The Fontane Sisters were a trio (Bea, Geri and Marge Rosse) from New Milford,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Early years

Born to an Italian family, their mother, Louise Rosse, was both a soloist and the leader of the St. Joseph's Church choir in New Milford. Bea and Marge started out singing for local functions, doing so well that they were urged to audition in New York City. Originally they performed as a trio with their guitarist brother Frank, under the name the Ross Trio (Rosse with the "e" omitted). The group auditioned for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

and was soon sent off to work in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. When they returned to New York in 1944, Frank was drafted into the Army; he went to France and was mortally wounded by a German sniper. Geri, who had just finished school, took her brother's place, making it an all-girl trio. The sisters first performed together as The Three Sisters. Sheet music of two of their songs, "I'm Gonna See My Baby", and "Pretty Kitty Blue Eyes", was published by Santly-Joy in 1944.

Success

The now all-female group chose the name of Fontaine from a French-Canadian great-grandmother. They cut two singles for Musicraft Records in 1946, and then worked on sustaining (non-sponsored) programs for NBC, meeting and working with

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

soon after he came to the network. Word reached the sisters, then in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

for NBC, that "Supper Club" would be making cast changes; they were eager for a chance to join Como's show, which also meant being closer to their home. Beginning in the summer of 1948, they were featured on his

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

and TV show known as ''The

Chesterfield Supper Club ''The Chesterfield Supper Club'' is an NBC Radio musical variety program (1944–1950), which was also telecast by NBC television, NBC Television (1948–1950). Radio ''The Chesterfield Supper Club'' began on December 11, 1944, as a 15-minute ...

'' and later (1950–1954) as ''The Perry Como Show''. The trio also did appearances on ''Chesterfield Sound Off Time'' when the program originated from New York; however, the television show lasted only one season. In 1949 they were signed by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

and dropped the I from "Fontaine." There they cut a few dozen singles over the next several years, sometimes as backup to Perry Como. These songs were in the typical slow, sedate pop style of the period. In 1951, they had a minor hit with "

The Tennessee Waltz "Tennessee Waltz" is a popular country music song with lyrics by Redd Stewart and music by Pee Wee King written in 1946 and first released in January 1948. The song became a multimillion seller via a 1950 recording – as "The Tennessee Waltz" � ...

", of which bigger selling recordings were made by

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

and

Les Paul and Mary Ford Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife musical duo who performed and recorded during 1945–1963. They both sang and played guitars. Ford and Paul were music superstars during the first half of the 1950s, putting out 28 hit ...

. In 1954 they switched to Randy Wood's

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

, where they abandoned the slow late '40s-early '50s style for faster material aimed at the growing teen/rock-and-roll audience and they had 18 songs reaching the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' pop charts, including ten in the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

. Their late 1954

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, "

Hearts of Stone "Hearts of Stone" is an American R&B song. It became a List of Billboard number-one singles of 1955, #1 hit on two of the Billboard (magazine), Billboard three Billboard_Hot_100#History, lists, ''Best Sellers in Stores'' and ''Most Played in Ju ...

", was the highest charting single of their career as it sold over one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

Retirement

The Fontane Sisters released their last significant hit when ''Chanson D'Amour'' went to #12 in 1958, and they retired from performing around 1961, when youngest sister Geri was expecting her daughter. The daughter was named after Geri, and as an adult she went by the name 'Geri Fontane Latchford' — 'Latchford' coming from her father's name, Al(bert) Latchford. Neither Bea nor Marge had any children, and the younger Geri was her parents' only child. With the rise of rock-and-roll in the mid-'50s, most older performers were quickly sidelined and the sisters were tired of touring as well as the direction popular music was headed in, and were ready to cede the charts to the younger generation. Geri married Al Latchford, a history professor. Marge was married to Franklin Hobbs, who became a long-time on-air personality at WCCO in Minneapolis-St. Paul.They met while the sisters were still working in Chicago for NBC. She remarried and became Marge Smith, the wife of an advertising executive. Only Marge left the area, relocating to Florida with her second husband. Bea became Mrs. E. Holmes Douglass in 1964. In 1963, Dot Records released one final album, ''Tips of my Fingers'', and single ("Tips of My Fingers"/"Summertime Love") by The Fontane Sisters. These recordings did not mark a return to performing for the trio, who remained retired despite having agreed to make the recordings.

