McGuire Sisters, The

McGuire Sisters, The, late-1950s close-harmony group that hit with covers of R&B records. Christine McGuire, b. Middletown, Ohio, July 30, 1929, Dorothy McGuire, b. Middletown, Ohio, Feb. 13, 1930, and Phyllis McGuire, Middletown, Ohio, b. Feb. 14, 1931.

Their mother was an ordained minister, so it’s not surprising that the McGuire sisters started singing in the church choir. They moved on to amateur contests and the like. In 1949, they toured veteran hospitals and military bases, which brought them to the attention of a local bandleader, who got them jobs singing on a local radio program. Encouraged by this success, they went to N.Y. to try our for Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts program. Ignorant of the rules of the entertainment business, they arrived unannounced at the studio, winning an audition through their combination of innocence and audacity. While waiting for a slot to open with Godfrey, they had a further stroke of good luck when they were introduced to Kate Smith’s manager. He booked them for eight weeks on Smith’s radio and television shows. This opened doors at Coral Records, which signed them up as recording artists. Godfrey booked them on his show when their run with Smith ended. One of the most powerful forces in broadcasting during the early 1950s, the Godfrey show made them stars.

The McGuire’s first two years as recording artists were less than successful, however. They cut a series of sides for Coral that sold marginally, right through their first chart record “Pine Tree, Pine Over Me,” which reached #26 in the spring of 1954. They finally broke the Top Ten a few months later with a cover of The Spaniels’ “Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight,” which they took to #7. Four months later, they eked into the Top Ten again with “Muskrat Ramble,” and finished out the year with two more minor releases. They kicked off 1955 with their first chart-topper, a cover of The Moonglows’ “Sincerely” that also went gold. Over the course of the year they had half a dozen more hits. The #11 “It May Sound Silly” was another R&B cover, this one of Ivory Joe Hunter. Their #5 hit “Something’s Gotta Give,” on the other hand, came from the Fred Astaire film Daddy Long Legs. They finished the year with the #10 hit “He.”

In 1956, faced with the growing success of rock ’n’ roll, the McGuires still managed to land five Top 40 hits, albeit four of them didn’t break the Top 30. By 1957, they hit a draught. Early in 1958, however, they had the second biggest hit of their career, the gold “Sugartime,” which topped the charts for four weeks. However, although they managed to crack the Top 40 three more times, their days as charting artists were gone. They played the cabaret circuit until the late 1960s, at which point they retired. Phyllis began a solo career, continuing to play cabarets. During the mid-1980s, the McGuire Sisters came out of retirement to play places like Las Vegas. They continue to work that circuit when the mood takes them.

Discography

By Request (1955); Sincerely (1956); He (1956); S’Wonderful (1956); Do You Remember When? (1956); Children’s Holiday (1957); Teenage Party (1957); Musical Magic (1957); When the Lights Are Low (1957); Greetings from the McGuire Sisters (1958); Sugartime (1958); In Harmony with Him (1959); May You Always (1959); His and Hers (1960); Subways Are for Sleeping (1961); Just for Old Times Sake (1961); Songs Everybody Knows (1962); Showcase (1963); The McGuire Sisters Today (1966).

—Hank Bordowitz