The three Giersdorf Sisters sing Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" on Columbia 878-D
It's one of the greatest songs of that century--you can find countless recorded versions.
1927.
The Giersdorf Sisters (three siblings) made Columbia discs in 1927.
Their names were Elvira, Irene, and Rae. They were raised in the MId-West (Nebraska or Iowa?). The father and mother were entertainers, and the sisters joined the parents' act, eventually branching off on their own.
Elvira married and settled in Virginia (my source is Elvira's great-granddaughter). I do not know about Irene or Rae.
They were in the films Crooning Melodies (1929), Footlights (1931), and At the Mike (1934).
On stage, they were in musical comedies such as Hello, Daddy and Cross My Heart.
Are they the same as the Giddens Sisters?
The Giersdorf Sisters recorded at least four titles for Columbia:
1) Blue Skies on 878-D (January 12, 1927) matrix: W143292
2) In A Little Spanish Town on 878-D (January 29, 1927) matrix: W143367
3) Rosy Cheeks on 1006D (April 7, 1927) matrix: W144002
4) Swanee River Trail on 1006D (January 20, 1927) matrix: W143335
Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see
Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long
Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly
Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on
I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Every day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore
Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" is among the greatest songs of the 20th century. I put it up there with Hoagy's "Stardust" and Paul McCartney's "Yesterday."
It was first heard in a Broadway show called Betsy. The show was meant to showcase the songs of team Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
But Belle Baker, who was featured in the show, decided she needed a more dynamic song than what was provided. She turned to her friend Irving Berlin, who gave her "Blue Skies" in late 1926--in time for her to introduce it in Betsy.
Betsy opened at the New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway three days after Christmas--on December 28, 1926. It ran a few dozen times, not a hit. But the song "Blue Skies" made an impression, and it was of course used to great effect by Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer.
