Underneath the Harlem Moon - The Brown Sisters

I love this old jazz. Inevitably, I start reading comments where jazz aficionados (a.k.a, snobs) engage tirelessly in one-upmanship about who influenced/copied/pre-dated whom, and it almost ruins it for me. Thank God I've got the music here to pull me back!!

Does anyone have the lyrics????

I'm speechless. One of my favorite songs done by a Boswell-influenced black female trio! Wonderful and amazing. Thank you!

I love the Brown Sisters and the Boswell's too!! I once read the great Ethel Waters was headlininfg a revue in which she starred and the Brown Sisters were featured. Billie Holiday was sent to Philadelphia (where they were to open) when Billie began to sing Miss Waters flew on the stage and said, "Ain't no other women gonna sing on this show with me but the Brown Sisters." The stage manager offered Billie train fare back to NY but Billie threw the money in Ethel's face and said "F-u and this!"

The Brown Sisters sang with Sol S. Wagner and his orchestra as well as Billy Banks Rhythmakers, in Chicago in 1920's & 30's. I only know that because my grandfather, 'Jimmy Lord' was in the band(s). He played with many others, but those are the only two that reference The Brown Sisters. Anyone with more or better info, please contact me on here, Thanks.

Can you believe the lyrics they could get away with back then? "That's why darkies were born!" Good lord...(Actually, Groucho Marx even says that line in one of the early Marx Bros. films -- clearly an in-joke reference to this song.

Oddly enough Randy Newman recorded this song on an early album. I'm not really sure why...

Can you provide references to traditional jazz trios that sang in close harmony prior to the Boswell Sisters? Who did the Boswells sing like?

NO ONE! And those who have been "Bozzed" know so! Love ya hoopjnky!!

The Brox Sisters came before the Boswells. There are some Brox Sisters vids on youtube. Also some sites around the net have song clips of them. They were fun.

Absolutely, this wonderful group is HUGELY influenced by the Boswell sisters. The Brox Sisters were somewhat earlier and were very good but in a different syle. The Boswells were influenced by the phrasings and rhythms of early jazz they heard growing up in New Orleans; Connee also said that Mamie Smith was an important influence. Listen to the Boswells and other groups from that era and earlier to understand how distinctive and influential the Boswells were.