The King Sisters
b. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Alyce, Donna, Louise and Yvonne King were arguably one of the most technically accomplished vocal groups to emerge from the big band era. They took their stage name from their father, William King Driggs, who was a college voice trainer. Together with another sister and a friend, they appeared with Horace Heidt's band in Chicago in 1935, billed as the Six King Sisters. After singing on Heidt's Alemite radio show in 1936-38, they became a quartet in the late '30s, and appeared on radio with Al Pearce. When Alvino Rey, Louise's husband, who played electric guitar with Heidt, left to form his own band, the Kings went with him, and performed with the band, and as individual soloists, until 1943. Yvonne King sang on several Rey hits, including the band's theme song, Nighty Night, I Said No and Idaho. The sisters also featured on Tiger Rag and Strip Polka. In addition they had successful records under their own name, through to 1945, including The Hut-Sut Song, Rose O'Day, My Devotion, I'll Get By, It's Love-Love-Love, Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet, The Trolley Song, Candy and Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week). They also appeared in several movies including Sing Your Worries Away (1942), Meet The People (1944), The Thrill Of A Romance (1945), On Stage Everybody (1945) and Cuban Pete (1945). Rey broke up the band when he went into the US Navy, and when it re-formed after the war, it was without the Sisters. They had been resident on Kay Kyser's radio show during 1944, but in the late '40s, and beyond, were only making occasional personal appearances and recordings. In the mid-'60s, they were once again in demand with the advent of the enormously popular 'The King Family' television show, in which they featured, together with a vast cast of relatives. Their '60s television series spawned several albums and they continued to record into the '70s covering popular standards such as Nina Never Knew, Too Late Now, Street Of Dreams and Don't Get Around Much Anymore.