Deaths

For the next 40 years, The Fontane Sisters remained mostly out of the public's eye. In 2001,

released a compilation of recordings made by the Fontane Sisters and Perry Como, "Perry Como With The Fontane Sisters", containing many of the songs featured on the Como radio and television shows. In 2004 an article in the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'' reported that Geri Fontane Latchford had received

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...

due to her mother and two aunts. It was revealed in this same article that all three of The Fontane Sisters had died: Geri, on September 13, 1993; Bea, on March 25, 2002; and Marge, on December 3, 2003.

Hit Records

Singles

*"Missouri Waltz/Linger In My Arms A Little Longer" (1946, Musicraft) *"It Couldn't Be True (or Could It)/My Fickle Eye" (1946, Musicraft) *"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" (w. The Three Suns) (1949, RCA Victor) *"The Bumpety Bus" (1949, RCA Victor) *"Fairy Tales/The Cinderella Work Song" (1950, RCA Victor) *"Can't We Talk It Over" (1950, RCA Victor) *"I Wanna Be Loved/I Didn't Know What Time It Was" (1950, RCA Victor) *"Jing-A-Ling, Jing-A-Ling/Silver Bells" (1950, RCA Victor) *"

Tennessee Waltz "Tennessee Waltz" is a popular country music song with lyrics by Redd Stewart and music by Pee Wee King written in 1946 and first released in January 1948. The song became a multimillion seller via a 1950 recording – as "The Tennessee Waltz" � ...

" (1950, RCA Victor) (bigger hits by

and

) *"If I Knew You We're Comin' I'd 'Ve Baked A Cake" (1950, RCA Victor) *"Grasshopper Heart (And A Butterfly Brain)/Handsome Stranger" (1951, RCA Victor) *"A Howdy Doody Christmas/The Popcorn Song" (1951, RCA Victor) *" Moon, June, Spoon" (1951, RCA Victor) *"Grand Central Station/Alabama Jubilee" (1951, RCA Victor) *"Castle Rock/Makin' Like A Train" (1951, RCA Victor) *"The Fortune Teller Song/The Fifth Wheel On The Wagon (1951, RCA Victor) *"I Get The Blues When It Rains/Cold, Cold Heart" (1951, RCA Victor) *"Let Me In/Hurry Home To Me" (1951, RCA Victor) *"River In The Moonlight/Snowflakes (1951, RCA Victor) *"Kissing Bridge" (1953, RCA Victor) *"

Happy Days and Lonely Nights "Happy Days and Lonely Nights" is a torch song written by Billy Rose and Fred Fisher, first recorded by The Harmony Brothers on May 18, 1928. The song was successfully revived in the 1950s in the US by the Fontane Sisters and in the UK most suc ...

" (1954, this and all subsequent releases on Dot) *"

Willow Weep For Me "Willow Weep for Me" is a popular song composed in 1932 by Ann Ronell, who also wrote the lyrics. The song form is AABA, written in time,Zimmers, Tighe, E. (2009). ''Tin Pan Alley Girl: A Biography of Ann Ronell''. McFarland. pp. 19-22. altho ...

" (1954) *"

Hearts Of Stone "Hearts of Stone" is an American R&B song. It became a List of Billboard number-one singles of 1955, #1 hit on two of the Billboard (magazine), Billboard three Billboard_Hot_100#History, lists, ''Best Sellers in Stores'' and ''Most Played in Ju ...

" (1954) (their biggest hit, originally recorded by Johnny Torrence and The Jewels; also covered by

The Charms The Charms are an American garage rock band from Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, who were formed in 2002. Following 8 straight years of releasing records and touring the band went on a hiatus and returned for a few one off shows befor ...

) *"

Rock Love ''Rock Love'' is a half live / half (sixth) studio album by American rock band Steve Miller Band. The album was released in September 1971, and compiled by Capitol Records. All of Miller's previous backing band had left following the recording of ...

" (1955) (originally recorded by Lula Reed; also covered by

Eddie Fontaine Eddie Fontaine (March 6, 1927 – April 13, 1992) was an American actor and singer, best known for television roles in the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Born Edward Reardon in Springfield, Massachusetts, Fontaine signed as a vocalist with RCA in 1 ...

) *"

Most of All "Most of All" is a song by American singer Jody Watley from her 1987 eponymous debut studio album. It was released on April 18, 1988, as the fifth and final single from the ''Jody Watley'' album. Background "Most of All" was the least successful ...

(1955) (originally recorded by The Moonglows; also covered by

Don Cornell Don Cornell (born Luigi Francisco Varlaro; April 21, 1919 – February 23, 2004) was an American singer. Early years Born to an Italian family in The Bronx, New York, Cornell attended Roosevelt High School in the Bronx. Career In his teens he p ...

) *"Rollin' Stone" (1955), (originally recorded by The Marigolds) *" Playmates" (1955) (originally recorded by

Kay Kyser James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years James Kern Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emil ...

in 1940) *"

Seventeen Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

" (1955) (originally recorded by

Boyd Bennett Boyd Byron Bennett (December 7, 1924 – June 2, 2002) was an American rockabilly songwriter and singer. His two biggest hit singles, both written with John F Young and performed by him (Boyd) were "Seventeen (Boyd Bennett song), Seventeen" ...

) *"

Daddy-O ''Daddy-O'' is a 1958 B-movie starring Dick Contino, Sandra Giles and Bruno VeSota. It was directed by Lou Place and written by David Moessinger. The film is notable for its soundtrack as being the debut film score for John Williams. The fil ...

" (1955) (originally recorded by "Mary Kath" known as

Bonnie Lou Mary Joan Okum (née Kath; October 27, 1924 – December 8, 2015), known by her performing name Bonnie Lou, was an American musical pioneer, recognized as one of the first female rock and roll singers. She is also one of the first artists to gain ...

) *" Adorable" (originally recorded by The Colts; a bigger hit by

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...

) (1955) *"

Nuttin' For Christmas "Nuttin' for Christmas" (also known as "Nothing for Christmas") is a novelty Christmas song written by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett. It became a hit during the 1955 holiday season when it appeared in ''Billboard''’s pop charts by five other ar ...

" (1955) (also recorded by

Art Mooney Arthur Joseph Mooney (February 11, 1911 – September 9, 1993) was an American singer and bandleader. His biggest hits were "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" and "Baby Face" in 1948 and " Nuttin' For Christmas," with Barry Gordon, in 1955. ...

Barry Gordon Barry Gordon (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and political talk show host. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, having served from 1988 to 1995. He is perhaps best known as the original voice of Donatello ...

and

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

the same year) *"

Eddie My Love "Eddie My Love" is a 1956 doo wop song. According to BMI and ASCAP, the song was written by Maxwell Davis (BMI), Aaron Collins, Jr. (ASCAP), and Sam Ling (BMI). Maxwell Davis played sax on the Teen Queens record. Aaron Collins was the brother o ...

" (1956) (originally recorded by

The Teen Queens The Teen Queens were an American musical group from the 1950s, most remembered for their hit single " Eddie My Love", which reached No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on the R&B Best Sellers charts in March 1956. The group co ...

; also covered by

The Chordettes The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in traditional pop music. They are best known for their 1950s hit songs " Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop". Career The group organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1946. The origin ...

) *"

I'm In Love Again ''I'm In Love Again'' is the sixth studio album by American singer Patti LaBelle in 1983. It was released by Philadelphia International Records and Sony Music Entertainment on November 25, 1983, in the United States. LaBelle's commercial breakth ...

" (1956), (originally recorded by

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

) *" Lonesome Lover Blues" (1956) (originally recorded

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

in 1946) *"Doin' The Rock and Rolla" (1956) (a rewording of the Andrews Sisters, Rum & Coca-Cola) *" (Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You" (1956) – (Remake of the Stuart Hamblen c/w hit) *"

Please Don't Leave Me "Please Don't Leave Me" is a song from American singer Pink and the third single taken from her fifth studio album ''Funhouse''. It was released on February 16, 2009. The song received strong airplay in Australia and New Zealand, as well as bein ...

" (1956), (originally recorded by

) *"

Still A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale. Stills have been used ...

" (1956), (originally recorded by

Lavern Baker Delores LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American R&B singer who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedle Dee" (1955), " Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I ...

) *"

Voices Voices or The Voices may refer to: Film and television * ''Voices'' (1920 film), by Chester M. De Vonde, with Diana Allen * ''Voices'' (1973 film), a British horror film * ''Voices'' (1979 film), a film by Robert Markowitz * ''Voices'' (19 ...

" (1956) *"

With a Little Bit of Luck "With a Little Bit of Luck" is a popular song by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, written for the 1956 Broadway play ''My Fair Lady''. It was sung by Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle in both the original stage and film versions. I ...

(1957)" (a bigger hit for

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

and

The Tarriers The Tarriers were an American vocal group, specializing in folk music and folk-flavored popular music. Named after the folk song " Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill", the group had two hit songs during 1956-57: "Cindy, Oh Cindy" (with Vince Martin) an ...

) *"

The Banana Boat Song "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" is a traditional Jamaican folk song. The song has mento influences, but it is commonly classified as an example of the better known calypso music. It is a call and response work song, from the point of view of ...

(1957)" (originally recorded by

) *"

I'm Stickin' with You "I'm Stickin' with You" is a song written by Jimmy Bowen and Buddy Knox and performed by Jimmy Bowen with The Rhythm Orchids. It reached #9 on the US R&B chart and #14 on the US pop chart in 1957. The song was originally released as the B-sid ...

" (1957) (originally recorded by

Jimmy Bowen James Albert Bowen (born November 30, 1937) is an American record producer and former rockabilly singer. Bowen brought Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood together, and introduced Sinatra to Mel Tillis for their album, ''Mel & Nancy.'' Early life ...

in 1957. *"

Jealous Heart "Jealous Heart" is a classic C&W song written by American country music singer-songwriter Jenny Lou Carson. In the mid 1940s it spent nearly six months on the Country & Western charts. It was subsequently recorded by several pop singers. E ...

" (1958) (originally recorded by

Tex Ritter Woodward Maurice Ritter (January 12, 1905 – January 2, 1974) was a pioneer of American country music, a popular singer and actor from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter acting family (son John, grandsons Jason and ...

in 1945) *"

Chanson D'Amour "Chanson D'Amour" (; ) is a popular song written by Wayne Shanklin. A 1977 recording by The Manhattan Transfer was an international hit, reaching #1 in the UK Singles Chart, and Australia. Original version In 1958 the husband and wife te ...

" (1958) (bigger hit for Art and Dotty Todd) *"Listen To Your Heart/Please Be Kind" (1959) *"Darling, It's Wonderful/

Theme From A Summer Place "Theme from ''A Summer Place''" is a song with lyrics by Mack Discant and music by Max Steiner, written for the 1959 film '' A Summer Place'', which starred Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. It was recorded for the film as an instrumental by Hugo Wi ...

" (1959) *"(Doin' The) Lovers' Leap/Come Home Eddie" (1960) *"Tips of My Fingers"/"Summertime Love" (1963)

Albums

*''The Fontane Sisters/Novelty Orchestra and Organ - Fontaine Sisters And Orchestra'' (1955) *''The Fontane's Sing'' (1955) *''A Visit With The Fontane Sisters'' (1957) *''Tips of My Fingers'' (1963)

References

External links

Video of Chesterfield Supper Club-November 27 1949-Fontane Sisters-Internet ArchiveVideo of "Perry Como Show" December 24, 1952-Fontane Sisters-Internet ArchiveVideo of "Perry Como Show" September 16, 1953-Fontane Sisters-Internet ArchiveVideo of "Perry Como Show" 20 January 1954-Fontane Sisters-Internet ArchiveVideo of 1954 "Perry Como Show"-Fontane Sisters-Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontane Sisters, The American women singers American pop music groups American girl groups Musical groups from New Jersey People from New Milford, New Jersey Traditional pop music singers RCA Victor artists Dot Records artists Charly Records artists Sibling musical trios History of women in New Jersey