The Boswell Legacy 2nd Edition: The Story of the Boswell Sisters of New Orleans and the New Music They Gave to the World

The second edition of The Boswell Legacy is the definitive reference book and biography of the Boswell Sisters trio—Martha, Connie, and Vet—three prodigious musicians and vocalists raised in the Jazz Era of New Orleans. It is presented in full color and expanded to include new images, a discography, song commentaries, an expanded artist section, a new song index, and more. Within these pages readers will find the perfect combination of the Boswells’ personal story with decades-long research into their family history, early influences, rise to fame and fortune, and sudden disbandment. The Boswell Sisters rose to stardom during the Great Depression and established an enormously successful career as musicians and vocal jazz singers. They enthusiastically embraced the new mass media of electrical recordings, radio networks, and moving pictures. Along with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, they led an American jazz “invasion” of Europe in 1933. They were admired by their frequent singing partner Bing Crosby, idolized by a trio who gained fame as the Andrews Sisters, and praised as “the best act I ever followed” by a trouper named Bob Hope. Ella Fitzgerald consistently credited Connie Boswell as her main influence and Irving Berlin singled Connie out as his favorite interpreter of his songs. The beautiful and talented Boswell Sisters sold out stage shows from New York to London, and the number of records they sold is estimated to be over 75 million. Then suddenly, it was over. Questions left unanswered for decades are answered in The Boswell Legacy. Why did the Boswell Sisters disband? What was the cause of Connie’s paralysis? Why are the Boswell Sisters not household names today? Most importantly, readers will learn about the development of a unique musical style that is timeless and still influential a century later. Despite their short career their vocal jazz harmony and musicianship was so extraordinary it earned them an indisputable place of honor in American music history for their contribution to the jazz and swing music genres as well as the American popular song. "...Titus has written a valuable book. Because it is based on archival research, it is the most reliable source of information about the sisters' lives and careers...Reading her study in conjunction with listening to the music will lead to an understanding of the sisters' innovations and of why the group was so popular and influential. The recordings of the Boswell Sisters are of lasting value, as is 'The Boswell Legacy.'"--Benjamin Franklin V, Music Charts Magazine Book Review, Nov. 29, 2014. “This book is the best, most authentic source for getting the scoop on the fascinating Boswell saga, from true insiders. The Boswell Sisters narrative is not just a fascinating and compelling insight into their enormous musical footprint but is testimony to an extremely important and quintessential American story.”—Paul Chiten, “The Boswell Legacy,” March 2024. "'The Boswell Legacy' does the best job possible of making the mysterious accessible. And it does so from the inside, rather than assembling rumors and constructing hypotheses. It has the depth and intelligence of a scholarly biography with no academic dryness...I don't think a better or more informative book on the Boswells can be written."--Michael Steinman, Jazz Lives, Dec. 14, 2014. “Maybe you too will conclude, as I have, that the Boswell Sisters are to vocals what Shakespeare is to literature and Michelangelo is to art: simply the best.”—James Von Schilling, “The Boswell Legacy,” March 2024.