The Chordettes

The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet specializing in traditional pop music. They are best known for their 1950s hit singles "Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop", both of which sold more than one million copies.

The group was formed in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1946. The original members were Janet Ertel (née Buschmann), Alice Mae Buschmann Spielvogel, Dorothy "Dottie" Hummitzsch Schwartz, and Jinny Osborn (née Lockard). The quartet initially performed folk music in a style similar to the Weavers, but later adopted a close-harmony style associated with barbershop harmony. After performing locally, they won the talent competition on Arthur Godfrey’s radio program "Talent Scouts" in 1949. They subsequently became regular performers on Godfrey’s daily program and recorded their first LP, "Harmony Time", for Columbia Records in 1950, followed by several additional albums.

In 1953, Archie Bleyer, music director for Arthur Godfrey, founded Cadence Records and signed the Chordettes. Beginning in January 1954, the group appeared on "The Robert Q. Lewis Show", a weekday afternoon television program on CBS. Although they had previously recorded singles with Arthur Godfrey, their breakthrough came with the release of "Mr. Sandman" in late 1954. The song reached number one in 1955 and remained there for seven weeks, selling more than one million copies. The group later achieved another major hit with "Lollipop", which reached number two in 1958. Other charting singles included "Born to Be With You", "Just Between You and Me", "Lay Down Your Arms", and "Eddie My Love". They also recorded a vocal version of the theme from the television series "Zorro" and a song from the film "Never on Sunday".