The Norton Sisters

Photo of The Norton Sisters

The Norton Sisters with Mary Lee. Mary (l), Betty (r), Dorothy and Grace (center).

Natives of Fairfield, Connecticut, the three Norton Sisters, Betty, Grace, and Dorothy, are best remembered today for their time with Vaughn Monroe in the mid-1940s. The sisters had a relatively successful career, however, working in four different orchestras during the big band era. In addition to their band work, the sisters also kept busy with radio and television until the late 1940s when marriage and domestic life claimed the careers of Grace and Dorothy. Betty, the youngest and always the more ambitious and talented of the three, continued on as a solo artist.

Born with the surname Lane, the sisters used their mother’s maiden name, Norton, on stage due to the existence of the more famous Lane Sisters, former singers for Fred Waring who had since graduated to Hollywood.[1] The Nortons’ early years are unknown. Their big break came in December 1940 when they caught the attention of the McFarland Twins, whose orchestra performed in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut, that month. The saxophone playing twins, Art and George, were themselves graduates from Waring and maintained a similar style outfit which relied heavily on vocals, novelty tunes, and comedy. The three Nortons became part of the act, which included several other singers and a glee club. Everyone in the band sang or spoke during numbers. Aside from singing with her sisters, Betty also handled jump solos and harmonized with the band’s male vocalists.[2]

In February 1941, an unfortunate incident almost occurred at the Chatterbox club in Moutainside, New Jersey, when an electrical spark from a microphone wire set Betty’s dress on fire. While everyone else stood there stunned, her mother leapt onto the stage and pulled her off to the side, beating out the flames with her hand. Grace and Dorothy carried on singing to keep the audience calm. Betty was unharmed, though her mother received serious burns to her hand.

The sisters left the McFarlands at the first of March 1942, returning to Fairfield, where they played the local theater. By April, they had joined Carl Hoff’s orchestra, replacing the Murphy Sisters. Hoff, a well-known radio conductor, had recently formed a dance band. Betty sang solo as well as harmonized with her sisters. The Nortons remained with Hoff through at least November. In December, they were on the radio with their own program, but by March they had joined Tony Pastor’s band, where Betty again also served as the solo female vocalist.

Leaving Pastor in July or early August, the sisters returned to radio on the Mutual network, broadcasting out of New York station WOR. That summer, the radio station experimented with television, putting several of their stars, including the sisters, on a weekly show called WOR’s Television College, which aired on the DuMont network. In January 1944, the sisters were touring on the theater circuit. In June, they were expected to join NBC radio.

In December 1944, the Norton Sisters became part of Vaughn Monroe’s orchestra, again replacing the Murphy Sisters. In order to meet Monroe’s need of having a quartet, the sisters brought in Marie LeAhn, also known as Mary Lee, who previously had sang with Monroe as part of her own sister act, the Lee Sisters. The combo was reportedly to be called “The Norton Sisters and Marie” but was instead billed as “The Norton Sisters and Mary Lee” until mid-January when Lee’s name was dropped from the billing.

Unlike with the sisters’ earlier band work, Betty did not serve as Monroe’s solo female vocalist. That job was handled by, first, Rosemary Calvin, then Janie Reid, followed by Sally Stuart. Things changed in March 1946, however, when Stuart left Monroe and Betty took over as the orchestra’s girl singer. Grace and Dorothy left the band at that time, both retiring from singing.

In October 1945, Grace had married Al Gallico, a contact man for the Leed music publishing firm.[3] In July 1947, Dorothy married Robert Walker, who was not associated with the music industry. Betty continued working as a solo artist until 1949 when she disappears from the public record.

Dorothy passed away in January 2004, just six days shy of her 84th birthday. Grace has also passed away, date unknown. Betty’s status is unknown as well.

Notes

  1. Lane was not the real last name of the Lane Sisters. It was Mullican. ↩︎

  2. Betty was the baby of the family, only 13 years old when the sisters joined the McFarland Twins. Grace was 19, having been born on July 6, 1921, with Dorothy being the eldest at almost 21, born on January 14, 1920, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The three girls had an older brother as well. Betty’s exact birth date is unknown. ↩︎

  3. Grace and Al Gallico had been planning to marry since at least late 1941. A photo at that time indicated they would tie the knot in 1942. It’s likely Gallico ended up in the service and was discharged in late 1945. ↩︎

