The Three Suns was an American pop

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

, most popular during the 1940s and 1950s.

Career history

The group was formed in 1939 by brothers

Al Nevins Albert "Al" Nevins (born Albert Tepper; May 3, 1915 – January 25, 1965) was an American musician, producer, arranger, guitarist and violinist. He was also a member of pop trio The Three Suns, and is considered one of the major forces behind the ...

(

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

) and Morty Nevins (

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

) and their cousin, radio and vaudeville veteran Artie Dunn (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since developed ...

). They became a popular nightclub attraction around New York; during an engagement in 1944, they were signed to appear in short musical films for the

Soundies Soundies are three-minute American musical films, and each short displays a performance. The shorts were produced between 1940 and 1946 and have been referred to as "precursors to music videos" by UCLA. Soundies exhibited a variety of musical gen ...

movie jukeboxes. They performed nine songs for the cameras. A review in ''

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 ...

'' in 1942 addressed the group's potential. Referring to a December 13, 1941, remote broadcast from New York's Hotel Piccadilly on

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 ...

Red, Dick Carter wrote: "Here was something out of the ordinary, and very welcome, too. The Three Suns are an electric organ, an accordion and guitar, and they produce some sensational musical effects." In 1944, The Three Suns scored their first

hit record A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

, " Twilight Time"; their version was strictly instrumental and did not feature the lyrics written later by

Buck Ram Samuel "Buck" Ram (November 21, 1907 – January 1, 1991) was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger. He was one of BMI's top five songwriters/air play in its first 50 years, alongside Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Ji ...

The Three Suns The Three Suns was an American pop group, most popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Career history The group was formed in 1939 by brothers Al Nevins (guitar) and Morty Nevins (accordion) and their cousin, radio and vaudeville veteran Artie Dunn (v ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

"Twilight Time" sold over four million copies and was awarded a

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

. This was followed by "

Peg o' My Heart "Peg o' My Heart" is a popular song written by Alfred Bryan (words) and Fred Fisher (music). It was published on March 15, 1913 and it featured in the 1913 musical ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The song was first performed publicly by Irving Kaufman ...

", which was one of the best-selling records of 1947 in the United States. The group was featured in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's ''

Rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly ...

'' (1948) performing an off-screen "radio sequence", and in ''

Two Gals and a Guy ''Two Gals and a Guy'', also known as ''Baby and Me'', is a 1951 comedy film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Janis Paige, Robert Alda, James Gleason, Lionel Stander, Arnold Stang, The Three Suns, and Patty McCormack, in her film debut. ...

'' (1951). The band is also notable in that they were reputed to have been the favorite musical group of former First Lady

Mamie Eisenhower Mary Geneva "Mamie" Eisenhower (; November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979) was the first lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 as the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Born in Boone, Iowa, she was raised in a wealthy household in C ...

. During the 1950s, the group continued to make live appearances with the same personnel, but their

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 ...

recording sessions would often have studio musicians substituting for one or another, because keyboardist Artie Dunn did not read music and guitarist Al Nevins became much more interested in the production end of the record business. The group's popularity began to wane as

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

became popular in the mid 1950s, but the group reinvented itself by using its RCA Victor recording sessions as an audio laboratory, employing additional instruments and novel stereophonic effects. These new arrangements became popular among fans of

lounge music Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The rang ...

and

exotica Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same name that was popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s with Americans who came of age during World War II. The term was coined by Simon "Si" Waronker, Liberty Records ...

. Al Nevins remained with RCA Victor as a producer and arranger until his death in 1965; Morty Nevins then hired studio musicians Fred Mendelssohn and

Vinnie Bell Vincent Edward Gambella (July 28, 1932 – October 3, 2019), known as Vinnie Bell, was an American session guitarist, instrument designer and pioneer of electronic effects in pop music. Life and career He was born in Brooklyn">p> Life and car ...

and recorded a new stereo album for Musicor in 1966, using the Three Suns name. Founding member Al Nevins was also co-founder of

Aldon Music Aldon Music was a New York-based music publishing company, founded by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins in 1958. Aldon is regarded as having played a significant role in shaping the Brill Building Sound in the late 1950s and 1960s. History Nevins was a ...

