Nordstrom Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Nordstrom Sisters were an American
cabaret
act which performed internationally from 1931 to 1976.
Dagmar Nordstrom
(1903 – 1976) the younger of the two sisters was a composer, arranger and the pianist of the duo. She wrote the music of Remembering You, a fox trot
popular in the 1940s and released on records.
Sigfred Nordstrom
(1893 – 1980), the elder sister, sang the lead and was the widow of Samuel Ferebee Williams (1883–1931), a confectionery executive who was the originator of the Tootsie Roll
. They were married in 1919. Williams died in October 1931.
Originally from Chicago
, the sisters were of Swedish
and Norwegian
extraction. They were frequently billed as society performers. These international cabaret
singers were often styled as The Misses Nordstrom or introduced as those Park Avenue darlings, the Nordstrom Sisters. Their songs were full of sexual innuendo and double entendre.
The pair lived in London
for a year in 1939, when they were the resident performers at The Ritz
. They were often featured onboard transatlantic ocean liners favouring the Norwegian America Line
and the Cunard Line
. They were always booked in first class state room
s and took their automobile
aboard ship as part of their compensation package. They would celebrate as the cars were first out of the hold of the ship. Everything they needed on the continent was packed in the car, and they were on their way as others were still waiting for their trunks. They sailed on the MS Sagafjord
for her maiden round-the-world voyage. They always spent the month of October in Bad Gastein
for the baths.
They entertained groups of 50—100 guests for cocktails for several nights to celebrate each of their birthdays and during the December and New Year
holidays. Initially they had an apartment floor in Manhattan
on 53rd Street, just east of Park Avenue
. When that building was demolished for a new Chemical Bank building they, as Siggie used to say, moved to 'Albany' as the new apartment was on the north west corner of 79th Street at Third Avenue.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
act which performed internationally from 1931 to 1976.
Dagmar Nordstrom
Dagmar Nordstrom
Dagmar Nordstrom was an American composer, pianist and singer. She performed together with her sister Siggie as a cabaret singing duo known as The Nordstrom Sisters.-Background:...
(1903 – 1976) the younger of the two sisters was a composer, arranger and the pianist of the duo. She wrote the music of Remembering You, a fox trot
Foxtrot (Dance)
The foxtrot is a smooth progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band music, and the feeling is one of elegance and sophistication...
popular in the 1940s and released on records.
Sigfred Nordstrom
Siggie Nordstrom
Sigfred Ann "Siggie" Nordstrom was an American model, actress, entertainer, socialite and lead singer of The Nordstrom Sisters....
(1893 – 1980), the elder sister, sang the lead and was the widow of Samuel Ferebee Williams (1883–1931), a confectionery executive who was the originator of the Tootsie Roll
Tootsie Roll
Tootsie Roll is a brand of chewy candy. It is a form of candy that has been manufactured in the United States since 1896. The manufacturer, Tootsie Roll Industries, is based in Chicago, Illinois.It was the first penny candy to be individually wrapped....
. They were married in 1919. Williams died in October 1931.
Originally from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, the sisters were of Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
extraction. They were frequently billed as society performers. These international cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
singers were often styled as The Misses Nordstrom or introduced as those Park Avenue darlings, the Nordstrom Sisters. Their songs were full of sexual innuendo and double entendre.
The pair lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for a year in 1939, when they were the resident performers at The Ritz
Ritz Hotel
The Ritz London is a luxury 5-star hotel located in Piccadilly and overlooking Green Park in London.- History :Swiss hotelier César Ritz, former manager of the Savoy Hotel, opened the hotel on 24 May 1906...
. They were often featured onboard transatlantic ocean liners favouring the Norwegian America Line
Norwegian America Line
Norwegian America Line , was a cruise ship line, originally an operator of passenger and cargo ships. Founded in 1910, the company ran a regular transatlantic service between Norway and the United States, and later to East Africa as well....
and the Cunard Line
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
. They were always booked in first class state room
State room
A state room in a large European mansion is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed to impress. The term was most widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were the most lavishly decorated in the house and contained the finest works of art...
s and took their automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
aboard ship as part of their compensation package. They would celebrate as the cars were first out of the hold of the ship. Everything they needed on the continent was packed in the car, and they were on their way as others were still waiting for their trunks. They sailed on the MS Sagafjord
Saga Rose
MS Saga Rose was an ocean liner formerly owned and operated by Saga Cruises on worldwide cruises targeted at the senior market out of the United Kingdom. She was built in 1965 by Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée for Norwegian America Line as the combined ocean...
for her maiden round-the-world voyage. They always spent the month of October in Bad Gastein
Bad Gastein
Bad Gastein is a spa town in the Austrian state of Salzburg, situated at the northern rim of the Hohe Tauern national park. It has 5,838 inhabitants. The name "Bad" means "spa", reflecting the town's history as a health resort. It is located at the head of the Gastein valley, about 1,000 metres ...
for the baths.
They entertained groups of 50—100 guests for cocktails for several nights to celebrate each of their birthdays and during the December and New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
holidays. Initially they had an apartment floor in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
on 53rd Street, just east of Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
. When that building was demolished for a new Chemical Bank building they, as Siggie used to say, moved to 'Albany' as the new apartment was on the north west corner of 79th Street at Third Avenue.