Andrews Sisters, Crosby Make for Fun Match

The Andrews Sisters, the female pop vocal trio of the late ‘30s and ‘40s, may be known best today as the group that originally did “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” one of Bette Midler’s signature tunes.

And the reference point isn’t a bad one.

Patty, Maxene and LaVerne Andrews didn’t tell Sophie Tucker jokes or dance about in mermaid costumes a la the party-minded Midler, but one of the most appealing elements in their music was a liberating sense of fun.

“Bugle Boy” (in 1941) and the equally delightful “Rum and Coca-Cola” (which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 in 1945) were only two in the Andrews Sisters’ flock of hits. Furthermore, the sisters took part in several hit collaborations, from “Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)” with Danny Kaye to “The Wedding Samba” with Carmen Miranda.

Most of their collaborations were with Bing Crosby, the legendary crooner who was Frank Sinatra’s idol and the most popular singer of his era.

Even though the sisters already had racked up a dozen Top 10 hits by the time Jack Kapp of Decca Records asked them to record with Crosby in the late ‘30s, they were so intimidated by the idea that, Maxene said, it was like being asked, “How would you like to meet God?”

Whatever their nervousness, the teaming worked beautifully, producing 52 recordings over the next dozen or so years, almost half of them hit singles.

Though Crosby and the Andrews Sisters recorded some ballads, the main feeling you get from this two-disc set is of how much fun they seemed to have together, and how playful so many of the numbers are.

The tunes range from the lilting “Ciribiribin” and various Christmas tunes, to such spirited patriotic numbers as “A Hot Time in the Town of Berlin,” to Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s marvelous “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive.” Most of the tracks feature Vic Schoen and his orchestra.

Even though many of the themes and arrangements are dated, the interaction between Crosby and the sisters is so warm that the recordings remain wonderfully appealing.

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