ATOMIC
The Magazine Articles Reviews The Bar ATOMIC Girls Gallery Venues Bands Retro Radio Forums Shopping
   


eBay


History Channel.com

Big-T & the Bada-Bings
 
 

Swing It! The Andrew Sisters Story
John Sforza


During the mid-20th century, as American soldiers prepared for war, three young gals from the Midwest prepared to take the world by storm. They practiced their sweet harmonies and hoped that audiences would enjoy their gleeful, up-tempo tunes. But little did Patti, Maxine, and LaVerne Andrews know that they would leave a revolutionary mark on the future of all female singing groups and the entire swing movement.

The Andrews Sisters’ professional and personal metamorphosis is revealed in John Sforza’s entertaining and educational biography, Swing It! The Andrews Sisters Story. The book offers a chronological journey from the inception of the sisters’ career to LaVerne’s untimely death and the group’s demise, as Sforza deftly walks us through the milestones that shaped the lives of these talented women and the music of an era. The author handles The Andrews Sisters’ early years with particular vigor, offering the reader a behind-the- scenes look at the group’s personal dynamics, without being exploitative or judgmental. Sforza’s detailed appendix of the sisters’ show-biz career provides interesting historical statistics - such as which of the Andrews Sisters’ hits were most frequently played on jukeboxes during World War II—and a record of their filmography. Such sweeping data makes the gravity of their influence on history more tangible. The book also includes a photographic essay of the group’s career.

A readable, informational journey, Swing It! is a great selection not just for those enamored of The Andrew Sisters, but also for anyone interested in swing’s influence on American history.

- Laura Dave



Year 1999 Reviews
Year 2000 Reviews
Year 2001 Reviews
Year 2002 Reviews
Year 2003 Reviews
B.B. King—Let The Good Times Roll
Bellevue Cadillac—Take Out Out Takes
The Blue Dahlia—The Blue Dahlia
Bryan Ferry—As Time Goes By
Candye Kane—The Toughest Girl Alive
City Rhythm—Strikes Again
Dave's True Story—Unauthorized
Dmitri Resnik—It Ain't Rocket Science
Duke Ellington—The Essential Collection
Ernie Krivda—The Band That Swings
Etta James—The Chess Box
Fat Daddy Pussycat—Swing 2000
Flying Neutrinos—Hotel Child
George Gee & The Jump Jive and Wailers—Buddha Boogie
Hollywood Swing & Jazz
Hula Joe & The Hutjumpers—
Hula Joe & The Hutjumpers
Jimmy Nations Combo—Tarheel Boogie
Jimmy Vargas—The Tease, The Torch...
Josh Max's Outfit—Make It Snappy
Keely Smith—Swing Swing Swing
Kim Lenz—The One and Only
Midnight Cool—Jazz Classics Collection
Mora's Modern Rhythmists—
Call of the Freaks
Nat King Cole—Golden Years 1943-1946
The Original Band—
Still Rockin' Around The Clock
Peggy Cone—Bad Girl Shoes
Quinn Lemley—Dance or Die!
Red & The Red Hots—Gettin' Around
Red Peters—The Deacon Moves In
Sammy Davis Jr.—Sammy & Friends
Scrappy Hamilton—At Rock Bottom
Tom Maxwell—Samsara
The Slingshots—Feels So Right
  Retro Reading Reviews
Swing Style
Swing It!-The Andrew Sisters Story
1940s Hairstyles
   
 


© 1999-2009 ATOMIC Magazine, Inc.
ATOMIC Magazine Inc., 917 Orchid Drive , Lewisville, TX 75067
info@atomicmag.com
All site content, including images and text, is copyright © 1999-2013 ATOMIC Magazine, Inc. & www.RetroRadar.com
This material may not be reproduced, borrowed, or used for any purpose except by written permission of the copyright holder. Terms and Conditions of use.