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{{Short description|American female singing quartet}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = The Chordettes
| background = group_or_band
| image = The Chordettes (cropped).JPG
| caption = {{longitem|Clockwise: Carol Buschmann, Dorothy "Dottie" Schwartz, [[Jinny Osborn]], and Janet Ertel Bleyer}}
| origin = [[Sheboygan, Wisconsin]], U.S.
| genre = {{hlist|[[Barbershop music]]|[[traditional pop]]|[[doo wop]]|[[pop rock]]}}
| years_active = 1946–1963
| label = {{hlist|[[Columbia Records|Columbia]]|[[Cadence Records|Cadence]]|[[London Records|London]]}}
| past_members = [[Jinny Osborn|Jinny Lockard]] (previously Osborn) Carol Buschmann [[Lynn Evans Mand|Lynn Evans]] Janet Ertel (aka Bleyer) Margie Latzko Dorothy “Dottie” (Hummitzsch) Schwartz [[Nancy Overton]] Alice Mae Spielvogel (née Buschmann) Joyce Weston
}}
[[File:Chordettes1959.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|The Chordettes (Amsterdam, 1959)]]

'''The Chordettes''' were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in [[Traditional pop|traditional pop music]]. They are best known for their 1950s hit singles "[[Mr. Sandman#The Chordettes version|Mr. Sandman]]" and "[[Lollipop (1958 song)|Lollipop]]", both of which sold over a million copies.

==Career==
The group organized in [[Sheboygan, Wisconsin]], in 1946. The original members of the group were Janet Ertel Bleyer (''née'' Buschmann), Alice Mae Buschmann Spielvogel, Dorothy "Dottie" (Hummitzsch) Schwartz and [[Jinny Osborn]] (''née'' Lockard). Originally they sang [[folk music]] in the style of [[The Weavers]], but eventually changed to a harmonizing style of the type known as [[Barbershop music|barbershop harmony]] or [[close harmony]].

After performing locally in Sheboygan, they won on [[Arthur Godfrey]]'s radio program ''[[Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts|Talent Scouts]]'' in 1949. They held feature status on Godfrey's daily program, and in 1950 recorded their first LP, a collection of standards titled ''Harmony Time'' for Columbia Records. Three more LPs followed.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/epm/4893?q=The+Chordettes&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1|title = Chordettes|date =2006-07-04|access-date = 2015-02-22|website = Oxford Music Online}}</ref>

In 1953, Godfrey's music director and orchestra leader, [[Archie Bleyer]], founded [[Cadence Records]].<ref name="Larkin50s">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2002|edition=Third|isbn=1-85227-937-0|pages=70/1}}</ref> He signed a number of Godfrey regulars and former regulars, including the Chordettes, who had a number of hit records for Cadence.<ref name="Larkin50s"/>

Beginning in January 1954, the group sang on the ''[[Robert Q. Lewis#Television|Robert Q. Lewis Show]]'', a weekday afternoon program on CBS-TV.<ref>{{cite news |title=Monday (11) |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-TV-Index/1954/TV-Index-1954-01-11.pdf |access-date=August 8, 2020 |work=Ross Reports on Television |date=January 11, 1954 |page=1 |archive-date=September 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903184721/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-TV-Index/1954/TV-Index-1954-01-11.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Chordettes had released a couple of singles with Arthur Godfrey on Columbia in 1950–51 but did not cut a solo single until their breakout hit, "Mr. Sandman", released in late 1954 and which went on to become a number one 1955 hit for seven weeks.<ref name="Larkin50s"/> It sold in excess of a million copies and was awarded [[music recording certification|gold disc]] status.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/67 67]
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/67
}}</ref> Archie Bleyer himself was on that record along with the group; Bleyer stripped down the sound to highlight the women's voices. They also reached number two with 1958's "[[Lollipop (1958 song)|Lollipop]]", another million album seller, and a number 2 on the charts,<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs 2">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/98 98]
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/98
}}</ref> also charted with a [[Zorro (song)|vocal version]] of the themes from Disney's ''[[Zorro (1957 TV series)|Zorro]]'' (U.S. number 17) (1958) and the film ''[[Never on Sunday]]'' (U.S. number 13) (1961).

Other hits for the group included "Eddie My Love" (U.S. number 14) (a cover of a song by doo-wop group The Teen Queens), "Born to Be With You" (U.S. number 5), "Lay Down Your Arms" in 1956, and "[[Just Between You and Me (The Chordettes song)|Just Between You and Me]]" (U.S. number 8) in 1957.<ref name="Larkin50s"/> Their cover of "The White Rose Of Athens" reached the Australian Top 15 in May, 1962. The US single "In The Deep Blue Sea" was a one-week Music Vendor entry four months later (number 128).

