The Thrasher Sisters, Andrew Sisters and Trio Lescano from the 1940s are your Phantom Dancer feature artists this week for your self-isolating pleasure.

The Phantom Dancer produced and presented by 1920s-30s singer and actor Greg Poppleton can be heard online from 12:05pm AEDST Tuesday 17 March at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

More on the Andrew Sisters and Trio Lescano in future Phantom Dancers – your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-50s radio with Greg Poppleton. Today’s story, read on, is about The Thrasher Sisters.

Well, it’s short and sweet and comes from a Billboard record review, 23 March 1946. Here it is…

Mary Jane Thrasher’s obit is quoted here for the LA Times. It tells Mary’s story and the story of the sisters,

“January 22, 1924 – February 23, 2014 Mary Jane, a loving big sister and Auntie, as well as a talented singer and painter, passed away peacefully in Monterey Park on February 23, 2014, at the age of 90. Mary Jane’s vitality and positive attitude was truly an inspiration, and her hearty laughter and warm, loving personality will be missed by all who knew her. Challenged with macular degeneration and severe hearing loss, she never complained or let her physical limitations darken her mood or her enjoyment of life. Separated from her two younger sisters and parents due to the challenges of the Depression, Mary Jane was raised by her father’s mother on the plains of South Dakota, along with her younger sister, Betty. Grandma Thrasher instilled the foundation for both Mary Jane and Betty’s inner strength and determination as single women throughout their entire lives. As Mary Jane approached her teen years, the family was reunited, and the Thrasher sisters, including youngest sister, Dee, discovered early on that they had a talent for singing, harmonizing together in the style of their favorite radio vocalists, the Boswell Sisters. In 1938, the Thrasher Sisters were hired by Cincinnati radio station WLW to perform on their very own Sunday morning radio program. For the next four years, Mary Jane, Betty, and Dee appeared on the show every weekend. A sample of the Thrasher Sisters’ exquisite harmonies can be found on YouTube.com (“Fountains of Fun” WLW 1942). In 1942, the family moved to Los Angeles, and the Thrasher Sisters were booked on a number of popular radio and TV programs. In 1949, noted band leader Jerry Fielding offered to mentor them and guide their career. He promptly changed their name to the Morgan Sisters, and booked them for a six-month engagement at the Pearl City Tavern near Honolulu, Hawaii. While on the island, the Morgan Sisters also participated in a number of recording sessions. Two of the songs they recorded in Hawaii can also be heard today on YouTube.com – “My Waikiki Girl” and “Fish and Poi.” In 1954, the Morgan Sisters broke up when youngest sister Dee left the group to marry Danny Barcelona, a young Hawaiian drummer she had met in Honolulu, and who later became a member of Louis Armstrong’s All Stars. In the late 1950’s, Mary Jane and Betty began working at the Los Angeles Times, where they continued to perform over the years at company events until their retirement in 1988. Mary Jane leaves behind her sister, Betty…”

In this week’s mix you’ll also hear a set of Women Singers and Headliners on 1930s-40s Radio and dance bands from live 1937 radio.

The last hour is all vinyl

Your Phantom Dancer Video of the Week this week is Reg Kehoe and his Marimba Queens. The double bass player is brilliant, using the instrument chordally and percussively at once. Enjoy!

Make sure you come back to this blog, Greg Poppleton’s Radio Lounge, every Tuesday, for the newest Phantom Dancer play list and Video of the Week!

Thank you.

24 MARCH PLAY LIST