, a

Brill Building The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. It was built in 1931 as t ...

songwriting company.

Members

;Founding members *Artie Dunn — vocals, organ (died January 15, 1996, age 73)

Joel Whitburn Joel Carver Whitburn (November 29, 1939 – June 14, 2022) was an American author and music historian, responsible for setting up the Record Research, Inc. series of books on record chart placings. Early life Joel Carver Whitburn was born in Wau ...

, ''The Billboard Albums'', 6th edn (2006), p. 1052. *

— guitar (died January 25, 1965, age 49) *Morty Nevins — accordion (died July 23, 1990, age 73) ;Later members * George Barnes - guitar *Johnny Buck (

Bucky Pizzarelli John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli (January 9, 1926 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz guitarist. He was the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and double bassist Martin Pizzarelli. He worked for NBC as a staffman for Dick Cavett (1971) ...

) — guitar * Joe Negri — guitar *Joe Vento — accordion, piano *Johnny Romano — guitar *Tony Lovello — accordion *Del Casher (Del Kacher) — guitar *

Vincent Bell Vincent Edward Gambella (July 28, 1932 – October 3, 2019), known as Vinnie Bell, was an American session guitarist, instrument designer and pioneer of electronic effects in pop music. Life and career He was born in Brooklyn">p> Life and care ...

- guitar *Fred Mendelsohn - organ *Eddie Layton - organ

Discography

The first records released by The Three Suns, during the 1940s and 1950s, were

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

discs. Between 1950 and 1954

issued several 10-inch

Long Play The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

albums. In 1955, The Three Suns released their first 12-inch LP ''Soft & Sweet'' and in 1958, their first stereo LP. The Three Suns recorded a number of sides for

V-Disc V-Disc ( "V" for Victory) was a record label that was formed in 1943 to provide records for U.S. military personnel. Captain Robert Vincent supervised the label from the Special Services division. Many popular singers, big bands, and orches ...

in the 1940s, which were only issued by the US Government to the USO units overseas. These sides were reissued on a two-CD set in 1997 by IMC Licensing. Most of the titles were not sequenced on the CD as they appeared on the original 78s. ;Albums *''Twilight Time'' (Majestic, M2, 1944) (10 inch) *''Beyond the Blue Horizon (Fox Trot Vocal Chorus by Artie Dunn) / Crazy Rhythm (Instrumental Fox Trot)'' - (DECCA, 69638 & 69636, 1947) (10 inch) *''Twilight Time'' (Varsity, 6001, 1950) (10 inch) *''Midnight Time'' (Varsity, 6048, 1950) (10 inch) *''You and the Night and the Music'' (RCA Victor, 47-4202A, 1951) (7 INCH 45 RPM) *''Yours is My Heart Alone'' (RCA Victor, 47-4202B, 1951) (7 INCH 45 RPM) *''Twilight Time'' (Royale, 1, 1951) (10 inch) *''Midnight Time'' (Royale, 29, 1951) (10 inch) *''Three Quarter Time'' (RCA Victor, LPM-3, 1951) (10 inch) *''Hands Across the Table'' (RCA Victor, lpm-28, 1951)(10 inch) *''Twilight Moods'' (RCA Victor, LPM-3012, 1952) (10 inch) *''The Three Suns Present'' (RCA Victor, LPM-3034, 1952) (10 inch) *''Busy Fingers'' (RCA Victor, LPM-3040, 1952) *''Christmas Party'' (RCA Victor, LPM-3056, 1952) (10 inch) *''Soft and Sweet'' (RCA Victor, LPM-1041, 1955) U.S. #13