The Chordettes appeared on ''[[American Bandstand]]'' on August 5, 1957, the first episode of that show to be broadcast nationally on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC Television Network]]. The Chordettes also appeared on ''American Bandstand'' on February 22, 1958, and again on April 26, 1958.{{Citation needed|date= August 2022}}

In 1961, Jinny Osborn again left the group. Unable to find a satisfactory replacement, the group disbanded in the mid-1960s.<ref name="Larkin50s"/>

==Awards and recognition==
The group was inducted into the [[Vocal Group Hall of Fame]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Chordettes |url=https://vocalgroup.org/inductees/the-chordettes/ |website=The Vocal Group Hall of Fame |access-date=2022-11-09}}</ref>

==Deaths==
Alice Mae Buschmann Spielvogel died in 1981 at the age of 55.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.qub.ca/musique/artiste/the-chordettes-109311|publisher=QUB musique|access-date=November 9, 2022|title=The Chordettes}}</ref>

Janet Ertel Bleyer died on November 22, 1988, at the age of 75.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door|page=38|author=Nick Talevski|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2010|isbn=9780857121172 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC}}</ref>

[[Jinny Osborn]] (later known as Jinny Janis) died in 2003 at the age of 76.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=Jinny Osborn|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC&pg=PA478|page=478|title=Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door|first=Nick|last=Talevski|year=2010| publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=9780857121172|access-date=April 1, 2020|archive-date=January 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121001327/https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC&pg=PA478|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Nancy Overton]] died on April 5, 2009, at the age of 83 after a long battle with [[esophageal cancer]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Nancy Overton, Singer for the Chordettes, Is Dead at 83|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/arts/music/11overton.html|date=April 10, 2009|work=New York Times|access-date=August 6, 2009|first=Dennis|last=Hevesi|archive-date=April 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415235231/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/arts/music/11overton.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Dorothy "Dottie" (Hummitzsch) Schwartz died on April 4, 2016, at the age of 89.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/news/2016/04/06/dorothy-schwartz-member-chordettes-passes-away/82708144/ | access-date=November 9, 2022|title=Dorothy Schwartz, member of Chordettes, passes away|author=Leah Ulatowski |date=April 6, 2016|newspaper=Sheboygan Press}}</ref>

[[Lynn Evans Mand]] died on February 6, 2020, at the age of 95.<ref name=obit>{{cite news|url=https://chroniclet.com/news/201619/lynn-evans-mand/|title=Lynn Evans Mand|date=February 11, 2020|website=The Chronicle|access-date=May 8, 2020|archive-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213160822/https://chroniclet.com/news/201619/lynn-evans-mand/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Carol Buschmann died in [[Sheboygan, Wisconsin]], on September 30, 2023, at the age of 96.<ref>{{cite web |title=Carol Hagedorn Buschmann |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/carol-hagedorn-buschmann-obituary?id=53306863 |website=Legacy |access-date=11 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Carol Buschmann, Chordettes Member, Passes Away at 96 |url=https://whbl.com/2023/10/11/carol-buschmann-chordettes-member-passes-away-at-96/ |access-date=11 October 2023 |publisher=WHBL |date=11 October 2023}}</ref>

Marjorie “Margie” Needham Latzko, the last surviving member of the Chordettes, died in [[Saratoga Springs, New York|Saratoga Springs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], on August 22, 2025, at the age of 96.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 August 2025 |title=Marjorie (Needham) Latzko Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/funeral-homes/obituaries/name/marjorie-needham-latzko-obituary?pid=209628742&v=batesville |website=Legacy.com}}</ref>

==Members==
=== Original ===
* Janet Ertel (1946–1963; was later replaced by Nancy Overton for touring around 1959)
* Alice Mae ''Buschmann'' Spielvogel (1946–1947)
* Dorothy "Dottie" (Hummitzsch) Schwartz (1946–1952)
* [[Jinny Osborn]]/Lockard (1946–1953, 1957–1961)

=== Additional ===
* Carol Buschmann (1947–1963)
* [[Lynn Evans Mand|Lynn Evans]] (''née'' Hargate) (1953–1963)
* Margie Needham (1953–1957)
* [[Nancy Overton]] (1957–1963; replaced Janet Ertel for touring around 1959)

=== Timeline ===
{{#tag:Timeline|
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:25
PlotArea = left:65 bottom:50 top:0 right:0
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1946 till:31/12/1963
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1946
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1946

Colors =
id:Janet value:Red
id:Alice value:Orange
id:Jinny value:Yellow
id:Nancy value:Green
id:Dorothy value:Teal
id:Lynn value:Blue
id:Carol value:Purple
id:Margie value:Pink

