The Andrews Sisters were a group of singing sisters: LaVerne Andrews (contr… Read Full Bio ↴The Andrews Sisters were a group of singing sisters: LaVerne Andrews (contralto; July 6, 1911-May 8, 1967), Maxene Andrews (high harmony; January 3, 1916-October 21, 1995) and Patty Andrews (lead; February 16, 1918-January 30, 2013). All were born in Minnesota, United States to a Greek immigrant father and a Norwegian American mother.

“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.

Tallahassee
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When you see land
(Out of the window of a train)
Kinda green and grassy,
(How in the world can you complain?)
Beneath a moon
(You ought to see the way it shines)
Bright beyond compare,
(The way it shines upon the pines)

When you hear blue jays chirping high and sassy,
And catch one sniff of southern cooking
Hanging on the evening air
(Supper's waiting on the table)
When you see folks
(Having their after dinner chats)
All polite and classy
(Gentlemen all remove their hats)
And every smile
(Perfect harmony and peace)
Bids you stay and rest,
(Hand the porter your valise)
Get off that train,
(Sit down and rest your chassis,)
You're in Tallahassee
(The Cap8ital City of Florida and)

The Southland at its best!
(But Dixie at its very best!)

Overall Meaning

The Andrews Sisters' song Tallahassee is an ode to the beauty and charm of Tallahassee, the capital of Florida. The song begins by describing the scenic beauty of Tallahassee, with its green and grassy land, shining moon, and chirping blue jays. The mention of southern cooking hanging on the evening air adds to the sensory experience of the place. The lyrics then focus on the genteel and polite people of Tallahassee, where gentlemen remove their hats and every smile bids one to stay and rest. The overall effect is to create an image of Tallahassee as a peaceful, welcoming, and charming place where one would want to stop and stay for a while.

Line by Line Meaning

When you see land
Observing the scenery out of a train window

Kinda green and grassy,
Lush and verdant surroundings catching the eye

(How in the world can you complain?)
The beauty of the place makes it impossible to complain

Beneath a moon
The clarity of nocturnal light

(The way it shines upon the pines)
The moon illuminates the pine trees perfectly

When you hear blue jays chirping high and sassy,
The sound of lively blue jays fills the air

And catch one sniff of southern cooking
The delicious scent of southern style food

Hanging on the evening air
Permeating the evening atmosphere

(Supper's waiting on the table)
A tantalizing dinner is ready to be served

When you see folks
Observing elegantly attired people

(Having their after dinner chats)
Gentle conversation taking place after the meal