NRR Project: The Boswell Sisters sing 'It's the Girl' (1931)

NRR Project: ‘It’s the Girl’

Composed by David Oppenheim and Abel Baer

Performed by the Boswell Sisters with the Dorsey Brothers

Recorded July 8, 1931

3:16

Everybody remembers the singing trio the Andrews Sisters, but far fewer people know the group that inspired them, and countess other trios in the jazz era.

The Boswell Sisters, Martha, Connee, and Vet, grew up in New Orleans, where they were trained in classical music and exposed to contemporary music-making from both the white and Black populations of the area. The three started off performing together in vaudeville, then got noticed by the radio and recordings industries. Their repertoire soon consisted of jazz and popular songs styled as jazz. Their unique sound propelled them to popularity. Soon their unique harmonies were heard across the country.

What the Boswells were so good at was in arranging close-harmony tunes that really swung. Due to their musical prowess, they were able to rewrite and -arrange the tunes they were given to work with, turning them into streamlined ear candy that was undeniably catchy. (Some songwriters and some listeners didn’t enjoy this.) They chose and worked with some of the best instrumental accompanists of the day.

“It’s the Girl” is a typical Boswell treatment. (For comparison, listen to “When I Take My Sugar to Tea” and “The Object of My Affection.”) The opening I fast-paced, with swooping vocals, full stops, and untamed vocalizing moving in and among the melodic and harmonic lines. The song then slows down to a legato pace, letting the soloist style the bridge/intro. Then all three leap back in at double time, coming to a screeching halt at the song’s finish line.

The trio broke up in 1936. Connee would go on to have a notable solo career, but the heyday of the group was over. Fortunately, we have a decade of recordings of theirs to enjoy and analyze.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next up: Arthur Schnabel plays the complete Beethoven piano sonatas.