The Taylors were so impressed they approached Lillie McGuire about signing her daughters to a performance contract.
But eventually, a contract was signed, the girls were purchased elaborate show costumes and they performed occasionally with the Karl Taylor Orchestra at the Hotel Van Cleve in downtown Dayton.
That was the modest beginnings of one of the greatest all-female singing groups ever to hit the stage.
We’re remembering the sisters today on the anniversary of Dorothy’s birthday — Feb. 13, 1930.
The McGuire Sisters produced six Top 10 Billboard hits, including No. 1 hits “Sincerely” and “Sugartime.” They performed for five presidents — Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush — and Queen Elizabeth II. They were inducted into three halls of fame: the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1994, Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001 and Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2009.
The sisters stopped performing in the late 1960s but made a comeback in 1985, including performing at casinos and clubs in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Their last televised performance was a 2004 PBS special, “Magic Moments: The Best of ’50s Pop.”
The McGuire Sisters were immensely popular because of their harmony, “stunning looks” and stage presence. Early in their careers, they appeared on the Phil Donahue Show on WHIO in Dayton.
Their big break came in 1952 when they won the “Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts” in New York performing as “Little Godfreys.” The show was designed for amateur talent.
They eventually recorded 30 hit records. They had nightclub bookings from New York to Las Vegas. Then, in 1968, at the peak of their career, they performed for the last time on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Phyllis McGuire, who called herself “the one in the middle,” continued her singing career, headlining in Chicago, New York and Las Vegas, where she resides.
The sisters returned to their hometown in 1991 in honor of Middletown’s bicentennial. Because of ticket demand, they gave two performances in one night at the Sorg Opera House. They performed their Las Vegas show complete with costuming, orchestra and a pre-concert comedy act.
After each performance, the audience gave the sisters a lengthy standing ovation, according to an article in the Middletown Journal. Those attending included their mother, Bogie Buster founder Cy Laughter, family and friends, including classmates from Middletown and Miamisburg.
During a ceremony earlier in the day at the City Building, then-state Rep. Scott Nein called the sisters “one of America’s most talented trios” whose music was an “unmistakable sound” in the 1950s and ’60s.
Phyllis McGuire, the spokeswoman for the group, described the trip back home as “the most important day of our career and a very emotional experience.”
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