The McGuire Sisters
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The McGuire Sisters were a singing trio in American popular music. They consisted of Christine McGuire (born July 30, 1926), Dorothy McGuire (born February 13, 1928), and Phyllis McGuire (born February 14, 1931).
They were born and grew up in Middletown, Ohio, where their mother was an ordained minister and let them sing in the church as young girls. They sang at weddings, funerals, and church revivals. When they started in 1935, Phyllis was only four years old. Eventually, they sang on other occasions than church-related ones; by 1949, they were singing at military bases and veterans' hospitals. They incorporated a more diverse repertoire for these, extending themselves to more than the hymns they had sung at church.
In 1952, they appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, and as a result, Godfrey hired them for his other shows, where they remained for seven years. They performed for five Presidents of the United States (Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush), and for Queen Elizabeth II, as well as appearing on many top television shows. The Coca-Cola company signed them to a contract with the highest fee in advertising history up to that date.
In 1968, they retired from public performance. Phyllis went to a solo act; Dorothy and Christine became totally devoted to their families. Seventeen years later, however, they joined as an act again in response to fans' entreaties.
In 1994, they were inducted into the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame. In 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. They have also been inducted into the Coca-Cola Hall of Fame and the Headliners' Hall of Fame.
Recorded songs
- Achoo-Cha-Cha (flip side of May You Always) (1958)
- Are You Looking For A Sweetheart (flip side of You Never Know Till Monday) (1953)
- Around the World (flip side of Interlude) (1957)
- Baby Be Good To Me (flip side of My Baby’s Got Such Loving Ways) (1956)
- Banana Split (flip side of Sugartime) (1957)
- Beginning To Miss You (flip side of Rock Bottom) (1957)
- Blue Skies (flip side of He’s Got Time) (1957)
- Candy Heart (flip side of Dear Heart) (1964)
- Christmas Alphabet (flip side of Give Me Your Heart For Christmas) (1954)
- Cling to Me (flip side of Pine Tree Pine Over Me) (1954)
- Compromise (flip side of Red River Valley) (1959)
- Cordially Invited (flip side of Summertime) (1963)
- Dear Heart (flip side of Candy Heart) (1964)
- Delilah Jones (flip side of Picnic) (1956)
- Ding Dong (flip side of Since You Went Away To School) (1958)
- Doesn’t Anybody Love Me (flip side of It May Sound Silly) (1955)
- Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me (flip side of Volare) (1958)
- Drowning In Memories (flip side of Please Don’t Do That To Me) (1957)
- Endless (flip side of Everyday Of My Life) (1956)
- Everyday Of My Life (flip side of Endless) (1956)
- Forgive Me (flip side of Kiss Them For Me) (1957)
- Give Me Love (flip side of Sweet Song Of India) (1955)
- Give Me Your Heart For Christmas (flip side of Christmas Alphabet) (1954)
- Goodnight My Love Pleasant Dreams (flip side of Mommy) (1956)
- Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight (flip side of Heavenly Feeling) (1954)
- Grazia (flip side of Truer Than You Were) (1966)
- Have A Nice Weekend (flip side of Some Of These Days) (1959)
- He (flip side of If You Believe) (1955)
- Heart (flip side of Young And Foolish) (1955)
- Hearts Of Stone (flip side of Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane) (1954)
- Heavenly Feeling (flip side of Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight) (1954)
- He’s Got Time (flip side of Blue Skies) (1957)
- Hey Mr. Cotton Picker (flip side of Tell Us Where The Good Times Are) (1953)
- Honorable Congratulations (flip side of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town) (1957)
- I Can Dream Can’t I (flip side of Time) (1961)
- I’d Like To Trim A Tree With You (flip side of Littlest Angel) (1955)
- I Do I Do I Do (flip side of Just Because) (1961)
- I Don’t Know Why (flip side of To Be Loved) (1960)
- I Don’t Want To Walk Without You (flip side of That’s Life) (1964)
- If It’s A Dream (flip side of Kiss Me And Kill Me With Love) (1955)
- If You Believe (flip side of He) (1955)
- I Give Thanks (flip side of The Unforgiven) (1960)
- I’ll Think Of You (flip side of Sweetie Pie) (1958)
- I’ll Walk Alone (flip side of Ticket To Anywhere) (1965)
- Interlude (flip side of Around the World) (1957)
- In the Alps (flip side of Weary Blues) (1956)
- I Really Don’t Want To Know (flip side of Mama’s Gone Goodbye) (1962)
- It May Sound Silly (flip side of Doesn’t Anybody Love Me) (1955)
