“Sisters are different flowers from the same garden…”

Their mother, Faye, had been a coloratura soprano with the Milano Opera Company in San Francisco. When her first daughter came along, her stage career was over. It would be not too many years later that her musical desires would manifest themselves again in 3-year old, Albeth, the first of the Paris Sisters. Learning the techniques of dance, Albeth would be joined by each of her two younger siblings as they ‘became of age’, and together they mastered the skills of Tap, Ballet, the Can Can, the Tarentella, acrobatics and Modeling at Betty Mae’s School of Dance. It would become the springboard for their original sister act. Faye was the catalyst behind their early breakthrough career and tri-weekly dancing lessons soon accompanied singing lessons and nightly practice around the piano. Priscilla, too young for a harmony part, would take the lead, Albeth, the clear Alto, Sherrell, the remarkable Bass. The blend, the phrasing, the timing and synchronization so much a part of sibling singers, would remain throughout their long career. It would be the Andrews Sisters, the famous fifties sister trio, that would escalate their career into a professional status. Faye kept them out of school for the week that the Andrews performed at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater and noticing their repeated presence, the Andrews invited the girls backstage to meet them - and then on-stage to spontaneously perform. Faye would come up out of the audience to sit at the piano with the huge Warfield orchestra, and Albeth, Sherrell and Priscilla, singing some of the songs made famous by the older trio, wowed an audience that included several MCA talent agents. Signing a contract with the mega agency, The Paris Sisters began performing professionally – first at fairs, festivals and one-nighters up and down the coast of California, and soon at supper clubs and theaters across the country. Faye’s garden had begun to bloom.

Early recordings display their harmonies and timing but it was their stage career (which incorporated their dance training into their singing act) which was most recognized. As the girls became more sophisticated, more mature, the act would take on new dimensions. captivating audiences both in the U.S., playing Las Vegas several times a year, and abroad, where they played to enthusiastic audiences throughout the UK, Asia, Canada, Mexico and other countries. While their singing act was a powerful one, geared to capture club audiences , their recording sound was changed frequently. Decca Records, one of their early contracts, attempted to record them in the style of their mentors, The Andrews Sisters – even partnering them with Bing Crosby’s son, Gary. But it wasn’t until many records later, when Phil Spector entered their lives, that The Paris Sisters would become a part of music history. Re-directing Priscilla’s electric vocal lead, Phil discovered another side of the sister sound. The soft, wistful voice of a young Priscilla, supported by the background harmonies of Sherrell and Albeth, would find its way to the top of music charts, first with Be My Boy, and then with the song that many decades later still captivates every new generation of music lovers – I Love How You Love Me.