The Bell Sisters

The Bell Sisters were an American singing duo, popular in the 1950s, consisting of the sisters Cynthia and Kay Strother, who adopted their mother's maiden name of Bell.^[1]

History[edit]

Cynthia Sue Strother was born in Harlan County, Kentucky, on October 4, 1935, and died of heart failure in Las Vegas on February 16, 2024, at the age of 88.^[2]

Edith Kay Strother was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky, on March 16, 1940.^[3]

The sisters were the daughters of Eugene Rex Strother (1908–1988) and Edith Marie Bell (1912–1992).^[4] They had four sisters and one brother.^[5] The duo was discovered and a week later signed by RCA Records after appearing on October 31, 1951, on the local Los Angeles television program, "Peter Potter's Search for a Song," singing "Bermuda", which was written by Cynthia, who had appeared as a solo artist twice before on the program, singing other self-penned compositions. But it was on October 31, 1951, that Joe Happy Goday (1910–1997), owner and founder of music publisher Goday Music, Inc., took an interest in the song "Bermuda".^{[citation needed]}

The hit single recording of "Bermuda" for RCA peaked at Number 7 in 1952, having a three-month run on the Hit Parade,^[6] and eventually selling one million copies. It was followed up by a Number 10 hit for their cover version of "Wheel of Fortune" and a Number 19 hit with actor/singer Phil Harris of the song "Piece a'Puddin'".^[7]

They appeared in two films, Those Redheads From Seattle and Cruisin' Down the River, both released in 1953.^[8] They released eleven records on the RCA Victor label. In May 1952, they appeared in the annual police benefit along with Bob Hope, Jack Benny, and Gene Autry. They were on the television programmes of Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Dinah Shore.^[6]

References[edit]

^ Strawther, Larry Wayne (born 1952) (2014). Seal Beach: A Brief History (limited preview). Charleston, South Carolina: The History House. Retrieved May 27, 2022 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) LCCN 2014-10143; ISBN 978-1-6261-9489-2 (paperback); OCLC 881591697 (all editions).
^ Barnes, Mike (February 20, 2024). "Cynthia Strother, One-Half of the Singing Bell Sisters, Dies at 88". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
^ "Bell Sisters (RCA) (1951-1959) - Home". Bellsisters.com (website maintained by Rex Strother of Salt Lake City. He is a nephew of Cynthia and Kay).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^ Press-Telegram Southland Magazine; Zinser, Ben (né Arthur Benjamin Zinser; born 1921) (March 23, 1952). "How Those Bells do Sing!". Independent (Sunday magazine of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Vol. 65, no. 53). . Vol. 5, no. 9. Long Beach, California. pp. 2, 5. Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link); OCLC 848179387 (all editions).
^ Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune (The); Handsaker, Gene (né Eugene Stirling Handsaker; 1910–1985) (April 22, 1952). "Singing Bell Sisters, 16 and 12, Find Fame Has Drawbacks". The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. . Vol. 59, no. 93 (Daily ed.). Chillicothe, Missouri. Associated Press. p. 1 (section 3). Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ ^a ^b "The Bell Sisters". Home.earthlink.net.
^ "Phil Harris And The Bell Sisters – Piece A-Puddin' / Hi-Diddle-Diddle". Discogs.com. October 1952. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
^ Southland (December 5, 1954). "The Bell Sisters Are Growing Up". Independent (Sunday magazine of the Independent-Press-Telegram. Vol. 3, no. 16). . Long Beach, California. p. 3. Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.; OCLC 848179387 (all editions).