“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.
The Blue Tail Fly
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That this song was a favourite
Of that very famous and great American
Abraham Lincoln"
When I was young, I used to wait
On master and give him his plate
And pass him the bottle when he got dry
Jimmy, crack corn, I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
And when he'd ride in the afternoon
I'd follow after, with a hickory broom
The pony being rather shy
When bitten by blue tail fly
Jimmy, crack corn, I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
One day, he ride around the farm
The flies so numerous, they did swarm
One chanced to bite him on the thigh
The devil take the blue tail fly
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
The pony run, he jumped, he pitch
He threw my master in the ditch
He died and the jury wondered why
The verdict was the blue tail fly
Jimmy, crack corn, I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
They lay him under a 'simmon tree
His epitaph is there to see
"Beneath this stone, I'm forced to lie
Victim of the blue tail fly"
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My master's gone away
The Andrews Sisters's song "The Blue Tail Fly" tells the story of a slave who takes care of his master, serving him food and drink and helping him ride his pony. However, the one thing that bothers him is the "blue tail fly" that bites the pony, making it skittish and causing it to throw his master, who dies as a result. The slave is indifferent to his master's death, as shown by the repeated refrain of "Jimmy, crack corn, and I don't care."
The lyrics refer to a popular folk song from the mid-1800s that was sung by slaves in the Southern United States. The tune itself is an upbeat, cheerful melody that belies the dark lyrics: a tale of a slave who rejoices in his master's misfortune. The song exemplifies the use of music as a subversive tool in the history of American slavery. It is implied that the slave is glad to be rid of his master, who likely treated him and other slaves cruelly. The fact that the song was allegedly a favourite of Abraham Lincoln suggests that he understood the message behind the seemingly simple lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I've heard it said
It has been rumored
That this song was a favourite
That this tune was particularly enjoyed
Of that very famous and great American
By the renowned and esteemed man
Abraham Lincoln
Named Abraham Lincoln
When I was young, I used to wait
As a child, I would assist
On master and give him his plate
My master with his food, I would aid
And pass him the bottle when he got dry
When my master was thirsty, I would provide a drink
And brush away the blue tail fly
And swat at the pesky blue tail fly
Jimmy, crack corn, I don't care
Despite my situation, I am indifferent
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy can do what he wants, I am not bothered
Jimmy, crack corn and I don't care
My lack of concern persists
My master's gone away
Now that my master is gone
And when he'd ride in the afternoon
During the afternoon ride
I'd follow after, with a hickory broom
I would trail behind, holding a hickory broom
The pony being rather shy
The horse was quite skittish
When bitten by blue tail fly
When bitten by the blue tail fly
One day, he ride around the farm
Once while riding the farm
The flies so numerous, they did swarm
The flies were so plentiful, they joined together
One chanced to bite him on the thigh
One of them bit him on the thigh
The devil take the blue tail fly
Damn the pesky blue tail fly
The pony run, he jumped, he pitch
The horse ran, jumped, and threw its rider
He threw my master in the ditch
It hurled my master into a nearby ditch
He died and the jury wondered why
And consequently he deceased, causing the jury to question
The verdict was the blue tail fly
The cause was determined to be the blue tail fly
They lay him under a 'simmon tree
He was buried under a sycamore tree
His epitaph is there to see
His tombstone inscription reads
"Beneath this stone, I'm forced to lie
Below this grave marker, I lay against my will
Victim of the blue tail fly"
As a result of the damned blue tail fly
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BURL IVES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michaelpamphilon7513
The brilliant harmonies of The Andrews Sisters add so much to this absurd little, old ditty.
@dellawolfdove8927
Oh how I remember this. 😏 So appropriate for these times.🌎.
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