BarData =
bar:Janet text:"Ertel"
bar:Alice text:"Spielvogel"
bar:Jinny text:"Osborn"
bar:Nancy text:"Overton"
bar:Dorothy text:"Schwartz"
bar:Lynn text:"Evans"
bar:Carol text:"Buschmann"
bar:Margie text:"Needham"

PlotData =
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Janet from:01/01/1946 till:end color:Janet
bar:Alice from:01/01/1946 till:31/12/1947 color:Alice
bar:Jinny from:01/01/1946 till:31/12/1953 color:Jinny
bar:Jinny from:01/01/1957 till:31/12/1961 color:Jinny
bar:Nancy from:01/01/1957 till:31/12/1963 color:Nancy
bar:Dorothy from:01/01/1946 till:31/12/1952 color:Dorothy
bar:Lynn from:01/01/1953 till:31/12/1963 color:Lynn
bar:Carol from:01/01/1947 till:end color:Carol
bar:Margie from:01/01/1953 till:31/12/1957 color:Margie
}}

==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
|-
!Year
!Album
![[Billboard 200|US ''BB'']] <ref name="Whitburn">{{cite book | last = Whitburn | first = Joel | title = Top LPs, 1955–1972 | year = 1973 | publisher = Record Research | page = 31 | url = https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstoplp00whit/page/31/mode/2up | access-date = 2025-07-10}}</ref>
![[Record label|Record Label]]
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1950
|align=left| ''Harmony Time''
| 3
|rowspan="6"| [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1951
|align=left| ''Harmony Time Volume II''
| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1952
|align=left| ''[[Harmony Encores]]''
| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1953
|align=left| ''[[The Chordettes Sing Your Requests]]''
| —
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1955
|align=left| ''The Chordettes''
| —
|-
|align=left| ''Listen''
| —
|-
|align=left| ''Close Harmony''
| —
|rowspan="2"| [[Cadence Records|Cadence]]
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1957
|align=left| ''The Chordettes''
| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1959
|align=left| ''Drifting and Dreaming''
| —
|rowspan="1"| [[Harmony Records|Harmony]]
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1962
|align=left| ''Never on Sunday''
| —
|rowspan="1"| Cadence
|-
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated
! colspan="5"| Chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! style="width:35px;"|[[Billboard Hot 100|US]] <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://top40weekly.com/bubbling-under/|title=US Hot 100 Bubbling Under|website=Top40weekly.com|date=May 13, 2017|access-date=August 3, 2025}}</ref>
! style="width:35px;"|[[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US R&B]] <ref name="Awards">{{cite web |title=The Chordettes - Awards |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-chordettes-mn0000763551/awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705040038/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-chordettes-mn0000763551/awards |archive-date=July 5, 2013 |access-date=11 November 2023 |publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>
! style="width:35px;"|[[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|US A/C]] <ref name="Awards"/>
! style="width:35px;"|CAN [[CHUM Chart|CHUM]]
! style="width:35px;"|[[UK Singles Chart|UK]] <ref>Nugent, Stephen / Fowler, Anne / Fowler, Pete (1976): ''Chart Log of American/British Top 20 Hits, 1955-1974''. In: Gillett, Charlie / Frith, Simon (ed.): ''Rock File 4''. Frogmore, St. Albans: Panther Books, p. 113f</ref>
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1950
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Down by the Old Mill Stream]]" (with [[Arthur Godfrey]])
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="5"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "If It Wasn't for Your Father" (with Arthur Godfrey) b/w "[[Gone Fishin' (song)|Gone Fishin']]" (non-album track)
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Time Out for Tears" (with Bill Lawrence) b/w "Can't Seem to Laugh Anymore" (non-album track)
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Hawaii" (with Arthur Godfrey) b/w "Driftin' Down the Dreamy Ol' Ohio" (non-album track)
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1951
| style="text-align:left;"| "Candy & Cake" (with Arthur Godfrey) 
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1954
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Mr. Sandman]]" b/w "I Don't Wanna See You Cryin'" (non-album track)
| 1<ref>Whitburn, Joel (1973): ''Top Pop Records 1940-1955''. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, p. 13</ref>
| —
| —
| —
| 11
| align="left"|''The Chordettes''
|-
| rowspan="2"|1955
| style="text-align:left;"| "Lonely Lips" b/w "The Dudelsack Song" (non-album track)
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|''All the Very Best of the Chordettes''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Hummingbird (1955 song)|Humming Bird]]" b/w "I Told a Lie" (non-album track)
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|''The Chordettes''
|-
| rowspan="5"| 1956
| style="text-align:left;"| "The Wedding" b/w "I Don't Know, I Don't Care" (non-album track)
| 91<ref>Whitburn, Joel (1994): ''Top Pop Singles 1955-1993''. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Ltd., p. 112</ref>
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|''All the Very Best of the Chordettes''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Eddie My Love]]" b/w "Whistlin' Willie" (non-album track)
| 14
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="5"|''The Chordettes''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Born to Be with You (song)|Born to Be with You]]" b/w "Love Never Changes"
| 5
| —
| —
| —
| 8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Lay Down Your Arms (1956 song)|Lay Down Your Arms]]" /
| 16<ref>Whitburn, Joel (2005): ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits''. 7. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage, New York City, New York: Billboard Books, p. 129</ref>
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Teen Age Goodnight"
| 45
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="5"| 1957
| style="text-align:left;"| "Come Home to My Arms" b/w "(Fifi's) Walkin' the Poodle" (non-album track)
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Echo of Love" b/w "Like a Baby" (from ''The Chordettes'')
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|Non-album track
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Just Between You and Me (The Chordettes song)|Just Between You and Me]]" /
| 8
| —
| —
| 15
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"|''The Chordettes''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Soft Sands"
| 73
| —
| —
| 16 <ref>{{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/57-08-19-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade - August 19, 1957}}</ref>
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Baby of Mine" b/w "Photographs"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1958
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Lollipop (1958 song)|Lollipop]]" b/w "Baby, Come-a Back-a" (non-album track)
| 2
| 3
| —
| 1
| 6
| align="left" rowspan="4"|''All the Very Best of the Chordettes''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Zorro (song)|Zorro]]" b/w "Love Is a Two-Way Street" (non-album track)
| 17
| —
| —
| 17
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1959
| style="text-align:left;"| "No Other Arms, No Other Lips" [Cadence 1361] b/w "We Should Be Together" (non-album track)
| 27
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "A Girl's Work Is Never Done" [Cadence 1366] b/w "No Wheels" (non-album track)
| 89
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1960
| style="text-align:left;"| "A Broken Vow" b/w "All My Sorrows"
| 102
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1961
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Never on Sunday (song)|Never on Sunday]]" /
| 13
| —
| 4
| 16
| —
| align="left"|''Never on Sunday''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Faraway Star"
| 90
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|''All the Very Best of the Chordettes''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Theme of Exodus|The Exodus Song]]" b/w "Theme from 'Goodbye Again'"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Never on Sunday''
|-
| rowspan="2"|1962
| style="text-align:left;"| "The White Rose of Athens" b/w "Adios"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="3"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "In the Deep Blue Sea" b/w "All My Sorrows"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1963
| style="text-align:left;"| "True Love Goes On and On" b/w "All My Sorrows"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
|}

