The
first thing to know about The King Sisters is
that there were six of them:
Maxine (1912 - 2009), Luise (1914 -
1997)
Alyce
(1915-1996), Donna (1919 - 2007)
Yvonne
(1920 - 2009), Marilyn (1930 - 2013)
They were all super singers -- able to leap a
sophisticated harmonic arrangement in a single
bound.
They were also able to fill in for one another
seamlessly when one was having a baby or one
decided to take a break or one decided to
quit.
Maxine was the first to bow out.
Marilyn, born in 1930, was the last to come on
board.
They
started out performing locally and quickly
made it
on to radio.
Then on to gigs -- both individually and as a
group -- with a variety of Big Bands.
Their records frequently charted high on the
Hit Parade in the 1940’s. And their
movie career -- mostly cameo appearances --
added to their fame.
The earliest version of what we now call music
videos were called “soundies.” They were
short musical films you could watch on video
jukeboxes.
Here's a soundie from 1941 -- The King Sisters
singing “Java Jive”:
In 1944, M-G-M featured (without credit) The
King Sisters -- with then-stylish elaborate
up-swept hairdos -- in a then-stylish
elaborate Kay Thompson vocal arrangement of “I
Like to Recognize the Tune”:
I
Like to Recognize the Tune
A
year later, M-G-M featured them -- in
technicolor -- in “Thrill of a Romance”:
Please
Don't Say No
In
the early 50’s, The King Sisters were
regulars on Gene Autry’s TV show:
Route
66
Exchanging
the bluejeans they sported for “Route 66,”
here The King Sisters are in Charles
James-ish couture, singing “Penthouse
Serenade” on TV:
Penthouse
Serenade
In
the late 1950's, The King Sisters recorded
for Capitol Records.
Here is a classic rendition…and
arrangement ... of “Imagination”:
Imagination
In
1964, along with their families (it seems
that being a King means you can really
sing), The King Sisters appeared on the
“Hollywood Palace” TV series:
The
audience response was volcanic -- over
50,000 fan letters requesting a followup
appearance.
The Palace producers pitched ABC the idea
of starring The King Family in a
regularly-scheduled variety series.
ABC bit and the series debuted the next
year.
Here’s
a clip from the premiere episode of The
King Family:
The
King Family
And
here are the sisters making their usual
vocal magic:
Everybody
Loves Somebody Sometime
Theirs
truly was a show about the whole family.
Here,
at Christmas, sister Alyce King misses a
family member who isn’t there:
I'll
Be Home for Christmas
A
personal story:
About 30 years ago, a friend of ours - a
vintage Barbie collector who also happened
to be one of the King Cousins - invited us
to his annual Christmas party.
When we walked in, the living room was
filled with a couple dozen King Family
members - young and old. There were
King Sisters, King Cousins, King Husbands,
King grandchildren.
We were among the very few people whose
name didn’t include “King.”
Everyone was so friendly to us, so
welcoming, and we felt completely
comfortable and "at home."
Needless to say, it was a VERY musical
party -- lots of solos and duets and group
sing-a-longs around the piano featuring
practically every Christmas song you’ve
ever heard of.
We left all aglow with Christmas
spirit.
A truly memorable -- and heart-warming --
night.
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