Chapter 11: Pop Music in the 1940s and 1950s
During the 1930s and 1940s, vocal harmony groups, especially female trios, played a crucial role in shaping the sound of American pop and jazz. One of the earliest and most influential of these groups was The Boswell Sisters, composed of siblings Connee, Martha, and Helvetia (Vet) Boswell. Hailing from New Orleans, the trio rose to national fame through their innovative harmonies, rhythmic complexity, and seamless blend of jazz phrasing with pop sensibility.
The sisters began their career on a New Orleans radio station and quickly became local favorites. Their signature sound featured tight, blues-inflected harmonies and sophisticated vocal arrangements that set a high standard for future vocal ensembles. They influenced later groups such as the Andrews Sisters and the McGuire Sisters. In the early 1930s, they signed with Brunswick Records and recorded with prominent jazz artists including the Dorsey Brothers Band. Their version of “When I Take My Sugar to Tea” remains one of their best-known hits and exemplifies their unique style.
National stardom followed as the Boswells became regulars on NBC’s Kraft Music Hall and appeared in several Hollywood films including The Big Broadcast (1932), Moulin Rouge (1934), and Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (1934). They also toured Great Britain in 1933 and 1935, gaining international recognition. The group disbanded in 1936, but Connee Boswell continued as a solo artist, enjoying a long and successful career.
Connee Boswell, the lead vocalist and most musically adventurous of the Boswell Sisters, was one of the most influential yet often overlooked female pop and jazz singers of her generation. Paralyzed from the age of four due to polio, she performed from a wheelchair throughout her career. Despite this, she developed a commanding stage presence and vocal style.
After the Boswell Sisters disbanded, Connee signed with Decca Records and launched her solo career. She frequently collaborated with leading stars of the era, including Bing Crosby. Their duets such as “Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?)” (1937), “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1938), and “An Apple for the Teacher” (1939) were major hits and showcased her effortless charm and musical adaptability.
Boswell was one of the first female pop singers to reinterpret songs through altered melodies and rhythmic phrasing, a hallmark of jazz vocal performance. Drawing inspiration from early blues and jazz singers like Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, and Ethel Waters, she introduced those expressive techniques to a broader popular audience. Recordings such as “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” “I Cover the Waterfront,” and “That Old Feeling” highlight her masterful use of phrasing, timing, and emotional subtlety. In contrast to the more rigid vocal delivery common among her peers, Boswell’s interpretations felt fresh, intimate, and spontaneous.
Although she sold over 75 million records, Boswell never achieved the level of mainstream recognition that many of her contemporaries enjoyed. Her disability, never publicly acknowledged during her lifetime, was deliberately concealed in films through careful staging and wardrobe choices. In some productions, she was strapped into a support frame and hidden behind flowing skirts to give the illusion she was standing. Despite these barriers, her performances remained magnetic, earning her respect across both the pop and jazz worlds.
Boswell’s lasting impact is perhaps most evident in the work of vocalists she inspired. Ella Fitzgerald cited her as a primary influence, modeling her early phrasing and tone on Boswell’s distinctive style. In this way, Connee Boswell helped bridge the worlds of 1920s blues, 1930s swing, and the evolving vocal traditions of postwar jazz and popular music.