Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were an American all-girl singing trio, started in 1934 in
Rise to fame
Both Vivian and Dorothy Dandridge originally made up the band The Wonder Children, organized by their mother
Stardom
The trio became highly recognized as a musical trio at the Cotton Club and often were compared to the
Personnel
Vivian Dandridge, who was a year older than her sister and two younger than Etta, acted as the leader of the group. She arranged all the meetings, rehearsals, and was its spokeswoman. The sisters all mentioned that they spent much of their spare time (when not performing) dancing and making scrapbooks. The three were all seemingly religious (Etta was
Vivian Dandridge
After the trio stopped performing together in 1940, Vivian performed in a few movie roles. She was an extra in the movie Stormy Weather (1943), and the voice of "So White" in a controversial cartoon short Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943). She then released an album titled The Look of Love in 1968, but it was unsuccessful.[1] She lived in Seattle for the last eight years of her life, but changed her stage name to Marina Rozell after her third marriage. She seldom performed any longer except at open-mic nights. She died at the age of 70 in 1991 from a stroke.[8]
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy often went by the nickname Dot while in the Dandridge Sisters. After breaking up the group in 1940, Dorothy became the most successful of the trio. She started in minor roles in Hollywood films and making popular
Etta Jones
Etta Jones, a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was born in 1919 (but often is confused with the more famous jazz singer
Film
A list of known film performances of the Dandridge Sisters includes:
- The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1936)
- A Day at the Races (1937)
- Easy to Take (1937)
- It Can't Last Forever (1937)
- Going Places (1938)
- Snow Gets in Your Eyes (1938)
- Irene (1940)
Recordings
The only known recorded songs that the Dandridge Sisters made on vinyl were "Undecided" (1939),[12] and "If I Were Sure of You" recorded for the Parlophone label while they were in London, and "Minnie the Moocher is Dead", "You Ain’t Nowhere", "Ain’t Goin to Study War No More", and "That’s Your Red Wagon", recorded in 1940 with Jimmie Lunceford and his big band orchestra.
References
- ^ a b c d e "The Dandridge Sisters – Biography". Last.fm. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- ^ a b c "Look Alike - but Just a Little Different," Afro-American, April 22, 1939, p. 11.
- ^ "Starring at Cotton Club,"The Chicago Defender, December 3, 1938, p. 19.
- ^ "We Passed 12 Subs: Coming Back From Europe", Afro-American, September 23, 1939, p. 1.
- ^ "Chic, Pretty, and Talented," The Chicago Defender, December 2, 1939, p. 20.
- ^ "Recordings", The Chicago Defender, December 14, 1940, p. 21.
- ^ "They're a Hit on the Coast", The Chicago Defender, April 6, 1940, p. 20.
- ^ Elizabeth, Mary (1991-11-02). "Vivian Dandridge, Singer With Sister, Dorothy, Dies". Seattle Times Newspaper. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- ^ "44 Word Handwritten Will of Miss Dandridge Filed", New York Times, October 12, 1965, p. 58.
- ^ "Samuel Goldwyn's 'Porgy and Bess' Has Premiere at Warner: Sidney...", New York Times, June 25, 1959, p. 20.
- ^ Listing for Etta Jones in Imdb.com https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0428053/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
- ^ "Undecided - Dandridge Sisters July 1939", YouTube.
External links
- Dandridge Sisters at IMDb