Sources

  1. “McFarlands 2d Top Draw in Bridgeport.” Billboard 14 Dec. 1940: 13.
  2. Advertisement. “The McFarland Twins.” Down Beat 15 Dec. 1940: 28.
  3. “Club Talent: Cincinnati.” Billboard 21 Dec. 1940: 19.
  4. “Vocalist Uninjured When Dress Catches On Fire During Song.” Billboard 15 Feb. 1941: 9.
  5. “Fire.” Down Beat 1 Mar. 1941: 22.
  6. “On the Air: McFarland Twins.” Billboard 16 Aug. 1941: 13.
  7. “On the Boardwalk.” Down Beat 15 Oct. 1941: 17.
  8. “On the Stand: McFarland Twins.” Billboard 29 Nov. 1941: 10.
  9. “Why the McFarland Twins Click.” Down Beat 1 Dec. 1941: 3.
  10. Advertisement. “Merry Xmas, The McFarland Twins.” Down Beat 15 Dec. 1941: 24.
  11. “Add Romances...” Down Beat 1 Jan. 1942: 17.
  12. “Buffalo Easter OK.” Billboard 18 Apr. 1942: 18.
  13. “Norton Sisters' Squawk.” Billboard 9 May 1942: 27.
  14. “Changes in Personnel Of Bands.” Down Beat 15 Jun. 1942: 3.
  15. “Bands Dug by the Beat: Carl Hoff.” Down Beat 1 Dec. 1942: 14.
  16. “On the Air From Station KPLT.” The Paris News [Paris, Texas] 10 Dec. 1942: 8.
  17. Advertisement. “Martin Theater.” The Dothan Eagle [Dothan, Alabama] 30 Apr. 1943: 6.
  18. “Daily Radio Listings.” The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald [Dubuque, Iowa] 25 Jul. 1943: 13.
  19. “Program Reviews: DuMont Television.” Billboard 21 Aug. 1943: 11.
  20. “Program Reviews: DuMont Television.” Billboard 18 Sep. 1943: 10.
  21. “Balto Hefty $12,500.” Billboard 29 Jan. 1944: 21.
  22. “Of Mikes and Men.” The Port Arthur News [Port Arthur, Texas] 18 Jun. 1944: 9.
  23. “Marie Escapes Wedding Bells.” Billboard 9 Dec. 1944: 22.
  24. “Monroe Whips Stiff Competish in Philly To Rack Up Fat 28G.” Billboard 6 Jan. 1945: 29.
  25. “Routes.” Billboard 13 Jan. 1945: 28.
  26. “Routes.” Billboard 20 Jan. 1945: 27.
  27. “Routes.” Billboard 27 Jan. 1945: 22.
  28. “Vaudeville Reviews: Orpheum, Minneapolis.” Billboard 14 Apr. 1945: 27.
  29. “Night Club Reviews: College Inn, Hotel Sherman, Chicago.” Billboard 7 Jul. 1945: 34.
  30. “Marriages.” Billboard 13 Oct. 1945: 44.
  31. “Tied Notes.” Down Beat 1 Nov. 1945: 10.
  32. “Vaughn Blends With Nortons.” Down Beat 11 Feb. 1946: 8.
  33. “Vaudeville Reviews: Oriental, Chicago.” Billboard 2 Mar. 1946: 40.
  34. “Music As Written: New York.” Billboard 16 Mar. 1946: 25.
  35. “On the Stand: Vaughn Monroe.” Billboard 4 May 1946: 24.
  36. “Marriages.” Billboard 19 Jul. 1947: 50.
  37. “Tied Notes.” Down Beat 30 Jul. 1947: 8.
  38. “Vaudeville Reviews: RKO Albee, Cincinnati.” Billboard 14 Dec. 1946: 44.
  39. “Vaudeville Reviews: Strand, New York.” Billboard 4 Jan. 1947: 23.
  40. “On the Stand: Vaughn Monroe.” Billboard 22 Feb. 1947: 19.
  41. “Vaudeville Reviews: Oriental, Chicago.” Billboard 12 Apr. 1947: 42.
  42. “Strictly Ad Lib.” Down Beat 21 May 1947: 5.
  43. “On the Stand: George Paxton.” Billboard 31 May 1947: 23.
  44. Ronan, Eddie. “George Paxton Tries Something New In Instrumentation, Voicing.” Down Beat 18 Jun. 1947: 9.
  45. “Music As Written.” Billboard 16 Aug. 1947: 36.
  46. “On the Stand: Hal McIntyre.” Billboard 20 Sep. 1947: 43.
  47. “Henderson, McIntyre Vocalists Trade Jobs.” Down Beat 24 Sep. 1947: 6.
  48. “Hal Poses Paradox Of The People.” Down Beat 6 Oct. 1948: 2.
  49. “Hal McIntyre Will Play In Brownsville.” San Benito News [San Benito, Texas] 31 Mar. 1949: 4.
  50. “United States Census, 1930,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMP9-LKL : Thu Oct 05 08:38:15 UTC 2023), Entry for William M Lane and Carrie F Lane, 1930.
  51. “United States Census, 1940,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7BP-PKY : Tue Oct 03 06:49:11 UTC 2023), Entry for William W M Lane and Carrie T Lane, 1940.
  52. “United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KMP-ZRN6 : 10 February 2023), Dorothy Wells Lane.