The Dinning Sisters were signed to Capitol Records as an answer to The Andrews Sisters. They did sound quite similar at times, especially in their fast-paced, boogie-woogie style songs. But, to label the Dinnings as a simple knock-off of The Andrews Sisters would not be fair.
The Dinning Sisters were born in Caldwell, Kansas and raised in a small farm town in Oklahoma. The singing group consisted of Lucille and her younger sisters, Jean and Ginger, who were twins. In 1939, The Dinnings began to attract a following in the Chicago area due to their own radio program that aired on WENR. They later gained national exposure while making appearances on the show "National Bar Dance."
In 1943, they signed their record deal with Capitol and released the hits: "Pig Foot Pete," "Down in the Diving Bell," "The Hawaiian War Chant," and "They Just Chopped Down the Old Apple Tree." They also appeared in two Hollywood movies and filmed a handful of Soundies and Snader Telescriptions.
Lucille left the trio in 1946 and was replaced by Jayne Bundesen who sang along side the twins until 1952.
Listen to: "They Just Chopped Down the Old Apple Tree" by The Dinning Sisters
You can hear The Dinning Sisters right here on Swing City Radio.
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