“Patty Andrews, the lead singer of the Andrews sisters group was born in Mound, Minnesota on February 16, 1918 in a house that occupied the property where The Gillespie Center stands today.
During the 1920’s Laverne, Maxene and Patty Andrews spent their summers in Mound, living with their parents in a house across the street from the grocery store that was owned by Pete and Ed Sollie, bachelor uncles of the three girls. (Today, Green T Accounting occupies the Sollie grocery store building and The Gillespie Center is on the land where the Andrews Sisters’ house once stood.)” - From a commentary by Tom Rockvam that appeared in The Laker Newspaper during 2005.
They started their career as imitators of an earlier successful singing group, the Boswell Sisters. After singing with various dance bands and touring on Vaudeville, they first came to national attention with their recordings and radio broadcasts in 1937. Their music entertained Allied troops worldwide during World War II, sold war bonds, appeared in several films (including a few Abbott and Costello features), and performed for soldiers serving overseas. Their first film with Abbott and Costello, the pre-war comedy Buck Privates, introduced their best-known recording, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" which would win Best Song at the Academy Awards.
They also recorded many songs with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and other popular artists of the era. Their popularity was such that after the war they discovered that some of their records had actually been smuggled into Germany after the labels had been changed to read "Hitler's Marching Songs."
After a brief hiatus after the war, the sisters regrouped, performing in clubs throughout the United States and Europe. They broke up in 1953, with Patty's choice to go solo. Their last appearance together was in 1962 on The Dean Martin Show. Laverne, who had cancer, retired soon after; she died five years later, in 1967 at the age of 55.
After a long silence, the two surviving sisters had something of a comeback when Bette Midler recorded a cover of their song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Maxene and Patty appeared both together and separately throughout the 1970s, with Maxene releasing a solo album in 1986. Their most notable comeback; however, was in the Sherman Brothers' nostalgic World War II musical: "Over Here!" which premiered on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in 1974. The musical featured the two then living sisters (Maxene and Patty) and was written with them in mind for the leads. It launched the careers of many, now notable theater and film icons (John Travolta, Marilu Henner, Ann Reinking, et al). Ironically it was the last major hurrah of the sisters and was cut short due to a frivolous lawsuit initiated by Patty's husband to the show's producers.
Throughout their long career, the sisters had sold over 60 million records. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
The last of the three sisters Patty Andrews died of natural causes at her home in Northridge, California on January 30, 2013, just 17 days before her 95th birthday. The sisters were interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, close to their parents.
Alexander's Ragtime Band
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Better hurry and let's meander.
Ain't you goin', ain't you goin'?
To the leader man, ragged meter man?
Oh ma honey, oh ma honey,
Let me take you to Alexander's
Grand stand brass band,
Ain't you comin' along?
Come on and hear, come on and hear,
Alexander's Ragtime Band.
Come on and hear, come on and hear,
It's the best band in the land!
They can play a bugle call like you never heard before.
So natural that you want to go to war.
That's just the bestest band what am, my honey lamb.
Come on along, come on along,
Let me take you by the hand.
Up to the man, up to the man,
Who's the leader of the band!
And if you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime,
Come on and hear, come on and hear,
Alexander's Ragtime Band!
Come on and hear Alexander's Ragtime Band.
Come on and hear, come on and hear,
It's the best band in the land!
They can play a bugle call like you never heard before.
So natural that you want to go to war.
That's just the bestest band what am, oh my honey lamb.
Come on along, come on along,
Let me take you by the hand.
Up to the man, up to the man,
Who's the leader of the band!
And if you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime,
Come on and hear, let's hear, let's hear
Alexander's Ragtime Band!
Come on along, come on along,
Let me take you by the hand.
Up to the man, up to the man,
Who's the leader of the band!
And if you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime,
Come on and hear, come on and hear
Alexander's Ragtime Band!
The lyrics to The Andrews Sisters's song Alexander's Ragtime Band describe an invitation to join the titular band as they play their unique style of music. The song opens with the playful and flirtatious "Oh ma honey, oh ma honey," urging the listener to join the band and experience the joy and excitement it brings. The chorus further champions the band's talent, claiming the "best band in the land" title through their ability to play music in a way that is both natural and exotic. The final stanza invites those who want to hear the classic tune "Swanee River" played in the band's distinct ragtime style to come and enjoy the performance.
The song's lyrics celebrate the allure and wonder of early 20th-century ragtime music, which was a vibrant blend of African American rhythms and European musical structures. The upbeat and playful nature of the song reflects the optimistic spirit of the era, which was characterized by economic growth, technological advancement, and social change. The song's popularity and longevity serve as a testament to the enduring appeal of the ragtime genre and the joy it brings to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh ma honey, oh ma honey, Better hurry and let's meander.
Hey there sweetheart, let's not waste time and get going.
Ain't you goin', ain't you goin'? To the leader man, ragged meter man?
Are you coming with me to see the bandleader, who conducts the ragged meter music?
Oh ma honey, oh ma honey, Let me take you to Alexander's Grand stand brass band, Ain't you comin' along?
Come with me to see Alexander's great brass band, my dear.
Come on and hear, come on and hear, Alexander's Ragtime Band. Come on and hear, come on and hear, It's the best band in the land!
Listen and witness the best band in the country, Alexander's Ragtime Band!
They can play a bugle call like you never heard before. So natural that you want to go to war.
The band is so good they can play bugle calls that fill you with a sense of patriotism and make you want to go to war for your country.
That's just the bestest band what am, my honey lamb. Come on along, come on along, Let me take you by the hand.
This is truly the best band around, my love. Let me show you as we go.
Up to the man, up to the man, Who's the leader of the band!
Let's go meet the man who leads this wonderful group of musicians.
And if you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime, Come on and hear, come on and hear, Alexander's Ragtime Band!
And if you're interested in hearing the classic tune 'Swanee River' played in ragtime style, you definitely need to come listen to Alexander's band!
Writer(s): Wright, Irving Berlin
Contributed by Ruby D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ruud Bergamin
Their way of singing together is impressive. The mix like a good trumpet section. They time very tight together.
BeatnikRampage
+Ruud Bergamin according to the Sisters that is exactly what they tried to do. The thing about them is they are a close harmony trio that could adapt to whatever music style that was thrown at them and still keep that harmony. Then you have Patty when doing a solo could hold her own with anyone only to blend right back into the trio seamlessly.
clay pendleton
RIP to all the Andrews Sisters... I like to think they are all singing together once again up above.
Matt Diestel
Written in 1911, Alexander's Ragtime Band was the first major hit for the greatest composer of popular music ever --- Irving Berlin (White Christmas, Easter Parade, God Bless America and hundreds of others). A friend bet the young Berlin that he couldn't write a song in the then popular ragtime style. Berlin won the bet & the song remains popular a century later. BTW, the Titanic sank in April 1912.
Zsolt Kiss
As you say...
Di drake
Great music, brings back memories of my childhood and mother and father. Awesome music to grow up with and now in my twilight years, I'm enjoying the same music.
Karissa Nicole
this was the first chorus song I ever did back in 2005 and it still gets stuck in my head regularly
Annie McManus
I love the Andrew sisters their way better then auto tuned voices. This is what you call music. :)
Katherine LaRue
I love the tunes from this era as they have so many good memories for me. Fabulous
Veronica Falcon
We just got the music for this in my choir, I looked it up, and boy am I excited to sing this!