Welcome...to our website dedicated to honoring the music, lives and times of the "World's Foremost Harmony Singers": The Boswell Sisters. Never heard of them? Well, this has to be one of the greatest musical crimes of the century, because chances are their musical style and innovations have influenced much of the popular music many of us have enjoyed since. But most importantly, if you have not heard their music, you are seriously missing out.
Who were The Boswell Sisters?
They were three extraordinarily gifted musicians who emerged from the wellspring of the jazz movement in New Orleans in the early 1900s. They were icons, pioneers in music and early radio with influences that extend far beyond their own time. As Maxene Andrews once said, “They took the idea of jazz and did it vocally.” And they did it with such blending and precision that it has never been equaled since. Hard to believe? Perhaps if they were not pretty little white females, one of whom was unable to walk, it might be easier, and if not, they may have been included somewhere in the voluminous material on the history of American music. Instead, they have been excluded by all except those few scholars who know the truth about the Boswell Sisters, and are able to see past their own prejudices as well as an act name that makes them sound like just another cute "girl group." These few discovered that many of the giants of the swing era worked in orchestras for the Boswell Sisters, and even stood and applauded in honor of their musicianship at the end of a recording session with them. They know that Glenn Miller wrote down some of their arrangements for the orchestras because the sisters never wrote anything down, storing all their arrangements in their brains, and that he is credited on some songs with the arrangements the sisters themselves created. They know that Martha Boswell played the piano on the majority of their recordings, radio shows & live performances, alongside Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Mannie Klein, Bunny Berigan, Joe Venuti, the Mills Brothers, Paul Whiteman, Russ Columbo, Eddie Lang, Joe Tarto, Victor Young, Jackie Taylor, Harry Hoffman, Jack Purvis, Red Nichols, Chauncey Morehouse, Dick McDonough, Carl Kress, Russ Case, Theo Uden Masman, Johnny "Scat" Davis, Stan King, Don Redman, Manny Weinstock, Art Grier, and Bob Effros to name a few, but yet her name goes unheralded in history as a jazz and swing great, unlike many of these men. They were musician's musicians, with a long list of those who admired them, such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and who were influenced by their style, including Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Wynonna Judd, Manhattan Transfer, Steely Dan, and a long list of "girl groups," including most notably the Andrews Sisters. They were the Beatles of the golden age of jazz, and in fact, they, along with Armstrong and Ellington, led a musical "invasion" of England three decades before the mop-tops invaded America. Believe it or not, today they continue to be widely imitated around the world by musicians and vocalists of all genders, races & cultures.
If you enjoy vocal groups in particular, or popular music in general, then you owe a great deal of tribute to The Boswell Sisters. Listen to the timeless quality of their music and take a journey into the personal lives and career of these three musical prodigies of the South. This site—and in far more detail the new book poised for publication—contains information on the Boswell Sisters that does not exist anywhere else, through meticulous study of their private letters, films, records, and other career and personal ephemera. Important information, because it not only gives us clues on the development of a unique and thoroughly enjoyable musical style, but an understanding of our American heritage and culture, and--ultimately--a better understanding of ourselves.
The incredible story of The Boswell Sisters.
Their story is a multidimensional one, imperative from a musical perspective, but from so many others as well. In addition to the music, this is also a story of rugged individualism and fierce adherence to a vision—despite their gender and the predetermined roles for white middle class females of the time. Consider their celebrity against the backdrop of the Great Depression, a time when their youthfulness, energy, optimism and fresh arrangements of old songs conveyed hope to their audiences. Their perfect harmony symbolized support and togetherness during hard times, as their sisterhood helped them through family tragedy and loss. Finally, there is also the theme of great strength and determination conquering disability. All of these themes echo down through generations of their ancestors. Yet through all their trials and tribulations, the sisters forged ahead for the love of their music—and established an enormously successful career in a very short time, as well as a well-deserved place in music history.
