Dandridge Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Dandridge Sisters were a trio containing actress Dorothy Dandridge
, Vivian Dandridge
and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.
, Dorothy and Vivian started singing in public in 1934. After moving to Los Angeles, the Wonder Kids changed their stage name to the Dandridge Sisters with the addition of Etta Jones (born in 1919 and not to be confused with jazz singer Etta Jones
born in 1928). Together the trio triumphed in an amateur competition on radio station KNX
, Los Angeles, defeating twenty-five white contestants.
Two years later, the Dandridge Sisters were invited by promoter Joe Glazer to perform at New York's famed Cotton Club
, a nightclub that featured black talent and catered to white audiences. The act was so successful that they were given a spot in the regular program, performing on the same bill as artists Cab Calloway
and W. C. Handy
. Another act regularly in the line-up was the dynamic dance duo of Fayard Nicholas
& his younger brother Harold Nicholas
, the Nicholas Brothers
. The Dandridge Sisters were in England under the control of Geneva Williams from June to September 1939 in a show at The London Palladium
topped by comedian Jack Durant and the Jack Harris Orchestra. They also did other dates around the UK and in Ireland and while in London they recorded the Charlie Shavers
tune "Undecided" in July 1939.
saw & met them and fell in love with Vivian. The girls again received good reviews but their tour was cut short by the advent of World War II
. Prior to their engagement at The Cotton Club The Dandridge Sisters had toured Hawaii
with a circus. They had also toured in the USA. While in England Dorothy announced she wanted to go solo and back in the USA after the live dates with the Jimmy Lunceford Band finished in mid 1940, Dorothy broke away from Vivian & Etta and got stage and film acting work. This was the end of The Dandridge Sisters.
leader Jimmie Lunceford
and his orchestra. In June 1940 the Dandridge Sisters recorded four songs with Jimmie Lunceford's band:
Apart from "Undecided" recorded in London these are the only known recordings that were put to vinyl by the group. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in mid-1940 after Dorothy Dandridge
began to pursue a solo career and starred in the film Four Shall Die. Etta Jones is often confused with the jazz singer of same name. She did attend the weddings of Dorothy to Harold Nicholas in 1941 and to Jack Denison in 1959. Vivian Dandridge
appeared in a few uncredited movie roles including as an extra in Stormy Weather
and the voice of "So White" in the controversial cartoon "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs
". She released an album in 1968 called The Look Of Love which was unsuccessful. She died in obscurity in 1991.
, Snow Get Into Your Eyes, The Big Broadcast of 1936
, A Day at the Races
, Irene, and Easy to Take. They were considered a speciality act in these films, and usually performed a song. In the film Going Places, the Dandridge Sisters performed with Louis Armstrong
and Maxine Sullivan
.
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
, Vivian Dandridge
Vivian Dandridge
Vivian Alferetta Dandridge was a singer and actress. She is best known as the sister of actress Dorothy Dandridge and the daughter of character actress Ruby Dandridge...
and Etta Jones. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in 1940.
The starting of the Dandridge Sisters
With the forceful tutelage of Martha "Geneva" Williams and their mother Ruby DandridgeRuby Dandridge
Ruby Dandridge was an American actress from the early 1900s to the 1950s. She is best known for her radio work in her early days of acting....
, Dorothy and Vivian started singing in public in 1934. After moving to Los Angeles, the Wonder Kids changed their stage name to the Dandridge Sisters with the addition of Etta Jones (born in 1919 and not to be confused with jazz singer Etta Jones
Etta Jones
Etta Jones was an American jazz singer. She is not to be confused with the more popular singer Etta James nor her namesake, a member of the Dandridge Sisters, who recorded with Jimmy Lunceford and was Gerald Wilson's first wife. Her best known recordings were "Don't Go To Strangers" and "Save...
born in 1928). Together the trio triumphed in an amateur competition on radio station KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
, Los Angeles, defeating twenty-five white contestants.
Two years later, the Dandridge Sisters were invited by promoter Joe Glazer to perform at New York's famed Cotton Club
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem, New York City that operated during Prohibition that included jazz music. While the club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, Count Basie, Bessie Smith,...
, a nightclub that featured black talent and catered to white audiences. The act was so successful that they were given a spot in the regular program, performing on the same bill as artists Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
and W. C. Handy
W. C. Handy
William Christopher Handy was a blues composer and musician. He was widely known as the "Father of the Blues"....
. Another act regularly in the line-up was the dynamic dance duo of Fayard Nicholas
Fayard Nicholas
Fayard Antonio Nicholas...
