Setting Records

They recorded 47 songs with crooner Bing Crosby, 23 of which charted on Billboard, thus making the team the most successful pairing of acts in a recording studio in show business history. Their million-sellers with Bing included Pistol Packin' Mama, Don't Fence Me In, South America, Take It Away, and Jingle Bells, among other yuletide favorites. Their popularity was such that after the war they discovered that some of their records had actually been smuggled into Germany after the labels had been changed to read Hitler's Marching Songs. Their recording of Bei Mir Bist Du Sch?n became a favorite of the Nazis, until it was discovered that the song's composers were of Jewish descent. Still, it did not stop concentration camp inmates from secretly singing it. Along with Bing Crosby, separately and jointly, The Andrews Sisters were responsible for incorporating ethnic music styles into America's Hit Parade, popularizing songs with melodies originating in Israel, Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, and Trinidad. Their success ratio on these recordings, which their manager selected for them, was astounding.