The McGuire Sisters

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The McGuire Sisters were a singing trio in American popular music. The group was composed of three sisters; Christine McGuire (born July 30, 1926), Dorothy McGuire (born February 13, 1928), and Phyllis McGuire (born February 14, 1931). Among their most popular songs are "Sincerely" and "Sugartime".^[1]

[edit] History

The McGuire sisters were born in Middletown, Ohio^[2] and grew up in Miamisburg where their mother, Lillie, was an ordained minister of the Miamisburg First Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) and let them sing in the church as young girls. They sang at weddings, funerals and church revivals. When they started in 1935, the youngest sister, Phyllis, was only four years old. Eventually, they sang at occasions other than church-related ones, and, by 1949, they were singing at military bases and veterans' hospitals. They incorporated a more diverse repertoire for those events, expanding into more than the usual hymns they had sung at church.

[edit] Career

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.

The sisters maintained a busy television schedule, making frequent appearances on popular variety hours hosted by Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin, Danny Kaye, Milton Berle, Andy Williams, Perry Como and Red Skelton. The trio was dressed and coiffed identically and performed their synchronized body movements and hand gestures with military precision. Their recordings of "Sincerely," "Picnic," and "Sugartime" all sold over one million copies.^[2]

In 1968, they retired from public performance. Phyllis McGuire continued to perform solo for a time. Since then, the sisters have made occasional public appearances. 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.^[3] In 2004, they reunited to perform in a PBS special Magic Moments: The Best of '50s Pop.^[4]

In 1958 their mother, Lilly McGuire, appeared as a guest challenger on the television game show To Tell the Truth. In 2009, the McGuire Sisters were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.