As their ancestors before them, the Boswell Sisters were true pioneers--they came upon the new world of music in the early 1900s just as their families came upon the new world of America three-hundred years before. This new world of music was uniquely American, a melting pot of influences from all over the world—it was called jazz. And the Boswell Sisters’ important contribution to it and to virtually all other varieties of American popular music to follow needs to be noticed, understood and honored at the highest levels of the music and entertainment cultures. This recognition is long overdue.
Kyla Titus
Helvetia (Vet) Boswell's granddaughter, Boswell Sisters storyteller and caretaker of the Boswell family archives, Kyla Titus consulted on the Historic New Orleans Collection Boswell Sisters exhibit entitled, "Shout Sister Shout: The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans," that ran for most of 2014. She is also a member of the creative team for Joshua Tree Productions' public television documentary entitled, "The Boswell Sisters: Close Harmony." Her book, "The Boswell Legacy," which she co-wrote with her mother, Chica Boswell Minnerly was published in October 2014 and a new edition is coming soon. A former special educator, Kyla has devoted her time to helping further the awareness of the "World's Foremost Harmony Singers" and their innovative "Boswell Sound."
David W. McCain
Just as his beloved Boswell Sisters, David McCain is originally from New Orleans. His research into the history of harmony singing, much of which has been donated to several New Orleans institutions, quickly led him to the Boswell Sisters’ musical genius. David was captivated by their sound, but needed more. He found himself full of questions that he determined only Vet Boswell could answer. After their meeting, a close friendship ensued until her death in 1988. His closeness with Vet’s family continues, and he is currently working with her granddaughter, Kyla, on many Boswell recognition projects, to perpetuate and credit the highly influential Boswell Sound.
Chica Boswell Minnerly, in spirit
Vet "Chica" Boswell Minnerly was musically gifted and a trained classical pianist, but she nevertheless chose a career in special education. Upon retiring, she, like her aunt Martha Boswell, moved to a farm in the New York countryside. She spent the rest of her life at her beloved farm, working to honor the music and lives of her famous mother and aunts while amassing an enormous collection of Boswell Sisters material. Chica passed away in 2010, leaving the Boswell family legacy to her only daughter, Kyla, to carry forward. Much of this legacy would have been lost had it not been for Chica's tireless efforts, and the world of music is lucky for her perseverance and preservation of this important history.
Who were The Boswell Sisters?
They were three extraordinarily gifted musicians who emerged from the wellspring of the jazz movement in New Orleans in the early 1900s. They were icons, pioneers in music and early radio with influences that extend far beyond their own time. As Maxene Andrews once said, “They took the idea of jazz and did it vocally.” And they did it with such blending and precision that it has never been equaled since. Hard to believe? Perhaps if they were not pretty little white females, one of whom was unable to walk, it might be easier, and if not, they may have been included somewhere in the voluminous material on the history of American music. Instead, they have been excluded by all except those few scholars who know the truth about the Boswell Sisters, and are able to see past their own prejudices as well as an act name that makes them sound like just another cute "girl group." These few discovered that many of the giants of the swing era worked in orchestras for the Boswell Sisters, and even stood and applauded in honor of their musicianship at the end of a recording session with them. They know that Glenn Miller wrote down some of their arrangements for the orchestras because the sisters never wrote anything down, storing all their arrangements in their brains, and that he is credited on some songs with the arrangements the sisters themselves created. They know that Martha Boswell played the piano on the majority of their recordings, radio shows & live performances, alongside Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Mannie Klein, Bunny Berigan, Joe Venuti, the Mills Brothers, Paul Whiteman, Russ Columbo, Eddie Lang, Joe Tarto, Victor Young, Jackie Taylor, Harry Hoffman, Jack Purvis, Red Nichols, Chauncey Morehouse, Dick McDonough, Carl Kress, Russ Case, Theo Uden Masman, Johnny "Scat" Davis, Stan King, Don Redman, Manny Weinstock, Art Grier, and Bob Effros to name a few, but yet her name goes unheralded in history as a jazz and swing great, unlike many of these men. They were musician's musicians, with a long list of those who admired them, such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and who were influenced by their style, including Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Wynonna Judd, Manhattan Transfer, Steely Dan, and a long list of "girl groups," including most notably the Andrews Sisters. They were the Beatles of the golden age of jazz, and in fact, they, along with Armstrong and Ellington, led a musical "invasion" of England three decades before the mop-tops invaded America. Believe it or not, today they continue to be widely imitated around the world by musicians and vocalists of all genders, races & cultures.
