They were first organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1946. The original members of the group were Janet Ertel (1913-November 4, 1988), Carol Bushman (her sister-in-law), Dorothy Schwartz, and Jinny Osborn (or Lockard) (April 25, 1927-May 19, 2003). In 1952, Lynn Evans replaced Schwartz, and in 1953, Margie Needham replaced Osborn (who was having a baby), though Osborn later returned to the group. Nancy Overton also was a member of the group at a later time. Originally they sang folk music in the style of The Weavers, but eventually changed to a harmonizing style of the type known as barbershop harmony. Part of this change seems to be influenced by Osborn's father.
Jinny Osborn was born in Seattle, Washington. She was born Virginia Cole, the daughter of O. H. "King" Cole, who was president of the Barbershop Harmony Society (then known as SPEBSQSA), and Katherine Flack.
After performing locally in Sheboygan, they went on Arthur Godfrey's radio program, Talent Scouts in 1949.They went on to feature status on Godfrey's daily program, and then went on to make a number of recordings for Columbia Records.
In 1953, Godfrey's music director and orchestra leader, Archie Bleyer, founded Cadence Records. He signed a number of Godfrey regulars and former regulars, including the Chordettes, who had a number of hit records for Cadence.
Their biggest hit was Mr. Sandman in 1954. Archie Bleyer himself is on that record along with the group, Bleyer stripping the sound down the better not to clutter the girls' voices. They also hit the top twenty with 1958's "Lollipop," and also charted with a vocal version of the themes from television's Zorro (1959) and the film Never on Sunday (1961). Other hits for the girls included "Eddie My Love," "Born to Be With You," and "Lay Down Your Arms" in 1956 and "Just Between You and Me" in 1957.
Janet Ertel married Bleyer in 1954. Her daughter Jackie married another Cadence recording star, Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers. She died of cancer in 1988.
The Chordettes appeared on American Bandstand August 5, 1957, kicking off the first episode of the show over the ABC Television Network.
In 1961, Jinny Osborn left the group, and they were unable to find a replacement with whom they were happy, leading to a breakup.
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.
Jinny Osborn (by that time Jinny Janis) died in 2003
Carry Me Back To Old Virginny
The Chordettes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's where the cotton and the corn and tatoes grow,
There's where the birds warble sweet in the springtime,
There's where the old darke'ys heart am long'd to go,
There's where I labored so hard for old massa,
Day after day in the field of yellow corn,
No place on earth do I love more sincerely
Than old Virginny, the state where I was born.
Carry me back to old Virginny,
There's where the cotton and the corn and tatoes grow,
There's where the birds warble sweet in the springtime,
There's where this old darkey's heart am long'd to go.
Carry me back to old Virginny,
There let me live 'till I wither and decay,
Long by the old Dismal Swamp have I wandered,
There's where this old darke'ys life will pass away.
Massa and missis have long gone before me,
Soon we will meet on that bright and golden shore,
There we'll be happy and free from all sorrow,
There's where we'll meet and we'll never part no more.
In The Chordettes's song "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," the lyrics are a nostalgic reflection of someone who longs to return to their birthplace of Virginia. The singer fondly remembers the cotton, corn, and potatoes that grew there and the sweet songs of the birds in the springtime. The singer also longs to return to Virginia because that is where they labored hard in the fields of yellow corn for their old master. The singer's love for Virginia is evident, as they claim no other place on earth do they love more sincerely than old Virginia, the state in which they were born.
In the second stanza, the singer continues to express their desire to return to Virginia. They want to live there until they wither and decay, and they have spent a long time wandering through the old Dismal Swamp. The singer is aware that their master and mistress have long passed before them, but they long to be reunited with them on the bright and golden shore. They believe that they will be happy and free from all sorrow when they meet again, and they will never part again.
Line by Line Meaning
Carry me back to old Virginny,
Take me back to Virginia.
There's where the cotton and the corn and tatoes grow,
Virginia is known for growing cotton, corn, and potatoes.
There's where the birds warble sweet in the springtime,
Virginia has beautiful birds that sing lovely songs in the springtime.
There's where the old darke'ys heart am long'd to go,
Old African American slaves who worked in Virginia long to go back there.
There's where I labored so hard for old massa,
I worked very hard for my old owner (massa) in Virginia.
Day after day in the field of yellow corn,
Every day I worked in a field of yellow corn.
No place on earth do I love more sincerely
There is no place on earth I love more than Virginia.
Than old Virginny, the state where I was born.
Virginia is the state where I was born.
There let me live 'till I wither and decay,
Let me live in Virginia until I die and decay.
Long by the old Dismal Swamp have I wandered,
I have wandered for a long time near the old Dismal Swamp in Virginia.
There's where this old darkey's life will pass away.
My life will end in Virginia, where I am an old African American slave.
Massa and missis have long gone before me,
My old owner (massa) and his wife (missis) have passed away long before me.
Soon we will meet on that bright and golden shore,
Soon I will meet them again in heaven.
There we'll be happy and free from all sorrow,
In heaven, we will be happy and free from all pain and sadness.
There's where we'll meet and we'll never part no more.
In heaven, we will meet and never be separated again.
Lyrics © WILLIS MUSIC CO.
Written by: JAMES A BLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind