The Puppini Sisters are an English

close harmony A chord is in close harmony (also called close position or close structure) if its notes are arranged within a narrow range, usually with no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. In contrast, a chord is in open harmony (also c ...

vocal trio composed of Italian-born singer

Marcella Puppini Marcella Puppini is an Italian singer, songwriter, and the founder of The Puppini Sisters. Biography Marcella Puppini started playing the piano at age five and hoped to become an opera singer. At the age of 18, having completed her A levels i ...

and English singers Kate Mullins and Emma Smith. Although the three are not related, the name was chosen in tribute to

the Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

. They are known for providing guest vocals on

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

's cover of "

Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and most commonly sung American songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857. It has been claimed t ...

". Puppini first studied fashion design at

Saint Martins School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's became part of t ...

, and later music at

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

where she met Mullins and original member Rosanna Schura, who was later replaced by Stephanie O'Brien. After eight years with the group, O'Brien was replaced by Emma Smith. The trio are backed by a three-piece band featuring Martin Kolarides on guitar, Henrik Jensen on double bass and Peter Ibbetson on drums. The group is associated with a

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

revival.

Career

The group was founded in 2004 by Marcella Puppini after she was inspired by the animated film ''

The Triplets of Belleville ''The Triplets of Belleville'' (french: Les Triplettes de Belleville) is a 2003 animated comedy film written and directed by Sylvain Chomet. It was released as ''Belleville Rendez-vous'' in the United Kingdom. The film is Chomet's first feature ...

(Les Triplettes de Belleville)'' (2003). In 2005, they were signed by UCJ (Universal Classics and Jazz). The Puppini Sisters' debut single, "

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is a World War II jump blues song written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince which was introduced by The Andrews Sisters in the Abbott and Costello comedy film, '' Buck Privates'' (1941). The Andrews Sisters' Decca recording r ...

", was a cover of the hit single by The Andrews Sisters. The Puppini Sisters' second album, '' The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo'' includes original compositions by Puppini, Stephanie O'Brien and Kate Mullins. The trio's albums often include contemporary songs reimagined in the Andrews Sisters style (for example,

The Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including "Manic Monday" (1986), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), " Hazy Shade ...

' "

Walk Like an Egyptian "Walk Like an Egyptian" is a song recorded by the American band the Bangles. It was released in 1986 as the third single from the album ''Different Light''. It was the band's first number one single, being certified gold by the RIAA, and became ...

" on their ''Ruby Woo'' album). The Puppini Sisters television appearances include '' This Morning'', ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

'', ''

The Alan Titchmarsh Show ''The Alan Titchmarsh Show'' is a British daytime chat show presented by Alan Titchmarsh. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2007 until 14 November 2014 and aired on weekday afternoons. The show's main focus is the "Best of British" the ...

'', ''

Big Brother's Little Brother This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018. ''Big Brother'' ''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...

'', ''

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the eas ...

'',

CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...

' ''

Space Pirates Space pirates are a type of stock character from space opera and soft science fiction. The archetype evolved from the air pirate trope popular from the turn of the century until the 1920s. By the 1930s, space pirates were recurring villains in ...

'', '' The View'' (on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

), and 2011's ''A Michael Bublé Christmas'' on NBC and Graham Norton with Bublé in 2012. The group also appeared in the 2009

Jonathan Creek ''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the titular character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician while also solvi ...

New Year's special ''

The Grinning Man "The Grinning Man" is a feature-length and the twenty-sixth episode of the BBC crime drama series ''Jonathan Creek'', first broadcast on 1 January 2009. The episode marked the series' return to television following a five-year hiatus and saw the r ...

'', performing their 2007 single "

Spooky Spooky or Spookey may refer to: something that will cause creepiness or uncanniness. Arts and entertainment Music Musicians * Spooky (house music duo) * Spookey (UK band), a 1970s soul band based in Manchester *DJ Spooky, musician and producer * ...

". The trio was also featured on the soundtracks for the US TV series ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'' and ''

Chuck Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer * C ...

''. In 2015 the Sisters also appeared on BBC1's ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...

''. The group performed at

Glastonbury Festival 2009 The 2009 Glastonbury Festival/Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 24 to 29 June 2009. Tickets Registration In a similar way to previous festivals, tickets for the 2009 event required pre-registration (of a ph ...

on 27 June as well as performing at Goodwood Vintage Festival on 15 August. On 27 June 2012, O'Brien announced via the group's Facebook page that she was leaving the group. It was later revealed that Terrianne Passingham would replace O'Brien. However, Passingham also left the group and shortly thereafter Emma Smith took her place. The singer made her debut with The Puppini Sisters on ''

The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...

'' in November 2012. The trio started a Pledge Music campaign to crowd fund their new album (along with an optional bonus edition of remixes) with the help of fans. The album was finalised before Christmas 2015 and it was released in March 2016 (Those who donated money to the creation of the album were able to receive the album digitally on 25 February and The Deluxe remix edition on 7 June). From March 2016, the trio embarked on a tour to promote the album across many areas in the country and internationally finishing off in London at O2 Islington Academy. For four dates of the tour, Smith was absent so original member Rosanna Schura filled in for those dates.

Influences

According to Marcella Puppini, the group sings about modern and risqué subjects in a quaintly old-fashioned way. This comes from their interest in 1940s songs such as "Hold Tight (Want Some Seafood Mama)" that have sexual undertones despite their overtly innocent lyrics.

Awards

The Puppini Sisters won a Gold Disc for international sales of their first CD, ''Betcha Bottom Dollar'', in 2007. The Puppini Sisters website won the 2008 Cream of Yorkshire awards "Gold Award" for best website. The digital advertising agency twentysix won the top award the "overall Grand Prix award" for its design of a website for

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

showcasing the group.

Discography

Albums

* ''

Betcha Bottom Dollar ''Betcha Bottom Dollar'' is the debut studio album by the close harmony trio The Puppini Sisters, released through Universal Classics and Jazz on 31 July 2006 in the United Kingdom. It was produced by Canadian composer Benoît Charest, whose m ...

'' (31 July 2006 UK; 1 May 2007 US; March 2008 France) – according to the official website the album reached number two on the US

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

charts and number nine on the US new artist chart * '' The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo'' (1 October 2007 UK; February 2008 US; January 2009 France) – featuring classic covers, 1940s style reworkings of contemporary music, and a selection of original compositions. According to ''

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 ...

s official website, the album peaked at number 5 in the US Jazz charts in 2008. * ''

Christmas with The Puppini Sisters ''Christmas with The Puppini Sisters'' is the third studio album by the close harmony trio The Puppini Sisters, released through Verve on 5 October 2010. The album features ten cover versions of Christmas songs. The Puppini Sisters had always ...

'' (5 October 2010 US) – containing reworkings of classic Christmas songs (

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

) * '' Hollywood'' (Autumn 2011 France; 26 December 2011 UK) – Hollywood musical themed tracks and one original song (

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

) * ''

The Best of The Puppini Sisters album ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (18 February 2015) – Collection of the best songs by the Puppini Sisters (

Rambling Records Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much unculti ...

) * '' The High Life'' (4 March 2016) – Crowdfunded Album. Bonus Deluxe Remix edition released on (21 October 2016) - ( Millionaire Records) * ''Dance, Dance, Dance'' (4 September 2020) - An entire album inspired by popular Ballroom, Latin and Swing dances featuring

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra The Pasadena Roof Orchestra (PRO) is a contemporary band from England that specialises in the jazz and swing genres of music of the 1920s and 1930s, although their full repertoire is considerably wider. The orchestra has existed since 1969, al ...

Compilations

* "

Could It Be Magic "Could It Be Magic" is a song with lyrics by Adrienne Anderson and music by Barry Manilow, inspired by Frédéric Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Opus 28, Number 20. The song was initially released in 1971 by Featherbed (a group of session musi ...

" appears on ''Magicians OST'' (2007) * "

Crazy in Love "Crazy in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, featuring a rap verse and ad-libs from her future husband Jay-Z from her debut solo studio album ''Dangerously in Love'' (2003). The song was released as her official debut single a ...