If you enjoy vocal groups in particular, or popular music in general, then you owe a great deal of tribute to The Boswell Sisters. Listen to the timeless quality of their music and take a journey into the personal lives and career of these three musical prodigies of the South. This site—and in far more detail the new book poised for publication—contains information on the Boswell Sisters that does not exist anywhere else, through meticulous study of their private letters, films, records, and other career and personal ephemera. Important information, because it not only gives us clues on the development of a unique and thoroughly enjoyable musical style, but an understanding of our American heritage and culture, and--ultimately--a better understanding of ourselves.
The incredible story of The Boswell Sisters.
Their story is a multidimensional one, imperative from a musical perspective, but from so many others as well. In addition to the music, this is also a story of rugged individualism and fierce adherence to a vision—despite their gender and the predetermined roles for white middle class females of the time. Consider their celebrity against the backdrop of the Great Depression, a time when their youthfulness, energy, optimism and fresh arrangements of old songs conveyed hope to their audiences. Their perfect harmony symbolized support and togetherness during hard times, as their sisterhood helped them through family tragedy and loss. Finally, there is also the theme of great strength and determination conquering disability. All of these themes echo down through generations of their ancestors. Yet through all their trials and tribulations, the sisters forged ahead for the love of their music—and established an enormously successful career in a very short time, as well as a well-deserved place in music history.
As their ancestors before them, the Boswell Sisters were true pioneers--they came upon the new world of music in the early 1900s just as their families came upon the new world of America three-hundred years before. This new world of music was uniquely American, a melting pot of influences from all over the world—it was called jazz. And the Boswell Sisters’ important contribution to it and to virtually all other varieties of American popular music to follow needs to be noticed, understood and honored at the highest levels of the music and entertainment cultures. This recognition is long overdue.
Kyla Titus
Helvetia (Vet) Boswell's granddaughter, Boswell Sisters storyteller and caretaker of the Boswell family archives, Kyla Titus consulted on the Historic New Orleans Collection Boswell Sisters exhibit entitled, "Shout Sister Shout: The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans," that ran for most of 2014. She is also a member of the creative team for Joshua Tree Productions' public television documentary entitled, "The Boswell Sisters: Close Harmony." Her book, "The Boswell Legacy," which she co-wrote with her mother, Chica Boswell Minnerly was published in October 2014 and a new edition is coming soon. A former special educator, Kyla has devoted her time to helping further the awareness of the "World's Foremost Harmony Singers" and their innovative "Boswell Sound."
David W. McCain
Just as his beloved Boswell Sisters, David McCain is originally from New Orleans. His research into the history of harmony singing, much of which has been donated to several New Orleans institutions, quickly led him to the Boswell Sisters’ musical genius. David was captivated by their sound, but needed more. He found himself full of questions that he determined only Vet Boswell could answer. After their meeting, a close friendship ensued until her death in 1988. His closeness with Vet’s family continues, and he is currently working with her granddaughter, Kyla, on many Boswell recognition projects, to perpetuate and credit the highly influential Boswell Sound.
Chica Boswell Minnerly, in spirit
Vet "Chica" Boswell Minnerly was musically gifted and a trained classical pianist, but she nevertheless chose a career in special education. Upon retiring, she, like her aunt Martha Boswell, moved to a farm in the New York countryside. She spent the rest of her life at her beloved farm, working to honor the music and lives of her famous mother and aunts while amassing an enormous collection of Boswell Sisters material. Chica passed away in 2010, leaving the Boswell family legacy to her only daughter, Kyla, to carry forward. Much of this legacy would have been lost had it not been for Chica's tireless efforts, and the world of music is lucky for her perseverance and preservation of this important history.
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Copyright © 2014-2024 Kyla M. Titus. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2014-2024 Kyla M. Titus. All Rights Reserved.
