The King Sisters

Female American vocal group, active from 1931 through the mid-1980s.

The King Sisters performed as trio, quartet, and sometimes even sextet with changing personnel, but almost exclusively consisted of members of the same family (for the short-lived 1933 sextet, their friend Anita Johnston joined them). As a trio consisting of Maxine King, Luise King, and Alyce King, the group started out on the radio in 1931. In 1933, they were hired by Horace Heidt, who had a radio show out of San Francisco, and continued to perform with the Horace Heidt band, which became known as Horace Heidt And His Brigadiers, until November 1938. At that time, they joined former Heidt guitarist Alvino Rey, who was married to Luise King, and his new big band.

As The Four King Sisters, Luise King, Alyce King, Donna King and Yvonne King had several hits, including "Miss Otis Regrets" (1941), the "Hut-Sut Song" (1941), "Jersey Bounce" (1942), "San Fernando Valley" (1944), and "Mairzy Doates" (1944).

The Four King Sisters worked with Alvino Rey And His Orchestra until 1943, when Rey joined the U.S. Navy, and again in 1946 when he started a new band. In between, they performed with Yvonne King's husband Buddy Cole And His Orchestra; Cole was himself a former member of Alvino Rey's orchestra. In 1946, Luise left to play harp with Buddy Cole And His Orchestra; she was replaced by youngest sister Marilyn King. At the same time, all the King Sisters made several recordings with the Buddy Cole band for Victor and recorded some transcriptions for Victor. In 1948, Alvino Rey founded yet another orchestra, and the King Sisters, including Luise, joined him again.

Between 1949-1952, they all took time off from performing while they focused on their families. Starting in 1952, however, The King Sisters, including Marilyn, who had stayed on with Alvino as his female soloist, rejoined Alvino Rey And His Orchestra for a new TV show called Pasadena Community Dance that was broadcast live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. In 1953, they got their own TV show, The Alvino Rey - King Sisters Show, which in turn led to a contract with Victor in 1956.

On one of the installments of the The Alvino Rey - King Sisters Show, The King Sisters invited their entire by now extended family to join them in song, and that led to the formation of another hugely popular ensemble, The King Family, that had their own TV shows and specials in the 1960s and 1970s. A spin-off group were The Four King Cousins, all daughters of former members of The King Sisters.