American all-girl harmony singing trio
The Three X Sisters were an American all-girl harmony singing trio initially known as The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce. They were on stage singing together in New York City, on Broadway, as early as 1922 and formed their trio in 1924, which was composed of Pearl Santos (née Hamilton) and Violet Hamilton from Cumberland, Maryland, and Jessie Fordyce from Brooklyn, New York. They were known on NBC radio as "radio's foremost harmony trio".
History and career.
Pearl and Violet's family had been in Cumberland for nearly a century, by the early 1910s. Their European heritage settling from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. Part of their Creek people ancestry, in the Maryland area, was in the Allegheny Mountains area for a very long time. Pearl and Vi had individually sung in Cumberland, Maryland, theaters and won prizes for their song competition accomplishments. Pearl's early sheet music learned inspiration's came from the compositions of Chopin, and Stephen Foster.The Hamilton Sisters found their harmony singing blend in Cumberland. Jessie performed alongside Arthur Yule, her father. The Yule family immigrated from Scotland. Jessie grew up partly in Brooklyn, New York, and on vaudeville stages in the United States. She was on the Brooklyn vaudeville circuit and beyond; as a young child star, "Baby Helen", her stepping-stone success through songs and vocal imitations had impressed the masses. They were all fairly well known in their theater venues by 1914.
Pearl Hamilton began her career on Broadway as early as 1917. Her roommate during this era was Joan Page, another 'Stars of the Future' entertainer/singer. The average salary in 1919 was $22.00 per week for the All Jazz Revue "chorus girls." Pearl started out as a soft shoe (ballet style) and high-kick dancer, and received positive dance reviews. The Hamiltons began their professional singing careers in harmony at the Haymarket Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Pearl watched a live performance of the Original Dixieland Jass Band in the Coney Island, New York scene, after her arrival to Broadway stages. Which was an early New York music inspiration. Some walk-on or cameo parts in silent films with Paramount Pictures showed their dancing talents. On August 17, 1919, Pearl's earliest known paired ragtime and jazz piano, was with the 'Jazz Quartet with the Morette Sisters' at the Fremont Opera House in Fremont, Ohio. Later to Chicago, Illinois at the Engelwood Theatre by August 27. A Morette Sisters New York favorite, the Star Theater in New York City. December 30, 1920 paired broadway Pearl's musicianship and jazz piano. Since 1907, the Morette Sisters were accomplished and highly acclaimed instrumentalists. They played violins, alto viola, coronet, and trombone. The Morette Sisters also utilized duet singing along with the terpesciorian dance themes. They had a fluent knowledge of classical and dance music, as well as, the popular Ragtime (here primarily 1907-1910s) music of the day, and played it all very well. A fellow musician/entertainer Stan Stanley played the coronet and Saxophone. Songs the Morettes brought to the new troupe were "Danse d'eve", "Artist's Model" and ragtime favorites like "The Entertainer", and "Ragtime Cowboy". In 1920, Pearl and Violet (Hamiltons), had been part of the vocal chorus. A later addition was friend Jessie (Yule) Fordyce with the 'All Jazz Revue',
the Swear Club (a women's club) was reviewed by The Billboard on January 10, 1920. Pearl, "a tall, willowy girl, Is a dancing wonder" as her artistry in dance had become well known. The Morette's had been part of "Oh Baby!", a burlesque theatre circuit act during the 1919-20 season had a sold out performance engagements. Somewhere between a "one liner", as Pearl noted, harmony influence with the Morettes, and a viewed performance by the Ford, and Brox Sisters, then Pearl had decided to try trio harmonies for her dream trio. A song by that name "Oh Baby!" from 1924 must have been an adaptation. "Oh Baby!" must have carried over by the Morettes to the 'All Jazz Revue' showcase. The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce later carried the "Oh Baby!" theme to the 1928 original broadway show "Rain or Shine".
The trio started out on Broadway and in vaudeville, with Helen Kane Schroeder, the original Boop-boop-a-Doop Girl. Broadway singing styles, and Irving Berlin music had inspired this group. The trio did various song and dance acts, eventually settling for close harmony, which was associated with three-part harmony singing. The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce earliest known performance together (as a trio team) was at B.F. Keiths Theater in Syracuse, New York, on May 13, 1923. In 1924, they also toured in vaudeville, with Helen Kane and Anna Mae Wong. Pearl's harmony trio had the musicianship of the Raymond Fagan Orchestra (a band with no known recordings); a band compared to Paul Whiteman or the Vincent Lopez Orchestras. Pearl Hamilton met Ed Santos (a Music Union member), who also had a lengthy stay with, early 1930s Red Nichols; according to Patty Andrews "He [Ed] played with Tony Pastor", she said. Ed played trumpet with Fagan's band, and a year later, Pearl and Ed married in Rochester, New York. During early July 1925, the Hamilton Sisters and Jessie Fordyce were singing at the Eighty-First Street Theatre. In 1926, the trio toured with another popular all-girl act, Jerry and her Baby Grands, appearing together at the Palace Theater in New York. They also toured together in Canada.
1927.
The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce gained enough success to tour abroad. After they departed from the "Stars of the Future" entertainment showcase in the spring of 1927, their management, fronted by Ed Wolfe, had them tour Europe and the United Kingdom. They departed by airplane at a Long Island airport with the American portion of New York's Savoy Orpheans musical unit during the week of May 23, 1927.
In the UK, they met up with American songwriters Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. They also spent time in the recording studio with Bert Ambrose, a British bandleader, musical director Caroll Gibbons, and violinist/director Reg Batton. They toured with the New York engagement and appeared on London and Manchester stages. Played the London Palladium, Alhambra Theatre of Variety, and Plaza. Made a big splash in the theater production Blue Skies.