" on ''Swing Style – Swing Beats for Dancing Feets'' compiled and mixed by Gulbahar Kultur, ''Lola's World'' (2008), ''100 Hits – Voices'' (2009), ''Radio Modern – The ABC of Swing, Bop'n'Roll'' (2010) * "

In the Mood "In the Mood" is a popular big band-era jazz standard recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller. "In the Mood" is based on the composition "Tar Paper Stomp" by Wingy Manone. The first recording under the name "In the Mood" was released by E ...

" appears on ''

Actrices ''Actrices'' (''Actresses'') is a French comedy-drama film directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, released in 2007. The film was presented in the official selection at the 60th Cannes Film Festival and won a ''Prix Spécial du Jury'' in the Un Certa ...

'' OST (2008) * "

It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Mills. It is now accepted as a jazz standard, and jazz historian Gunther Schuller characterized it as "now legendary" and "a prophe ...

" appears on ''Jazzism 1'' from ''Jazzism Magazine'' (2008) * "

I Will Survive "I Will Survive" is a song by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 as the second single from her sixth album, '' Love Tracks'' (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. A top-selling song, it is a popular di ...

" appears on ''Tom Middleton Presents Crazy Covers 2'' (2007), ''Bolero Fashion Sound'' compiled by Olivier Rohrbach (2007), ''Jazziz 8: Women'' compilation by ''Jazziz Magazine'' (2007), ''You're Beautiful – 40 Inspiring Songs'' (2007), ''Smile Style 2'' compilation by DJ Weritos Lounge (2009), ''Intelligent Music Favorites Vol 7'' (2009), ''Peppermint Candy'' (2011) * "Jilted" appears on ''Back to Soul – New Soul Queens and Legendary Divas'' (2008) * "

" appears on ''A Classic Christmas'' (2006), ''Now That's What I Call Xmas'' (2006), ''Now This Is Christmas 2008'' (2008), ''Wonderland'' (2008), '' Now That's What I Call Christmas! 3'' (2009), ''Christmas with the Stars'' (2010), ''Merry Christmas Everybody'' (2010), ''Now That's What I Call Xmas'' (2010) * "

Libertango ''Libertango'' is a composition by tango composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla, recorded and published in 1974 in Milan. The title is a portmanteau merging " Libertad" (Spanish for "liberty") and "tango", symbolizing Piazzolla's break fr ...

" appears on ''Lost Vagueness OST'' (2007) * "

Mele Kalikimaka "" () is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas song written in 1949 by R. Alex Anderson. The song takes its title from the Hawaiian phrase , meaning "Merry Christmas". One of the earliest recordings of this song was by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sis ...

" appears on ''Christmas Tales 2010'' by Raar FM (2010) * " Mr. Sandman" appears on ''The Jazz Album 2006'' (2006) * "

Panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...

" appears on ''Jazz for Dinner'' (2006), ''Party Jazz'' (2010) * " Side by Side" and " Playmates" appears on '' Kit Kittredge: An American Girl OST'' (2008) * "

" appears on ''100 Hits – Voices'' (2009) * " Sway" appears on ''The Jazz Album 2006'' (2006), ''100 Hits – Voices'' (2009), ''TSF Jazz 1999–2009 10 Ans'' (2009) * " Tu Vuo Fa L'Americano" appears on ''The Very Best of Latin Jazz'' (2007), ''New York New York'' (2008) * "

We Have All the Time in the World "We Have All the Time in the World" is a James Bond theme song sung by Louis Armstrong. Its music was composed by John Barry and the lyrics by Hal David. It is a secondary musical theme in the 1969 Bond film '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', ...

" appears on ''You Raise Me Up 2008'' (2008)

Singles

* "

(From Company B)" (2006) * "

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

(Little Match Seller)" (December 2006)

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

-only release * "

" (2007) * "

" (2007) * "Jilted" (2008) * "Apart of Me" with

The Real Tuesday Weld The Real Tuesday Weld are a British band, founded in 1999 by lead singer and producer Stephen Coates, who studied at the Royal College of Art. They have released several albums, many singles and EPs, and many tracks on compilations. Their comb ...

(2008) * "

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a jazz song introduced by Carol Channing in the original Broadway production of '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949), with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Leo Robin. Marilyn Monroe version American actr ...