& his younger brother Harold Nicholas
Harold Nicholas
Harold Lloyd Nicholas was an American dancer specializing in tap. He was the younger half of the world famous tap dancing pair the Nicholas Brothers, known as two of the world's greatest dancers. His older brother was Fayard Nicholas...
, the Nicholas Brothers
Nicholas Brothers
The Nicholas Brothers were a famous African American team of dancing brothers, Fayard and Harold . With their highly acrobatic technique , high level of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many the greatest tap dancers of their day...
. The Dandridge Sisters were in England under the control of Geneva Williams from June to September 1939 in a show at The London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
topped by comedian Jack Durant and the Jack Harris Orchestra. They also did other dates around the UK and in Ireland and while in London they recorded the Charlie Shavers
Charlie Shavers
Charles James Shavers , known as Charlie Shavers, was an American swing era jazz trumpet player who played at one time or another with Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmy Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams and Billie Holiday...
tune "Undecided" in July 1939.
The Dandridge Sisters
The Dandridge Sisters were a hit at the Cotton Club and the critics gave them good reviews. With their success Joe Glazer got them the exciting engagement in England where jazz critic Leonard FeatherLeonard Feather
Leonard Geoffrey Feather was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.-Biography:...
saw & met them and fell in love with Vivian. The girls again received good reviews but their tour was cut short by the advent of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Prior to their engagement at The Cotton Club The Dandridge Sisters had toured Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
with a circus. They had also toured in the USA. While in England Dorothy announced she wanted to go solo and back in the USA after the live dates with the Jimmy Lunceford Band finished in mid 1940, Dorothy broke away from Vivian & Etta and got stage and film acting work. This was the end of The Dandridge Sisters.
Dandridge Sisters' recordings and tour with Jimmie Lunceford
1940, the Dandridge Sisters toured with Big BandBig band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
leader Jimmie Lunceford
Jimmie Lunceford
James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era.-Biography:...
and his orchestra. In June 1940 the Dandridge Sisters recorded four songs with Jimmie Lunceford's band:
- Minnie the Moocher Is Dead
- You Ain't Nowhere
- Ain't Going To Study War No More
- That's Your Red Wagon
Apart from "Undecided" recorded in London these are the only known recordings that were put to vinyl by the group. The Dandridge Sisters disbanded in mid-1940 after Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
began to pursue a solo career and starred in the film Four Shall Die. Etta Jones is often confused with the jazz singer of same name. She did attend the weddings of Dorothy to Harold Nicholas in 1941 and to Jack Denison in 1959. Vivian Dandridge
Vivian Dandridge
Vivian Alferetta Dandridge was a singer and actress. She is best known as the sister of actress Dorothy Dandridge and the daughter of character actress Ruby Dandridge...
appeared in a few uncredited movie roles including as an extra in Stormy Weather
Stormy Weather (1943 film)
Stormy Weather is a 1943 American musical film produced and released by 20th Century Fox. The film is one of two major Hollywood musicals produced in 1943 with primarily African-American casts, the other being MGM's Cabin in the Sky, and is considered a time capsule showcasing some of the top...
and the voice of "So White" in the controversial cartoon "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs is a Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Bob Clampett, produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, and released to theatres on January 16, 1943 by Warner Bros...
". She released an album in 1968 called The Look Of Love which was unsuccessful. She died in obscurity in 1991.
Films
The Dandridge Sisters appeared in the films It Can't Last ForeverIt Can't Last Forever
It Can't Last Forever is a 1937 black and white American film. The film stars Ralph Bellamy, Betty Furness, and Robert Armstrong. It is also the debut film for 11 year old Donald O'Connor, who would later go on to be famous for his acrobatic tap dancing....
, Snow Get Into Your Eyes, The Big Broadcast of 1936
The Big Broadcast of 1936
The Big Broadcast of 1936 is a Paramount Pictures production, directed by Norman Taurog, and is the second in the series of Big Broadcast movies...
, A Day at the Races
A Day at the Races (film)
Further reading* Elisabeth Buxbaum: Veronika, der Lenz ist da. Walter Jurmann – Ein Musiker zwischen den Welten und Zeiten. Mit einem Werkverzeichnis von Alexander Sieghardt. Edition Steinbauer, Wien 2006, ISBN 3-902494-18-2-External links:*...
, Irene, and Easy to Take. They were considered a speciality act in these films, and usually performed a song. In the film Going Places, the Dandridge Sisters performed with Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Maxine Sullivan
Maxine Sullivan
Maxine Sullivan , born Marietta Williams, was an American blues and jazz singer.She was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, and married jazz musician John Kirby in 1938 , and stride pianist Cliff Jackson in 1956...
.