- Just Because (flip side of I Do I Do I Do) (1961)
- Just For Old Time’s Sake (flip side of Really Neat) (1961)
- Kid Stuff (flip side of Without Him) (1957)
- Kiss Me And Kill Me With Love (flip side of If It’s A Dream) (1955)
- Kiss Them For Me (flip side of Forgive Me) (1957)
- The Last Dance (flip side of Nine O’Clock) (1960)
- Littlest Angel (flip side of I’d Like To Trim A Tree With You) (1955)
- Livin’ Dangerously (flip side of Lovers’ Lullaby) (1960)
- Lonesome Polecat (released on two different singles, one with Uno Due Tre as the flip side, the other with one version of Muskrat Ramble as the flip side) (1954)
- Lovers’ Lullaby (flip side of Livin’ Dangerously) (1960)
- Mama’s Gone Goodbye (flip side of I Really Don’t Want To Know) (1962)
- May You Always (flip side of Achoo-Cha-Cha) (1958)
- Melody Of Love (flip side of Open Up Your Heart) (1954)
- Missing (flip side of Tell Me Now) (1956)
- Miss You (flip side of Tottle-Loo-Siana) (1952)
- Mommy (flip side of Goodnight My Love Pleasant Dreams) (1956)
- More Hearts Are Broken That Way (flip side of Sugartime [remake]) (1962)
- Muskrat Ramble (released on two different singles, one with Not As A Stranger as the flip side, the other with one version of Lonesome Polecat as the flip side) (1954)
- My Baby’s Got Such Loving Ways (flip side of Baby Be Good To Me) (1956)
- My Happiness (flip side of Vaya Con Dios) (1966)
- Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane (flip side of Hearts Of Stone) (1954)
- Never (flip side of Now And Forever) (1964)
- Nine O’Clock (flip side of The Last Dance) (1960)
- No More (flip side of Sincerely) (1954)
- Not As A Stranger (flip side of one version of Muskrat Ramble) (1954)
- Now And Forever (flip side of Never) (1964)
- One Two Three Four (flip side of Picking Sweethearts) (1952)
- Open Up Your Heart (flip side of Melody Of Love) (1954)
- Peace (flip side of Summer Dreams) (1959)
- Picking Sweethearts (flip side of One Two Three Four) (1952)
- Picnic (flip side of Delilah Jones) (1956)
- Pine Tree Pine Over Me (flip side of Cling to Me) (1954)
- Please Don’t Do That To Me (flip side of Drowning In Memories) (1957)
- Really Neat (flip side of Just For Old Time’s Sake) (1961)
- Red River Valley (flip side of Compromise) (1959)
- Rhythm And Blues (flip side of Something's Gotta Give) (1955)
- Rock Bottom (flip side of Beginning To Miss You) (1957)
- Run To My Arms (flip side of Somebody Else Is Taking My Place) (1965)
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (flip side of Honorable Congratulations) (1957)
- Sincerely (flip side of No More) (1954)
- Since You Went Away To School (flip side of Ding Dong) (1958)
- Somebody Else Is Taking My Place (flip side of Run To My Arms) (1965)
- Some Of These Days (flip side of Have A Nice Weekend) (1959)
- Something's Gotta Give (flip side of Rhythm And Blues) (1955)
- Space Ship (flip side of Tears On My Pillow) (1961)
- Sugartime (flip side of Banana Split) (1957)
- Sugartime (remake) (flip side of More Hearts Are Broken That Way)
(1962)
- Summer Dreams (flip side of Peace) (1959)
- Summertime (flip side of Cordially Invited) (1963)
- Sweetie Pie (flip side of I’ll Think Of You) (1958)
- Sweet Song Of India (flip side of Give Me Love) (1955)
- Tears On My Pillow (flip side of Space Ship) (1961)
- Tell Me Now (flip side of Missing) (1956)
- Tell Us Where The Good Times Are (flip side of Hey Mr. Cotton Picker) (1953)
- That’s Life (flip side of I Don’t Want To Walk Without You) (1964)
- Ticket To Anywhere (flip side of I’ll Walk Alone) (1965)
- Time (flip side of I Can Dream Can’t I) (1961)
- To Be Loved (flip side of I Don’t Know Why) (1960)
- Tottle-Loo-Siana (flip side of Miss You) (1952)
- Truer Than You Were (flip side of Grazia) (1966)
- The Unforgiven (flip side of I Give Thanks) (1960)
- Uno Due Tre (flip side of one version of Lonesome Polecat) (1954)
- Vaya Con Dios (flip side of My Happiness) (1966)
- Volare (flip side of Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me) (1958)
- Weary Blues (flip side of In the Alps) (1956)
- Without Him (flip side of Kid Stuff) (1957)
- You Never Know Till Monday (flip side of Are You Looking For A Sweetheart) (1953)
- Young And Foolish (flip side of Heart) (1955)
External references
- McGuire Sisters' page on the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame (http://www.infoage.org/NBHF-mcguire-sisters.html) site
- McGuire Sisters' page on the Primarily A Cappella (http://www.singers.com/jazz/vintage/mcguire.html) site
- McGuire Sisters' page on the Vocal Group Hall of Fame (http://www.vghf.com/Inductees/mcguire_sisters.htm) site
- Cincinnati Enquirer article on the sisters' home (http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/07/27/loc_mcguires27.html)