On October 27, 1927, Harry Plunket Greene, Irish baritone tenor, wrote of the trio after an England performance: "The Hamilton Sisters &amp; Fordyce are just A1 as they are. I wouldn't interfere with them for anything. It's just perfect in its way. I do trust they leave things alone, not try to change."
That November, the trio teamed up with Billy Mayerl, pianist, to do close harmonizing on "Who You, That's Who?", and "Zulu Wail". Their first on-air radio broadcasts were in England on the BBC. The trios' first return to America; departed England on December 10 for Paris. They sailed from Cherbourg, France (New York, Passenger Lists) on the U.S.S. Leviathan on Dec. 15, 1927 for New York City. Reports also show a two-year radio contract signed with the BBC, tours with the Savoy Havana Band to European clubs in Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Monte Carlo, and at the 'Kit Kat Club' in 1928.
Broadway to American radio.
When the popularity of the vaudeville on stage showcase "Playtime" had become a real success, it attracted the attention of Broadway play "Rain or Shine" in early 1928.
Jessie had the idea for "Playtime". Tom Howard was the writer. The routine they did placed their on-stage performance alongside Joe Cook, comedian. The Hamiltons and Fordyce were so well received that the "Playtime" showcase was recommended to run on its own merit.
The group's radio success started when the trio appeared in publicity photographs wearing eye masks, and capitalized on the new popularity of radio. Pearl needed to make a choice between investing in records, or concentrate on radio work. She chose to tour the US extensively, and sign with such sponsors as Ford, Chase and Sanborn, Best Foods, Tydol, Babbo, and others to pursue the radio career for her trio. A CBS Radio sponsor hired them, and they took a new stage name, "The Three X Sisters". In 1932, they were featured alongside other harmony trios in the November issue of Radio Digest Magazine. From October to December on the WABC-CBS radio program, you'd find this scenario, with the Three X Sisters at the 7:30pm time, followed by Connie Boswell at 7:45pm. They were also with ABC radio doing some cartoon scenario songs, appeared on the Eddie Cantor Show, harmonized the song "Those Eddie Cantor Eyes". Some radio transcribed tunes which they sang to identify the 1930s era in rhythm and the blues are "Old Clothes", "Good Times Coming", and "Still No Luck With You" (with Pearl's piano, and Steve Brown (bass player)). Pearl's piano style was crafted exclusively on their Musical Grocery Store radio tenure, alongside the Harry Salter Orchestra. By 1934 they were guests on "The Nick Kenny Radio Hour" and were performers/singers in part of the Nick Kenny (poet) scripted "Radio Scandals". They also introduced animation soundtrack songs over on-air radio broadcasts. They attributed voice-work for the popular Max Fleischer Cartoons synched with their early radio-work, and by 1933 they had a regular time-slot with NBC Radio. They continued on the airwaves until 1938, and were still popular at the Chicago Theater in Illinois, Palace Theater in NYC, and the Stanley Theater (now Benedum Center) in Pennsylvania on the same playbill as the Three Stooges. Entertainment news columnists found amusement in the name recognition.
Recordings and movie shorts in the 1930s.
When a combined recording count is made, from 1927 to 1933 this trio had made 15 known professional song recordings (if song medleys are added then it's closer to 20). Most of those have been on records. This does not account for the Fleischer cartoon soundtracks. Additionally, their best known filmed song routine was completed with Paramount Pictures in 1935 with "Rex and His Soundeffects." Numerous transcribed recordings had been made on commercial 16 inch disks, or for hire by Tin Pan Alley recording studios onto 10" disks, years 1933–38; between 100 and 200, 3 song sets or medley's were transcribed, although, results of low cost recorded efforts which have damaged, deteriorated, and effected the recordings by age and time. Additional recordings in 1937, and 1940-42 exist on the NBC "Behind the Mike" program, Fleischer Studio soundtracks, and demo recordings. Modern day UK-based harmony trio, The Haywood Sisters, have recorded and perform "Rex and His Sound Effects" and are working on recording more of the Three X Sisters' music for modern audiences.
In 1932, the Three X Sisters were part of the CBS Tydol Jubilee Show and toured for a while with one of the hottest dance bands in the country, Paul Specht and His Orchestra, which was also popular with the college audience. In July they teamed up with Eddy Duchin and released at least one tune, "The Clouds Will Soon Roll By", as the Hamilton Sisters. In October of the same year, the sisters recorded several songs with the band of Isham Jones – another popular CBS artist – and two songs were recorded for RCA Victor. Jones experimented with arrangements that had an early Swing era bounce. The 1932 Victor- Isham Jones band segments were filmed in its unique character. Pearl, Vi, and Jessie decided to give up their weekends to do movie shorts. "The Audition", 1932, featured a few acts, including the trio backed by the jazz guitarist Eddie Lang (heard but not seen in film). This is the same time frame that Annette Hanshaw had teamed with the jazz guitarist too. Lang guitar plucked his way along to "Here Comes The Showboat", as the trio sang, and it remained a popular short into 1933. Later in 1933, the trio was at the Coolidge memorial service - Washington Cathedral - "Three X Sisters" were part of the memorial service entertainment. Pearl started to use recording services at this time to preserve some of their radio performances. Teamed up with Mary Small on some of the "Little Miss Babo Surprise Party" in 1934. In 1935 the trio was teamed up with the Paramount Studio Orchestra which included another featured guitarist (with camera close-up's) on the "Excuse My Gloves" also known as "Pardon My Glove" movie short - the Three X Sisters sang amazingly to "Rex and His Sound Effects." It was reviewed with Ted Huseing, announcer, as