The Ross Sisters

The Ross Sisters were a trio of American singers and dancers consisting of Betsy Ann Ross (1926–1996), Veda Victoria "Vicki" Ross (1927–2002), and Dixie Jewell Ross (1929–1963), who used the

The Ross sisters were born in West Texas, to Veda Cordelia Lipham and her husband Charles Adolphus Ross.^[3] Their performances were first reviewed in Billboard in September 1942, when they appeared in Boston in the show Count Me In. The reviewer wrote, "The acrobatic antics of the Ross Sisters stop the show on two occasions. These kids are fresh, and their work is sensational."^[4] In May 1943 they appeared in Post War Revue, presented by Billy Rose at the Diamond Horseshoe nightclub in New York City,^[5] where a review praised their "amazing acro contortion work".^[6]

After performing a "grand acrobatic dance"

Published sources and some official records conflict on the names and dates of the sisters, as they apparently used each other's names at different times. When Broadway Rhythm was filmed, birth records indicate that the sisters were between about 14 and 17 years old. It has been suggested that in order to perform in London in 1946, the two younger sisters assumed the identity of their next oldest sister to make them appear to be older than their true age. The oldest of the three used the identity of an older sister who had died as an infant.[17] They were recorded on the Queen Mary passenger list as Dorothy (aged 21), Eva (20) and Victoria (18),^[12] though their real names and ages were Betsy Ann (20), Veda Victoria (18), and Dixie (17). Each sister also used a different stage name.

• Betsy Ann Ross (also known as Dorothy Jean Ross; stage name "Aggie") was born on June 26, 1926, in
  1930 US Census.^[19] She used the name and identity of a sister, Dorothy Jean Ross, who had died as a baby. She married Burnice C. (also known as Robert "Bunny") Hightower, an American dancer, in 1947.^[20] He has been described as an alcoholic suffering schizophrenia who once beat her so badly that she almost died.^[8] They appeared together many times on The Ed Sullivan Show. They divorced in 1957, and she married Hieronymus "Rony" Abagi, with whom she had two daughters. They divorced in 1969, and shortly afterwards she remarried Hightower, who died the following year. In 1976, a Betsy Ross worked as a production assistant in a Broadway dance production,^[21] but it is unclear if this is the same person. Dorothy Jean Hightower died in Troup, Texas
  , on November 21, 1996.
• Veda Victoria Ross (also known as Eva Vicki Ross; stage name "Maggie") was born on November 8, 1927, in
  RKO Radio Pictures' 1949 musical revue Make Mine Laughs, and they also appeared in episodes of the Ed Sullivan Show. On the July 28, 1957, broadcast of What's My Line?, she appeared as a guest. She used the name Eva Lamouret and surprised the panel (but didn't stump them) by revealing that she was a chiropractor. After her husband's death in 1959, Eva Vicki Lamouret married Robert Sherman Hender; they divorced in 1973.^[23] She died in Maitland, Florida
  on May 29, 2002.
• Dixie Jewell Ross (also known as Veda Victoria Ross; stage name "Elmira") was born on August 9, 1929, in
  barbiturates,^[29][30] and is buried in Gunnersbury Cemetery, Acton.^[31]

After their father's death in 1955, their mother remarried and was known as Veda Matteson; she died, aged 94, in 2000.[32]

References