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The Pickens Sisters Collection

Just three little girls, Helen, Jane, and Patti from Macon, Georgia, who grew up singing together and they became the toast of Manhattan.

Pickens Sisters

5 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 4 hours, 3459 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
5 Audio CDs


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or order disks individually: Add to Cart
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Play a sample episode from January 12, 1936:

"Magic Key: Adele Astaire and Pickens Sisters"



... or click here to save the Mp3 file to your computer
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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.


The Pickens Sisters

They were just three little girls from Macon, Georgia, who grew up singing together and they became the toast of Manhattan. The Pickens Sisters began singing together in the family parlor. Dad was a successful cotton broker who played the piano while Mom taught the girls to sing and harmonize. The family moved to New York City in 1932 and settled into a ‘simple’ 12 room apartment on Park Avenue.

Pickens SistersThe girls, Helen, Jane, and Patti, were still teenagers when they alighted on the big city. They were pretty enough to attract attention on their own, but when word got out that NBC was looking for a girl singing trio, they made a test record. When the network heard the disk, the Pickens Sisters were hired without so much as an audition.

RCA Victor thought they had found an answer to Brunswick Records’ Boswell Sisters. The Pickens Sisters were also compared favorably to the Andrews Sisters with their tight harmonies and fun, seductive stylings. They also managed to attract plenty of attention from the opposite sex. According to an article in March 1936 issue of Radio Mirror, "How the Pickens Sisters Get Their Men", it was common in the New York night-life scene to see "the three Pickens Sisters come in with eight, no less, top hats and tails in tow. Three gorgeously gowned, glamorous Georgia girls with two and two-thirds handsome males each, getting rushed right off their custom-made sandals, while all over the place sat a lot of other luscious young feminine stars with a date apiece…"

The Pickens Sisters earned more than a million dollars during the short time they sang together professionally. They began to slow down when older sister Helen married Salvatore Curione but officially broke up after baby sister Patti eloped with radio actor Bob Simmons. Helen retired, middle sister Jane joined the Ziegfeld Follies, and Patti and Bob toured for a time as Pickens and Simmons.

Eventually, Patti and Bob bought a farm in Bucks County. They had kids and Patti continued to sing professionally. Jane built a reputation as "the one who took her music seriously". She arranged the group’s numbers when they were together, and attended the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, the Fontainebleau in Paris, and won a fellowship to the Julliard School.

 

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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    COMMENTS

    Thank you for all the important work you do, for preserving history that is. Just ordered seven items, WWII collection including, busy downloading. Will save the Andrews Sisters for later, as a birthday present for my wife. You might be curious to know that AFRS was frequently broadcasting from mobile stations driving in Europe.

    Max Verified Purchase

    I am moving house for the last time I hope. Into a village with my own home and cat named 'Ussy.' I love my cat and will miss him for six days as I move. I have inherited an amazing collection of VHS tapes from my dad and will be trying to preserve the best of them aswell as family stuff. I just want to say how loyal I am to you and your work and think you provide a wonderful service in nostaliac art.

    Rob Verified Purchase

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    5 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 4 hours, 3459 min
    5 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 4 hours, 3459 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 5 shows – total playtime 4 hours, 57 minutes
    2. Kraft Music Hall 331228 Great Day Pickens Sisters.mp3
    3. Kraft Music Hall 340104 Revolt In Cuba Pickens Sisters.mp3
    4. Kraft Music Hall 340111 Who Pickens Sisters.mp3
    5. Magic Key 360112 015 Adele Astaire Pickens Sisters.mp3
    6. Magic Key 360920 050 Seeing America Brooklyns Ebbets Field.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    5 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 4 hours, 3459 min
    5 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    136 MB – total playtime 4 hours, 57 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 5 shows – 136 MB – total playtime 4 hours, 57 minutes
    2. Kraft Music Hall 331228 Great Day Pickens Sisters.mp3
    3. Kraft Music Hall 340104 Revolt In Cuba Pickens Sisters.mp3
    4. Kraft Music Hall 340111 Who Pickens Sisters.mp3
    5. Magic Key 360112 015 Adele Astaire Pickens Sisters.mp3
    6. Magic Key 360920 050 Seeing America Brooklyns Ebbets Field.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    5 recordings on 5 Audio CDs. Total playtime 4 hours, 57 min
    5 recordings on 5 Audio CDs
    total playtime 4 hours, 57 min

    Pickens Sisters Disc A001

    1. Kraft Music Hall 331228 Great Day Pickens Sisters

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Pickens Sisters Disc A002

    1. Kraft Music Hall 340104 Revolt In Cuba Pickens Sisters

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Pickens Sisters Disc A003

    1. Kraft Music Hall 340111 Who Pickens Sisters

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Pickens Sisters Disc A004

    1. Magic Key 360112 015 Adele Astaire Pickens Sisters

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Pickens Sisters Disc A005

    1. Magic Key 360920 050 Seeing America Brooklyns Ebbets Field

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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