Singer. She was an original member of "The Chordettes," a popular female quartet founded in 1946 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Locally well known and appreciated, the group sang traditional popular music, usually a cappella, and eventually changed to a harmonizing style known as barbershop harmony. They gained national fame after appearing on Arthur Godfrey's radio program, Talent Scout, in 1949; were then featured on his daily program, and later made a number of recordings for Columbia Records. Their biggest hit was "Mr. Sandman" in 1954 with Cadence Records, the same year that Ertel married Archie Bleyer, owner of Cadence. It sold over a million copies and spent seven weeks at number 1 in the US charts. Although the group disbanded in 1963 after recording their final hit, Never On Sunday (reached number 13), The Chordettes were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.
Singer. She was an original member of "The Chordettes," a popular female quartet founded in 1946 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Locally well known and appreciated, the group sang traditional popular music, usually a cappella, and eventually changed to a harmonizing style known as barbershop harmony. They gained national fame after appearing on Arthur Godfrey's radio program, Talent Scout, in 1949; were then featured on his daily program, and later made a number of recordings for Columbia Records. Their biggest hit was "Mr. Sandman" in 1954 with Cadence Records, the same year that Ertel married Archie Bleyer, owner of Cadence. It sold over a million copies and spent seven weeks at number 1 in the US charts. Although the group disbanded in 1963 after recording their final hit, Never On Sunday (reached number 13), The Chordettes were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.
Bio by: Fred Beisser
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