The King Sisters
One of the big band era's most popular and enduring vocal groups, the King Sisters -- Donna, Yvonne, Luise and Alyce -- were born and raised in Salt Lake City, UT. Taking their stage name from their father, vocal trainer Daddy King Driggs, the siblings initially teamed with their mother and a family friend as the Six King Sisters, first attracting attention while appearing with the Horace Heidt Band in 1935 and enjoying a three-year tenure on Heidt's radio series. The group's lineup shrank to a quartet as the decade wore on, and in 1939 -- following a stint with Al Pearce -- the King Sisters joined a new band formed by Luise's husband, the legendary guitarist Alvino Rey. In addition to appearing on Rey's hits "Nighty Night" and "I Said No," the sisters also scored a series of smashes issued under their own name, among them "The Hut Sut Song," "I Understand," "I'll Get By" and "In the Mood."
At the peak of their success, the King Sisters also appeared in a number of Hollywood features, including 1942's Sing Your Worries Away, 1944's Meet the People and 1945's Cuban Pete. By this time they were no longer working with Rey, who had dissolved his band upon entering the armed forces; throughout 1944 the siblings were regulars on Kay Kyser's radio series, but during the postwar years their popularity declined, and throughout the 1950s they were well outside the public eye. In 1965, however, the King Sisters -- as well as members of their extended family, including Rey -- were tapped by the ABC television network to host their own weekly variety show; it was an immediate hit, although the death of featured performer Daddy King Driggs just a few weeks into the program's run made their success bittersweet. The King Family Show continued its run until 1969, with the sisters easing into retirement during the decade to follow.
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In The Mood Irish Washerwoman Sometimes I'm Happy The Hot Gavotte Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga Miss Otis Regrets Whatcha Know, Joe? I Understand The Hut-Sut Song The Music Makers Rose O'Day Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing In A Hurry 'Tis Autumn Music 'Til Dawn Jersey Bounce My Devotion I Came Here To Talk For Joe It's Love, Love, Love! Milkman, Keep Those Bottle Quiet The Trolley Song Candy Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week Stone Cold Dead In The Market The Coffee Song Some Days There Just Ain't No Fish Happy Feet Walk It On Down I'll Get By |
One of the most overlooked of the many sister acts of the Swing Era, The King Sisters, were born and raised in Salt Lake City with the last name Driggs. They took their stage name from that of their father and vocal coach, Daddy King Driggs. Though they started recording in the 30s and continued until the late 50s, these 28 songs are from their golden decade, the 1940s, particularly the war years, 1941-45. All songs are orchestrally accompanied, with the focus, of course on the bright, sweet vocals. We have the well-known hits, "In The Mood," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Jersey Bounce," "The Trolley Song," "The Coffee Song" and "I'll Get By;" and then we have lesser-known, somewhat silly but nonetheless wonderful tunes like "The Hot Gavotte," "Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga," "The Hut -Sut Song," "Rose O'Day" (The Filla-Da-Gusha Song), "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry" and "Some Days There Just Ain't No Fish." "It's Love" is a generous, clean-sounding "best-of" collection from one of our favorite Swing Era sister quartets!
Listen to "Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week" in Real Audio.
| 4637 CD $14.98 |
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Button Up Your Overcoat Moonglow Kalamazoo Oh How I Miss You Tonight Strip Poker Heavenly Hideaway Music 'til Dawn Irish Washerwoman Zing Went The Strings of My Heart Take Me In Your Arms Slap Slap Sweetheart Of All My Dreams In The Mood Cielito Lindo Back In Your Own Back Yard The Air Army Corps 'Tis Autumn Arthur Murry Taught Me Dancing In A Hurry Ac-centuate The Positive Happy Feet I Came Here To Talk For Joe Jersey Bounce Some Days There Just Ain't No Fish Music Makers When My Dreamboat Comes Home |
Alyce, Donna, Luise and Yvonne Driggs began their career as the
King Sisters in 1935, became one of the most popular vocal groups in the big
band era, and didn't retire until the end of "The King Family Show" in 1969.
The cool thing about "In the Mood" is that out of 25 (big band accompanied)
songs, almost none are on other King Sisters CDs we carry. There's a number
of classics, including "Button Up Your Overcoat," "Moonglow," "Zing! Went the
Strings of My Heart," "In the Mood," "Kalama-zoo," "Jersey Bounce," "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate
the Positive" and "Cielito Lindo," which was a hit for them. We loved the less
well-known numbers: "I Came Here to Talk for Joe," "Happy Feet," the witty "Strip
Polka," "Some Days There Just Ain't No Fish," "Slap-Slap," "Music 'Til Dawn,"
and "Irish Washerwoman." What timing, what harmony‚every cut is an imaginative,
rhythmic little gem!
| 4478 CD $15.98 |
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Memories of You It's Easy to Remember When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano I May Be Wrong Pagan Love Song Miss Otis Regrets I Don't Know Why Cielito Linda Basin Street Blues The Day You Came Along An Old Guitar and an Old Refrain Nice Work If You Can Get It Why Should I Cry Over You You Made Me Love You St. Louis Blues I've Had My Moments Stars Fell On Alabama East of the Sun By the River Sainte Marie All Of Me Love is the Thing Don't Worry 'Bout Me Stomping at The Savoy |
The lovely King Sisters, hailing from Utah, were six in number, though the group usually featured four at a time, allowing for flexibility as family commitments encroached. Having been influenced by the Boswell Sisters, they sought fame and fortune in the early thirties, and began singing with bandleader Horace Heidt. Their success continued into the forties and fifties, as contemporaries of the Andrews and McGuire Sisters, and even into the 1960's, when they had their own television program, "The King Family Show." With their orchestra, conducted by Frank DeVol, the girls produced a slew of close harmony classics, from the wistful ballad, as in "The Day You Came Along" and "I Don't Know Why," to the cheerful "Cielito Linda," "You Made Me Love You" and "Pagan Love Song"; and who could forget "When The Swallows Came Back To Capistrano"? What a trip down memory lane!
Listen to " You Made Me Love You" in Real Audio.
| 5521 CD $14.98 |
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For You Just Squeeze Me When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano What's The Use? (Instrumental) Sophisticated Lady Everybody Loves My Baby Star Dust Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea At Sundown When My Dreamboat Comes Home Crazy Rhythm (Instrumental) Miss Otis Regrets Red Sails In The Sunset The Man I Love |
A budget priced collection of some of their hits.
| 5524 CD $9.95 |
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This Girl's In Love It's All In The Game Walk On By California Nights Let's Get Away From It All I Wanna Be Free Good Day Sunshine God Only Knows Love So Fine Here, There and Everywhere I Fell |
From the original 1969 Capitol Records bio, we learn that The Four King Cousins are daughters of the famous King Sisters and members of the equally famous King Family. The four young women, all pretty blondes in their early 20s, first appeared on TV on John Davidson's "Kraft Summer Music Hall." Then they were signed to a Capitol recording contract, appeared on top shows like Jonathan Winters and Johnny Carson, and in concert with Buddy Rich, Buddy Greco and Stan Getz. "Introducing" is their debut album, 11 heavily-accompanied pop covers, including a pair by Bert Bacharach, "This Girl's In Love With You" and "Walk On By," a pair by Lennon/McCartney, "Good Day Sunshine" and "Here, There and Everywhere;" Brian Wilson's "God Only Knows," pop hits "Califonia Nights," "It's All In The Game," "I Wanna Be Free" "Love So Fine and others. Innocent, schmaltzy, nostalgic, top-40 fun from the late 60s!
| 7492 CD $14.98 |
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