*''Sounds of Christmas'' (RCA Victor, LPM-1132, 1955) *''Twilight Time'' (RCA Victor, LPM-1171, 1956) *''My Reverie'' (RCA Victor, LPM-1173, 1956) *''Slumber Time'' (RCA Victor, LPM-1219, 1956) *''High Fi and Wide'' (RCA Victor, LPM-1249, 1956) U.S. #19 *''Easy Listening'' (RCA Victor LPM-1316, 1956) *''Midnight for Two'' (RCA Victor, LPM-1333, 1957) U.S. #16 *''Malaguena'' (RCA Victor lpm-1220, 1956) *''Things I Love in Hi-Fi'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-1543, 1958) *''Let's Dance with the Three Suns'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-1578, 1958) *''Happy Go Lucky Sound'' (RCA Victor, 1958) *''My Reverie'' (RCA Victor, LSP-1173, 1958) *''Love in the Afternoon'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-1669, 1959) *''Having a Ball with the Three Suns'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-1734, 1958) *''Swingin' on a Star'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-1964, 1959) *''A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas!'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2054, 1959) *''At the Candlelight Cafe'' (RCA Camden, 1959) *''Twilight Memories'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2120, 1960) *''On a Magic Carpet'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2235, 1960) *''Twilight Time'' (RCA Victor, LPC-110, 1961) (COMPACT 33 DOUBLE) *''Dancing on a Cloud'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2307, 1961) *''Fever & Smoke'' (RCA Victor LPM/LSP-2310, 1961) *''In Orbit'' (Rondo, 1962) *''Fun in the Sun'' (RCA Victor LPM/LSP-2437) *''Movin' 'N' Groovin (RCA Victor LPM/LSP-2532, 1962) *''Warm and Tender'' (RCA Victor LPM/LSP-2617, 1962) *''Everything Under the Sun'' (RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2715, 1963) *''One Enchanted Evening'' (RCA Victor LPM/LSP-2904, 1964) *''A Swinging Thing'' (RCA Victor LPM/LSP-2963, 1964) *''Country Music Shindig'' (RCA Victor LPM/LSP-3354, 1965) *''Continental Affair'' (RCA Camden CAL 573) *''The Best of the Three Suns'' (RCA Victor LPM/LSP-3447(e), 1966) *''16 Greatest Hits'' (Musicor, MM2090/MS3090, 1966) *''This Is the Three Suns'' (RCA Victor VPS-6075, 1971) *''Pure Gold - The Three Suns'' (RCA ANL1-1779(e), 1976)

Filmography

*Nine

musicals (1944) *''

'' (1948) directed by

; offscreen performers in radio sequence *''

'' (1951)

Television

*''

Cavalcade of Stars ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMo ...

'' (1950) episode 1.65 *''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' (1950) episodes 3.38 and 3.39 *''

The Kate Smith Hour Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith is well known for her renditions of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" & "When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain". ...

'' (1953) December 29, 1953 episode, which mentions them as having appeared on previous episodes *''

Captain Chesapeake ''Captain Chesapeake'' was a morning and afternoon children's show on WBFF (channel 45) in Baltimore, Maryland hosted by George A. Lewis (November 24, 1926 – December 18, 2000 at Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland) who portrayed "Captain Chesapeake ...

'' (1971 to 1990) The theme song was the Bob Crosby tune "Stumbling" by The Three Suns. This theme was played from a 33 rpm at 45 rpm speed.

Other media

*"Worry Worry Worry" released by The Three Suns in 1948 was featured in the role-playing videogame ''

Fallout 4 ''Fallout 4'' is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fourth main game in the Fallout (series), ''Fallout'' series and was released worldwide on November 10, 2015, for P ...

'' by

Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Game Studios is an American video game developer and a studio of ZeniMax Media based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was established in 2001 as the spin-off of Bethesda Softworks' development unit, with Bethesda Softworks itself ...

in-game radio.

References

External links

The Three Suns at IMDBThe Three Suns soundtrack credits at IMDB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Suns, The American musical trios American pop music groups Majestic Records artists Musical groups established in 1939 Musical groups disestablished in 1966 RCA Victor artists