The Boswell Sisters (Connie, Martha and Vet) were arguably the greatest jazz vocal group of all time, ranking at the top with the Mills Brothers of the 1930s, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, and Manhattan Transfer. The Boswells, who recorded one exciting gem after another during 1930-36, were quite innovative. They had beautiful and very complementary voices, often explored several moods and tempos within the three minutes of a 78, scatted at a high level, could really dig into the lyrics, and were constantly full of joyful surprises. Not only were their harmonies advanced for the era but sometimes they were improvised on the spot with the sisters taking turns in the lead.
Two books and an eagerly awaited documentary tell the story of the Boswell Sisters.
Back in 2014, Vet Boswell’s granddaughter Kyla Titus wrote what was then the definitive book on the group, The Boswell Legacy. A decade later, the second edition of The Boswell Legacy (which lists Kyla’s late mother Chica Boswell Minnerly as co-author) has been published and even those who own the original book will want this version. While the first edition was 196 pages, the new one is 324 pages. The main text is not that much different, growing by 24 pages, but there are many more photos this time around, some of which were colorized, and selected recordings from each year receive a lengthy analysis by Paul Chiten. The main additions are in the back of the book. The Epilogue written by James Von Schilling is completely different, there are new articles by Chiten and Kyla Titus, and the section on later performers inspired by the Boswell Sisters has grown from 5 to 39 pages. The second edition also includes a complete 12-page discography, a filmography, and a comprehensive 50-page Boswell Sisters Gigography dating from 1916 to 1936; all compiled by David W. McCain.
The Boswell Legacy does its best to answer a few key questions about the Boswell Sisters. There are theories as to what caused Connie Boswell’s nearly lifelong inability to walk. It might have been caused by a childhood accident (that was the story given by the family) but was probably the result of polio. Why is the group not as well known today as it should have been? The answer to that seems obvious since they broke up in 1936 and the less inventive Andrews Sisters (who always considered the Boswells to be their main influence) succeeded them and were a giant hit.
But what actually caused the breakup of the Boswell Sisters after several years of being a sensation and having wildly successful tours of Europe? The official story was that when all three of them got married, Martha and Vet chose to retire while Connie Boswell became a successful solo singer. Kyla Titus in both editions gives plenty of evidence that Connie’s husband Harry Leedy was behind it all, feeling that Connie was the real talent in the group and gradually persuading her that she was being held back by her sisters. Connie’s determination at staying in show business at all costs along with her fear that, once her sisters had married, they would abandon her, were also factors.
The breakup of the group might have been inevitable but it was certainly premature particularly when one considers that the swing era was just getting underway. Both Martha (who ended up becoming an alcoholic) and Vet spent the rest of their lives missing singing while Connie occasionally showed that she missed performing with her sisters. It does seem odd that Vet and particularly Martha Boswell, a fine pianist and an excellent singer, did not ever return to active performing after 1936. They could have both had important careers of their own if they did not let their husbands discourage them.
The Boswell Legacy (available from www.amazon.com), which fully discusses in colorful fashion the ups and downs of the Boswell Sisters, belongs in every jazz library, as do their classic recordings.
Chica Boswell Minnerly, Vet’s daughter who passed away in 2010, compiled a manuscript titled Legacy in which she wrote short pieces about the Boswell Sisters’ mother Meldania, each of the Sisters, and their three husbands. Kyla Titus discovered the previously unknown writings in 2016, was touched by the poetic and very honest descriptions of her relatives, and published Legacy: Images Of A Family which is about 160 pages. Since the individual writings are pretty brief, Ms. Titus filled in the book with lots of rare and beautiful photographs which greatly add to the value of the work. While Legacy: Images Of A Family (also available from www.amazon.com) is for a more limited audience than The Boswell Legacy, it complements that book quite well.
The Boswell Sisters documentary, Close Harmony, will be coming out in the near future. I was fortunate enough to be given access to a work-in-progress version of the feature length film. Like the book The Boswell Legacy, seeing the film is an absolute must for fans of the group.
The story of the Boswell Sisters is told with expert editing will include excerpts from their film appearances, loads of photos, some privately filmed silent footage, informed and always interesting commentary from Gary Giddins, Will Friedwald, Vince Giordano, music historian David McCain, Kyle Titus, Vet Boswell (from a 1978 radio interview), and Connie Boswell (from 1965), and nearly nonstop music by the Boswells.
Among the topics covered are Connie Boswell’s paralysis, the Sisters growing up in New Orleans, the early period as a classical trio consisting of violin, cello and piano, their individual personalities, the short lives of their brother (who died in the 1918 flu epidemic) and trumpeter Emmett Hardy who convinced them to sing jazz, and their period of struggle while trying to make it in vaudeville during 1928-29.
Also discussed are Martha and Vet’s willingness to physically carry Connie everywhere during their road trips, the conflicts between Harry Leedy and Martha Boswell, the importance of the development of the microphone in helping to develop their styles, how they developed their arrangements (starting with the end of the song and working their way backwards), their remarkable successes and the fun that they had, Vet’s secret marriage, and the gradual disintegration of the group. Quite touching is the story behind their only post-1936 live performance, a spontaneous and unplanned reunion on “Heebies Jeebies” in 1955 shortly before Martha’s death.
Hopefully the release of the two books and (in the near future) the documentary will result in the Boswell Sisters getting some of the fame that they have long deserved.
The Boswell Legacy (Second Edition):
The Story of the Boswell Sisters of New Orleans
and the New Music They Gave to the World
by Kyla Titus and Chica Boswell Minnerly
Hardcover; 332 pages; $65.74
ISBN: 979-8343775068
Paperback; 332 pages; $50.34
ISBN: 979-8333936448
amazon.com
Legacy: Images of a Family
by Chica Boswell Minnerly
Paperback; 167 pages; $31.40
ISBN: 978-1530271320
amazon.com
Close Harmony
(film documentary in progress)
Since 1975 Scott Yanow has been a regular reviewer of albums in many jazz styles. He has written for many jazz and arts magazines, including JazzTimes, Jazziz, Down Beat, Cadence, CODA, and the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, and was the jazz editor for Record Review. He has written an in-depth biography on Dizzy Gillespie for AllMusic.com. He has authored 11 books on jazz, over 900 liner notes for CDs and over 20,000 reviews of jazz recordings.
Yanow was a contributor to and co-editor of the third edition of the All Music Guide to Jazz. He continues to write for Downbeat, Jazziz, the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, the Jazz Rag, the New York City Jazz Record and other publications.
