Fontane Sisters

The Fontane Sisters (Marge, Geri and Bea Rosse) grew up in New Milford, New Jersey. Their mother was choir leader and organist for their church, and brother Frank accompanied them on guitar when they formed a family act for vaudeville and radio appearances. After Frank died in WWII, the sisters performed on radio and made live appearances, first as "The Three Sisters" and then "The Fontane Sisters". Late in 1945, the sisters met Perry Como and began work on his radio show. They were also part of Como's cast when he began broadcasting on television on December 24, 1948, and remained until 1954. The Fontane Sisters recorded four sides for the independent Musicraft label in 1946 (the recordings here), but did record on a regular basis until signed to RCA in 1948. Between 1949 and 1952, they were featured on several Como RCA recordings, including the #1 hits "You're Adorable" and "Hoop-Dee-Doo". They also had chart success with their own RCA recordings, including "Tennessee Waltz", "Castle Rock", and "Cold, Cold Heart". Their greatest success as recording artists came when they left Como's TV show and were signed by Randy Wood's Dot Records in 1954. They had a gold record with "Hearts of Stone" in 1955.