorded, Hardy of tuberculosis at age 22 and Clydie of Spanish flu-related complications at the age of 18. After becoming interested in jazz, Vet took up the banjo and guitar, and Connie the saxophone and trombone. Martha continued playing the piano but focused on the rhythms and idioms of ragtime and hot jazz . The sisters came to be well known in New Orleans while in their early teens, making appearances in local theaters and on

SECTION 50

#1732852175268

3068-408: The sisters' new and unusual arranging and singing styles." One letter stated: "Why don't you choke those Boswell Sisters? How wonderful it would be if they sang just one song like it was written. Really when they get through murdering it, one can never recognize the original." Another outraged letter from an angry listener read: "Please get those terrible Boswell Sisters off the station! You can't follow

3127-530: The song to "the rolling rocking rhythm of the sea". The Boswell Sisters chalked up 20 hits during the 1930s, including the number-one record "The Object of My Affection" (1935). (Of special note is their involvement in a handful of 12" medley/concert recordings made by Red Nichols , Victor Young and Don Redman and their 1934 recording of " Darktown Strutters' Ball ", which was issued only in Australia.) They also completed two successful tours of Europe, appeared on

3186-498: The trio's version of "Everybody Loves My Baby" from 1932. Essentially the Boswellese chorus substitutes for the expected instrumental break. By the beginning of the 1930s, the Boswells plainly differed from their competitors by avoiding caricature or hyper-vocalization in their performances. Both Martha and Connie developed the lower parts of their natural ranges, and the trio sang mostly in their throats and chests rather than relying on

3245-408: The ‘30s competition and such heirs as Lambert, Hendricks and Ross ." Close harmony A chord is in close harmony (also called close position or close structure ) if its notes are arranged within a narrow range , usually with no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. In contrast, a chord is in open harmony (also called open position or open structure ) if there

3304-732: Was doing. I’d take a long breath and hit a lot of notes." As their older brother Clydie began breaking away from classical music to study jazz, he introduced his sisters to the syncopated style and to many of the young jazz players in New Orleans. Leon Roppolo (clarinet, guitar), Monk Hazel (drums, cornet), Pinky Vidacovich (clarinet, saxophone), Nappy Lamare (guitar, banjo), Ray Bauduc (tuba, vocals), Dan LeBlanc (tuba), Leon Prima (trumpet), Louis Prima (trumpet, vocals), Wingy Manone (trumpet, vocals), Al Gallodoro (clarinet, saxophone), Chink Martin (bass, tuba, guitar), Santo Pecora (trombone), Raymond Burke (clarinet, saxophone), and Tony Parenti (clarinet, saxophone) were regular guests at

3363-489: Was made on February 12, 1936 (Irving Berlin's "Let Yourself Go" and "I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket"). Approximately one month earlier, Martha Boswell had married Major George L. Lloyd of Britain's Royal Air Force . Connie served as her sister's only attendant at the wedding and Harold J. Warner served as their best man. Lloyd was the managing director of the Aero Insurance Underwriters in New York. and

3422-484: Was the violin . He was a fan of the marching bands he heard in the streets of New Orleans, and wanted to play clarinet . An older relative with the same name played that instrument in Papa Jack Laine 's Reliance Brass Band. Roppolo soon excelled at the clarinet, and played youthful jobs with his friends Paul Mares and George Brunies for parades, parties, and at Milneburg on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain . At

3481-423: Was the first recorded instance of what has come to be known as "Boswellese," a gibberish language reportedly created by their father, A.C. Boswell, but taken to a virtuoso level by his daughters. The effect was achieved by inserting “ggled” (pronounced as "guhl-d") after the vowel of a word, with the chosen rhythm determining where the accent should be placed. Probably the clearest example of this technique appears in

#267732