The Ponce Sisters

The Ponce Sisters, Ethel (August 4, 1907 – September 24, 1989) and Dorothea (a.k.a. 'Dobbie') (December 30, 1909 – December 25, 2000 in Cincinnati, Ohio), were a popular singing sister duo in the mid-1920s and early 1930s. They were reportedly born in New York.

They were the daughters of composer, author, publisher, radio executive, and music entrepreneur Phil Ponce (1886-1945), who became the first agent-manager for jazz legend Fats Waller in 1932.

The duo sang on radio programs, including the Old Gold Paul Whiteman Hour, sometimes with co-star Bing Crosby, and with Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians. The sisters performed in Manhattan theaters and toured the vaudeville circuit. In 1930, they appeared in three short films produced by MGM Studios.

The sisters recorded from 1925 to 1932 for the Columbia, Gennett, Cameo, Perfect, and Edison record labels. They recorded under the names Dorothea and Ethel Ponce and as The Ponce Sisters.

Although they were not jazz singers, they did record in 1932 with jazz legends Eddie Lang (guitar), Jimmy Dorsey (cornet), and Joe Venuti (violin). Ethel, in addition to singing, played piano on some recordings. During the sisters' 1930s NBC radio network broadcasts, Ethel often augmented their vocal duets with solo piano performances of popular tunes and serious works. She was also a respected composer (under the name Ethel Ponce-Fenley) of piano novelties, such as "Holiday," "Blue Haze," and "Happy Landing," as well as a writer of commercial jingles. She was represented as a composer by ASCAP.

In 1935 the Ponce Sisters stopped performing as a duo following Ethel's marriage. Dorothea continued as a soloist on radio station WLW until 1937, when she married Ohio industrialist J. Richard Verkamp.

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