[Dixielandjazz] Cherie DeCastro (Variety)

[Robert Ringwald]

Cherie DeCastro (Variety)

DeCastro Sisters' Cherie DeCastro Dies
Variety, March 23, 2010

Cherie DeCastro, last surviving member of the DeCastro Sisters singing trio, whose
biggest hit "Teach Me Tonight" sold more than 5 million copies in 1954 and continues
to be one of the great classic recordings, died of pneumonia March 14 in Las Vegas.
She was 87.
The DeCastro Sisters -- Peggy, Cherie and Babette -- were born to an American Ziegfeld
Follies showgirl and a Cuban aristocrat whose Havana mansion was seized by Fidel
Castro.
Cherie Dawn DeCastro was born in New York City.
The DeCastro Sisters, always strongly chaperoned, began their singing careers as
young girls and promoted themselves as a Cuban version of the Andrews Sisters.
They immigrated to Miami in 1942, where they were seen by an agent from General Artists
Corp. (now ICM) and booked into New York's Copacabana with the Will Mastin Trio featuring
Sammy Davis Jr.
As their careers took off, their act became more flamboyant and they worked across
the country including the Palladium in Hollywood, where they sang with Tito Puente's
band and made their first recordings.
In 1946, they provided several of the bird and animal voices for Walt Disney's animated
"Song of the South," including the Oscar-winning "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."
They appeared on screen with Carmen Miranda and Groucho Marx in 1947's "Copacabana."
The same year they joined Bob Hope and Cecil B. DeMille on the live premiere broadcast
special launching KTLA in Los Angeles, the first telecast west of the Mississippi.
The sisters were introduced by Hope and sang "Babalu."
In 1954, the more Americanized DeCastro Sisters were signed by a small country label,
Abbott Records. Their first release featured "It's Love" as the A-side, backed by
an obscure Sammy Cahn-Gene DePaul song called "Teach Me Tonight" that had been suggested
at the last minute by their bass player.
The label was pushing "It's Love," but Cleveland disc jockey Bill Randall turned
the record over and "Teach Me Tonight" soon took the nation by storm, peaking at
No. 2 on the charts and selling more than 5 million copies to date.
Several more recordings followed including "Too Late Now," "Boom Boom Boomerang,"
"Snowbound for Christmas," "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming" and numerous albums
on a variety of labels including RCA Victor, ABC-Paramount, Capitol and 20th Century
Fox.
Now major headliners, they shared the bill with Noel Coward when he made his Las
Vegas debut at the Desert Inn in 1954. They were part of another historic engagement
in 1959, when they joined the Las Vegas debuts of George Burns as a solo act and
a young singer named Bobby Darin at the Sahara.
The DeCastro Sisters appeared on most major TV shows and made numerous film shorts
including Universal's "Swingin' and Singin'" with Maynard Ferguson and "Riot in Rhythm"
with Harry James.
At various times Peggy and Babette took leave from the act and were replaced by a
cousin Olgita, so Cherie was the only sister who was part of every appearance and
recording that the group ever made.
In 1997, they were part of KTLA's 50th anniversary broadcast in Los Angeles and headlined
at the Hollywood Roosevelt's Cinegrill. Three years later, they were inducted in
the Casino Legends Hall of Fame as Las Vegas Living Legends.
Cherie continued to perform until shortly before her illness and sang "Teach Me Tonight"
on the 2006 PBS special "Moments to Remember: My Music," which is still periodically
shown and is out on DVD.
Babette died in 1992, Olgita in 2000 and Peggy in 2004.
Cherie is survived by longtime partner Trevor Young and several nieces and nephews.
Donations may be made to the Animal Foundation in Las Vegas (702-384-3333).


--Bob Ringwald K6YBV
rsr at ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
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