Andrews Sisters' Patty Andrews Dies At 94

Patty Andrews of singing trio, The Andrews Sisters, died of natural causes in her Northbridge, Calif., home on Wednesday. She was 94.

The Andrews Sisters were best known for their hits "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" and "I Can Dream Can't I." Their first hit record was 1937's "Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen," and they went on to record more than 400 songs and sell more than 80 million records. A favorite group among U.S. service personnel overseas during World War II, their "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time" was known to bring tears to the troops' eyes.

The Andrews Sisters also recorded with a slew of other popular 40s bands including Benny Goodman, Glen Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Bob Crosby, Woody Herman, Guy Lombardo and Dezi Arnaz. Bing Crosby was a favorite collaborator, singing dozens of songs with the Andrews Sisters, including the gold record "Don't Fence Me In."

Patty and her sisters naturally grew into the big band swing musical style that was hitting the airwaves. "I was listening to Benny Goodman and to all the bands," Patty once said. "I was into the feel, so that would go into my own musical ability. I was into swing. I loved the brass section."

With all of their popularity, it wasn't long before Universal Pictures offered the Andrews Sisters a contract. Between 1940 and 1944, the trio made a dozen low-budget musical comedies. They returned to film for 1947's The Road to Rio with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

In 1967, the eldest Andrew sister, LaVerne, died from cancer. It was then that the group, having been struggling through a period of discord, officially disbanded. Patty and Maxene rejoined forces in 1974 for Broadway show, Over Here!, which ran for over a year. Following the end of the show's run, Patty continued as a solo artist performing in Las Vegas and on variety shows. Maxene also continued touring until she died in 1995.

Patty married Andrews Sisters agent Martin Melcher in 1947, but divorced him soon after in 1949. While Melcher moved on to marry Doris Day, Patty remarried to Andrews Sisters pianist Walter Weschler, whom she was with until his death in 2010.

Patty Andrews is survived by foster daughter, Pam Dubois.

— Chelsea Regan

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