Brox Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Brox Sisters were an American
trio of singing sisters, enjoying their greatest popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s.
The family name was "Brock", and changed to "Brox" for theater marquees.
They grew up in Tennessee
and performed with Southern
accents.
Their career began touring on Vaudeville
in the United States and Canada in the 1910s. They hit it big on Broadway
at the start of the 1920s. They moved to Los Angeles
in the late 1920s. The act broke up in the early 1930s as the sisters got married; they made their last professional reunion appearance on radio in 1939.
Music Box Revue
from 1921 to 1924, at the New York Theatre
. Berlin's hit song "Everybody Step" was written for and debuted by the sisters..
In 1925 and 1926, they performed on Broadway in the musical comedy The Cocoanuts
, with the Marx Brothers
. In 1927, they appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927
at the New Amsterdam Theatre
with comedian
Eddie Cantor
.
sound shorts in the late 1920s.
In 1929, they appeared in the film The Hollywood Revue of 1929
, performing the songs "Singin' in the Rain
" with Cliff Edwards
and "Strike Up the Band
" in the finale of the first act.
In 1930, the sisters appeared in the film King of Jazz
. They performed the song "A Bench in the Park", with Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang
, and with The Rhythm Boys
(Bing Crosby
, Harry Barris
and Al Rinker
). In that year they also appeared in the film Spring Is Here in which they performed the song "Crying for the Carolines".
They perform "Falling in Love Again
" in the movie Hollywood on Parade
(1932).
broadcasts in the 1920s. They recorded a series of phonograph records
for Brunswick Records
and Victor Records, as well as appearing on sides for Columbia
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
trio of singing sisters, enjoying their greatest popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Early life
The members were- Bobbe (born Josephine Brock, 28 November 1902 - 2 May 1999)
- Lorayne (born Eunice, 11 November 1901 - 14 June 1993)
- Patricia (born Kathleen, 14 June 1904 - 27 August 1988).
The family name was "Brock", and changed to "Brox" for theater marquees.
They grew up in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and performed with Southern
Southern American English
Southern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern dialects make...
accents.
Their career began touring on Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
in the United States and Canada in the 1910s. They hit it big on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the start of the 1920s. They moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in the late 1920s. The act broke up in the early 1930s as the sisters got married; they made their last professional reunion appearance on radio in 1939.
Broadway
The trio performed on Irving Berlin'sIrving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
Music Box Revue
Music Box Revue
Music Box Revue was a musical theatre revue with music by Irving Berlin. Featuring contributions from a number of writers including Robert Benchley, it debuted at the Music Box Theatre in 1921, where it ran for 440 performances.-References:...
from 1921 to 1924, at the New York Theatre
New York Theatre
Several theatres in New York City have been called New York Theatre at various times during the building's life. They include the following:*Bowery Theatre*Olympia Theatre *Church of the Messiah...
. Berlin's hit song "Everybody Step" was written for and debuted by the sisters..
In 1925 and 1926, they performed on Broadway in the musical comedy The Cocoanuts
The Cocoanuts (musical)
The Cocoanuts is a musical with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a book by George S. Kaufman, with additional text by Morrie Ryskind.-Background:...
, with the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
. In 1927, they appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
at the New Amsterdam Theatre
New Amsterdam Theatre
The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater located at 214 West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Theatre District of Manhattan, New York City, off of Times Square...
with comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
.
Film history
The Brox Sisters were among the earliest artists to appear on VitaphoneVitaphone
Vitaphone was a sound film process used on feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects produced by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1930. Vitaphone was the last, but most successful, of the sound-on-disc processes...
sound shorts in the late 1920s.
In 1929, they appeared in the film The Hollywood Revue of 1929
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 is a 1929 part Technicolor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer American musical-comedy film. It was the studio's second feature-length musical, and one of the earliest ventures into the talkie format. Produced by Harry Rapf and directed by Chuck Riesner, the film brought together some...
, performing the songs "Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain (song)
"Singin' In the Rain" is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, published in 1929. However, it is unclear exactly when the song was written with some claiming that the song was written and performed as early as 1927. The song was listed as Number 3 on AFI's 100 Years.....
" with Cliff Edwards
Cliff Edwards
Cliff Edwards , also known as "Ukelele Ike", was an American singer and voice actor who enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes. He had a number-one hit with "Singin' in the Rain" in 1929...
and "Strike Up the Band
Strike Up the Band (song)
"Strike Up the Band" is a 1927 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was written for the 1927 musical Strike Up the Band, where it formed part of a satire on war and militaristic music...
" in the finale of the first act.
In 1930, the sisters appeared in the film King of Jazz
King of Jazz
King of Jazz is a 1930 motion picture starring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. The film's title was taken from Whiteman's controversial, self-conferred appellation...
. They performed the song "A Bench in the Park", with Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang
Eddie Lang
Eddie Lang was an American jazz guitarist, regarded as the Father of Jazz Guitar. He played a Gibson L-4 and L-5 guitar, providing great influence for many guitarists, including Django Reinhardt.-Biography:...
, and with The Rhythm Boys
The Rhythm Boys
The Rhythm Boys were a male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. Crosby and Rinker began performing together in 1925 and were recruited by Paul Whiteman in late 1926. Pianist/singer/songwriter Barris joined the team in 1927. They made a number of recordings with the...
(Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Harry Barris
Harry Barris
Harry Barris was an American popular singer and songwriter.Born in New York City, he was a member of the Rhythm Boys, a late 1920s singing trio which included Al Rinker and Bing Crosby, and was Crosby's entry into show business...
and Al Rinker
Al Rinker
Al Rinker began performing as a partner with Bing Crosby in 1925 and the two singers formed the Rhythm Boys, which singer/songwriter/pianist Harry Barris later joined. Barris wrote the songs Mississippi Mud, I Surrender, Dear, and Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams among others...
). In that year they also appeared in the film Spring Is Here in which they performed the song "Crying for the Carolines".
They perform "Falling in Love Again
Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)
"Falling in Love Again " is the English language name for a 1930 German song composed by Friedrich Hollaender as Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt...
" in the movie Hollywood on Parade
Hollywood on Parade
Hollywood on Parade is a series of short subjects released by Paramount Studios.-Production background:One short is frequently misidentified as Curly Howard's first appearance on film, as cited by historians, because it was mistaken for a 1932 short when Criterion Pictures acquired the shorts for...
(1932).
Radio and recordings
The sisters also made radioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasts in the 1920s. They recorded a series of phonograph records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
for Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
and Victor Records, as well as appearing on sides for Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
External links
- The Brox Sisters at IMDB
- Bobbe Brox at IMDB
- Kathlyn Brox at IMDB
- Lorraine Brox at IMDB
- Brox Sisters pages at JazzAge 1920s site
- Brock Sisters from UC to Hollywood
- Bobbie Brox obit in The Independent
- Their Short Cameo in "King of Jazz" (buried in Desert Memorial ParkDesert Memorial ParkDesert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs. It is maintained by the Palm Springs Cemetery District...
) (buried in Desert Memorial ParkDesert Memorial ParkDesert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs. It is maintained by the Palm Springs Cemetery District...
)