" (2011) * "Is This The High Life?" (2016) * "

I Wanna Dance With Somebody "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, ''Whitney (album), Whitney'' (1987). It was released as the lead single from the album on May 2, 1987, by Arista Reco ...

" featuring

(2020) * "

Groove Is in the Heart "Groove Is in the Heart" is a song by American dance band Deee-Lite, released in August 1990 as their debut and lead single from their first album, ''World Clique'' (1990). Written and produced by the band, it was a hit in many countries, reach ...

" featuring The Pasadena Roof Orchestra (2020) * " Sing Sing Sing" featuring The Pasadena Roof Orchestra (2020)

Videos

* "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" (2006) * "Spooky" (2007) * "Apart of Me" with

directed by

Alex de Campi Alex de Campi is a British-American music video director, comics writer and columnist. Career Comics Alex de Campi wrote 2005's mini-series ''Smoke'' (published by IDW Publishing, art by Igor Kordey), which was nominated for the Eisner Awa ...

(2007) * "Jilted" directed by Alex de Campi (2008) * "(I Can't Believe I'm Not a) Millionaire" directed by Alex de Campi (2008) * "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" directed by Alex de Campi (2011) * "Work It" directed by Jacopo Dessì & Matteo Jhonny Capizzi (2016) * "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" Animated by Animind Studios (2020)

Collaborations

Christmas 2011 saw the release of "

" recorded with

for his ''

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

'' album. They also recorded "Frosty the Snowman" with Bublé on the same album, as a bonus track on the deluxe edition. The group recorded a close harmony version of the song "Apart of Me", by Stephen Coates of

, and acted in the video for the song, playing "a corpse, murdering waitresses, worms and chickens". Two versions of the song exist, one being that which was used for the video and the other is a track on The Real Tuesday Weld's 2008 album ''The London Book of the Dead''. The group used period costumes designed by

Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (née Swire; born 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. Westwood came to public notice when she m ...

in their video for "Jilted", an original song written by

(not to be confused with the 1954

Theresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

country number).

Jesse Quin Jesse Joseph Quin (born 3 September 1981) is an English multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer best known as the bass player of the British pop rock band Keane. Jesse also founded and runs an arts centre on an abandoned U.S. Air ...

, bassist of the British band Keane appears in the video as extra. In November 2012, the Sisters featured on the album ''Electro Swing V'' by Bart & Baker collaborating with The Real Tuesday Weld on the song "Last Tango in Clerkenwell". The group has recently recorded with Bublé again on his album ''

To Be Loved ''To Be Loved'' is the eighth studio album by Canadian singer, Michael Bublé. The album was released on April 15, 2013, by 143 Records and Reprise Records. The album was preceded by the release of the lead single, " It's a Beautiful Day", rel ...

''. They performed back up on the track "

Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You) "Nevertheless I'm in Love with You" (sometimes referred to simply as "Nevertheless") is a popular song written by Harry Ruby with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, first published in 1931. The song was a hit for Jack Denny in 1931, and was revisited in 1950 ...

". In 2013, the trio sang 'Welcome to My Hell' with ''

Raphael Gualazzi Raffaele Gualazzi (born 11 November 1981), better known as Raphael Gualazzi, is an Italian singer and pianist. He was born in Urbino. Biography ''Love Outside the Window'' On 16 September 2005, Gualazzi released his first studio album, titled '' ...

'' in his '' Happy Mistake'' album. In 2017, the group recorded with

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

on his tenth studio album, '' Standards''. In late 2018, the trio sang with

on their new song, "Don't Get High No More", and the video was premiered on YouTube on January 6, 2019. In 2019, the trio backed up Bing Crosby's and the Andrew Sisters’ vocals on two songs on the album ''

Bing at Christmas Bing most often refers to: * Bing Crosby (1903–1977), American singer * Microsoft Bing, a web search engine Bing may also refer to: Food and drink * Bing (bread), a Chinese flatbread * Bing (soft drink), a UK brand * Bing cherry, a varie ...

'', "Jingle Bells" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas," which also featured instrumental backing from the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

Live reviews

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Band members

Timeline

References

External links

*
National Public Radio (U.S.) interview

Audio interview
a
BBC Wiltshire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puppini Sisters, The English girl groups English vocal groups Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups from London British musical trios Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art