==See also==
* [[List of vocal groups]]
* [[List of artists who reached number one in the United States]]
* [[List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{external links|date=November 2022}}
{{commons category}}
*[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/26/4e/2a/264e2a9d5e1b79e11efa3e4085367d11.jpg Picture and names of The Chordettes]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927040754/http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_chordettes.html 'The Chordettes' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page]
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p12556}}
* {{discogs artist|The Chordettes}}
* {{imdb name|1309614}}
* The Chordettes' page on the [http://www.singers.com/jazz/vintage/chordettes.html Primarily A Cappella] site
* [http://locals.nysut.org/OLD_newyorkteacher/2002-2003/020925chordette.html Chordette Lynn Evans harmonizes in classroom while a teacher]{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141023144430/http://www.discoogle.com/wiki/Chordettes%2C_The_Discography The Chordettes : Official Covers Discography]
* [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/carol-buschmann Carol Buschmann Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program|NAMM Oral History Library]] (2010)
* [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/dorothy-schwartz Dorothy Schwartz Interview] NAMM Oral History Library (2010)
*[https://findingaids.loc.gov/db/search/xq/searchMfer02.xq?_id=loc.music.eadmus.mu018015&_faSection=overview&_faSubsection=did&_dmdid= Chordettes collection of musical arrangements, 1938-1995] at the [https://loc.gov/ Library of Congress]

{{The Chordettes|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chordettes, The}}
[[Category:Apex Records artists]]
[[Category:Cadence Records artists]]
[[Category:Vocal quartets]]
[[Category:Barbershop quartets]]
[[Category:Doo-wop groups]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:American pop music groups]]
[[Category:American girl groups]]
[[Category:Sheboygan, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1946]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1961]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:1946 establishments in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:1961 disestablishments in Wisconsin]]

The Chordettes - Revision history

~2025-32357-30 at 03:03, 10 November 2025