The Dinning Sisters
When Irving Berlin wrote the song "Sisters" for the movie "White Christmas" in the early Fifties, where did he look for inspiration to pen the lyrics for "caring, sharing, devoted sining sisters", and throw in a few punch lines? Well, just about anywhere, for by this time America and its music charts had been awash with sister acts for the best part of a quarter of a century. The Boswells reigned supreme in the Thirties, The Andrews in the Forties and The McGuires took over in the Fifties. But there were dozens more to fill the airwaves, the juke boxes and the record shops. Some were small groups (there were just two Bells and two De Johns); some were large (there were five De Marcos); and some just kept on growing when the King Sisters turned themselves into the King Family. Iy should be no surprise - but it is - to find that most of them actually were sisters, although time and circumstances could occasionally change this. And if the Boswells, Andrews, and McGuires were best known, who came closest in competition? No doubt about that one, the answer most assuredly is The Dinning Sisters.
Farmer John Dinning of Wichita, Oklahoma, was music director in his local church; Mrs. Dinning played the organ. In between, they managed to raise nine children to sing in the choir, all of whom except one brother pursued a musical career. They were Don, Vern, Wade, Marvis, Lucille, twins Eugenia and Virginia, Dolores and finally Mark. If some of the names sound unfamiliar, there's an update coming along. The twins were already sining at a youthful age of five and it was they, as Jean and Ginger along with older sister known as Lou, who would establish the initial group. Brothers Ace (formerly Vern) and Wade had already formed a band and so it took very little to sow the seeds of a musical career in the young girl's minds. Initially they were winning local talent contests but by the time they reached their mid-teens they had progressed to local radio with their own 15 minute show. They had also preformed for a season with brother Ace's Orchestra in Illinois and in 1935 they would start to sing and tour with Herbie Holmes and his band.
By the end of the Thirties the girls felt secure enough to try for bigger things and set off for two important auditions. The first was in Chicago for the giant NBC radio network, and so impressed was the company that they signed them to a five year contract. As well as their own show, they guested on many others being aired and were featured with big stars of the day such as Buddy Clark, Perry Como and Kate Smith. There were also appearances at many of Chicago's famous theatres including Chez Paree and the Latin Quarter. During this period they were signed to a movie starring Ozzie Nelson's orchestra, "Strictly In The Groove", on just their vocal talent alone. They came across well and were asked back to Hollywood for further films. It was here that the other important audition took place, this time for the recently recently formed CAPITOL record label. This resulted in a seven year contract and their debut on disc was, unusually, not a single but a complete album of songs which was a best seller over a period of almost 12 months. The Dinning Sisters had well and truly arrived.
Some of the movies the girls appeared in were Western-style, and add to that their regular appearance on the Saturday night radio show "National Barn Dance", it comes as no surprise to find that the girls were adept at Country music. They had built up a large catalogue of folksynumbers (not least the old English folk song "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow"), and there is also plenty of humor to be had in some of their material, such as "Down In The Diving Bell" and "The Iggity Song". Oh, and not forgetting a wonderful tongue-in-cheek version (surely they wern't being serious!) of "Sometimes I'm happy". Of course the other side of the coin was their phrasing, enunciation and perfect blend of harmony which, added to the ballads they chose to record, turned ordinary songs into great songs and made great songs outstanding. "Where Or When", "The Way You Look Tonight" and "I Get Along Without You Very Well" are but three which highlight these talanted girls.
The first change in personnel occurred in 1946 when Lou left to get married and also started a solo career. Still with CAPITOL Records, her singles were issued over the next ten years, some of them back-to-back with Don Robertson, famed as the writer (and in one case whistler) of his hits like "Born To Be With You", "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" and "The Happy Whistler". (lou Dinning is featured on six tracks of JASMINE JASMCD 3518, " TENNESSEE ERNIE MEETS THE GIRLS".) Lou's replacement was a girl named Jayne Bundesen who took over the role - Ginger was lead and Jean soprano. Jayne stayed with the twins for three years and then, tired of too much travelling, she left to raise a family. Her replacement was Dinning Sister Tootsie (young Dolores) and she would be part of the trio until 1952.
The Dinning Sisters' biggest hit was the million seller "Buttons and Bows", from the Bob Hope and Jane Russell movie "paleface". Of intrest is the fact that this was the Sisters' first record to be released in Britain in December 1948 (prior to this date, CAPITOL had no U.K. outlet until ity signed a deal with British oldie "Once In Awhile", a cut of sheer perfection which received many requests and airings on the BBC, and would undoubtedly have been at the top of the U.K. record charts, had there been one at the time.
CAPITOL records provided the girls with their biggest successes, all here on CD for your nostalgic listening pleasure. On leaving the label there were just a few tracks on DECCA, also an ESSEX where they even turned up on an EP entitled "Rock & Roll Dance Party" alongside (but not with) Bill Haley. When family life took over, the girls disbanded but still kept an intrest in their music. Jean cut a few solos for ESSEX and then turned her hand to song writing - it was her song "Teen Angel", that gave the youngest Dinning, Mark, an American Number One Hit in 1960. Lou as mentioned, was already a solo act, Tootsie spent a quarter of a century singing with the Nashville Edition on a TV show called "Hee-Haw", and Ginger continued to air her vocal chords with a hometown New Jersey barbershop quartet.
We hope you enjoy this collection which covers the most vibrant part of the Dinning Sisters Career. Whoever coined the most recent phrase "Sisters are doing it for themselves" were way behind. The tracks on this collection prove that they have been doing it for some time.
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Turn Your Radio On Thanks for the Buggy Ride You'll Be Sorry You Are My Sunshine Further Along Trouble in Mind Gospel Cannonball Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie I'm Sorry Now I Wonder Where You Are Tonight Let's Draw Straws I Only Want A Buddy Not A Sweetheart The Last Thing I Want Is Your Pity Home On the Range Oh! Monah I Called But Nobody Answered Louisiana Hayride Ridin' Down the Canyon San Antonio Rose Morning On the Farm In the Pines Sweethearts or Strangers The Trail of the Lonesome Pine When the Bloom Is on the Sage No Letter Today Till We Meet Again |
Although the Dinning Sisters found commercial fame in the 1940s as a close
harmony trio in the style of the Andrews Sisters, their roots lay in the developing
Country music of the 30'sănot surprising as the girls were raised in rural Wichita,
KS. "Back" has 26 tunes, many of them featuring George Barnes on guitar, all
fairly lightly accompanied. This is upbeat music, falling into the general category
of the 1920's Western Swing of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys ("San Antonio
Rose," cut #19), and 1950's and 60's Rockabilly music. "Turn Your Radio On,"
Gene Autry's "You'll Be Sorry," "Gospel Cannonball," the jazzy "Oh! Monah,"
"Louisiana Hayride," "Sweethearts or Strangers"äthis is a generous helping of
authentic, fun stuff from the sweet harmonied Dinnings. Recommended!
| 4532 CD $12.98 |
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| DISC ONE (He's Just A) Setimental Gentleman From Georgia, Beg Your Pardon, Harlem Sandman, Buttons And Bows, Where Or When - Version One , Aunt Hagar's Childern Blues, I Love My Love, Please Don't Talk about Me, When I'm Gone, Brazil, Lolita Lopez, Your A Character, Dear , Love On A Greyhound Bus, My Adobe, Hacienda, San Antonio Rose, Oh Mohah, Do You Love Me?, Fun And Fancy Free, The Iggity Song, The Bride And The Groom Polka, Wave To Me My Lady, Years And Years Ago, Melancholy, The Way You Look Tonight, If I Had My Life To Live Over |
| DISC TWO They Just Chopped Down The Old Apple Tree, A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow, Pig Foot Pete, Down In The Diving Bell, Better Not Roll Those Blue, Blue Eyes, Hawaiian War Chant, Clancy, Hold Everything ('Til I Get Back To You) , Pretty Little Busybody , Three-Quarter Boogie, Molly Malone, I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now, Sometimes Im Happy, Once In A While, Drop Me A Line, I Don't Know Why, I Get The Blues, When It Rain, Little Te-Long, Shine On The Harvest Moon, The Statue In The Park, I Get Along Without You Very Well, The Lilac Tree, There's A Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder, The Old Music Master, Winter Wonderland, We'll Meet Again, Where Or When, As Time Goes By |
When we think of "sister" groups, the Boswells in the 30s, Andrews in the 40s and McGuires in the 50s are the best known, but of all the others the Dinnings were the next best-known and loved. Farmer and Mrs. John Dinning of Wichita, OK, raised 9 children, all but one of which went into a music career. Twins Jean and Ginger and older sister Lou began their career in 1935 performing with brother Ace's orchestra, and continued in one form or another up into the 1960s. Their biggest hit was "Buttons and Bows" from the Bob Hope and Jane Russell movie "Paleface." Buddy Clark, Perry Como, Kate Smith, Ozzie Nelson, Tennessee Ernie Ford and many others appeared with or recorded with the girls. This is a 2-CD set, and prolific is not a strong enough word: 24 hits on the first disc and 28 on the second (all big band accompanied). It's fascinating to listen to the Sisters turn a chestnut like "Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia" into their own love story, or apply their bright, cheery, sexy sound to might-have-been hits like "Lolita Lopez" and "Love On A Greyhound Bus." On every level the Dinnings deliver sheer entertainment with the best of them, and the hits just keep on coming‚highly recommended!
Listen to "(He's Just A) Setimental Gentleman From Georgia" in Real Audio.
| 4464 2-CDs $15.98 |
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Brazil Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia Where Or When Once In A While The Way You Look Tonight Homesick-Thats All Love Letters Love On A Greyhound Bus Wave To My Lady Do You Love Me San Antonio Rose He Likes It! She Likes It! If I Had My Life To Live Over My Adobe Hacienda Santa Catalina (Island Of Romance) I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now Echo Said No And Mimi Fun And Fancy Free Beg Your Pardon Buttons And Bows The Kissing Song Very Good Advice Oklahoma Hills I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance |
Born into a musical family of nine brothers and sisters, The Dinning Sisters were twins Jean and Ginger and sister Lou (Lou was replaced in 1946 by Jayne Bundesen, who was replaced by Tootsie Dinning in 1952). Showing more than a little chutzpah, and without much experience, the young ladies left their Oklahoma town and traveled to Chicago, where they tried out for NBC radio. They were hired and remained for seven years, and were ultimately the highest paid radio act in the Windy City. This accompanied collection begins with two cuts from their 1943 Capitol Records sessions, "Brazil" and "Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia," the latter with a whimsical spoken interlude on the trouble with men reminiscent of the Boswell Sisters. "The Way You Look Tonight" is breathy and imploring, "Love On A Greyhound Bus" relentlessly cheerful, transporting us to the post-war era. "My Adobe Hacienda" and the previously-unreleased "Santa Catalina" feature rollicking accordion. Twenty-five songs in all, including their most famous hit, "Buttons and Bows."
Listen to "Santa Catalina" in Real Audio.
| 4163 CD $14.98 |
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