The History of the Belles
The Swinging Belles are becoming a sensation on the music scene with the young and old. Not only have they supported Woody Allen's New Orleans Jazz Band at The Hammersmith Apollo and the Brighton Centre but they are being invited to perform at festivals and concerts throughout England. They also have been involved in exciting concerts including performing at the 60th Anniversary VE Day Celebrations in Northern Ireland.
So how did The Swinging Belles begin?
After spending a year in Manhattan visiting all the jazz clubs, Heather developed a passion for 1920's 50's music. It was during this time that she met and worked with many great musicians, one of whom introduced her to the sounds of the Boswell Sisters. The Boswell Sisters were one of the all-time greatest jazz vocal groups. They recorded several songs during the twenties but finally achieved popular recognition in the thirties. The sisters performed regularly on Bing Crosby's radio program and they made many hits with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. They became the hottest vocal group in the country.
Heather was so inspired by their sound and the idea of performing some of their arrangements, that she decided to form a similar group. She thought that it would be a fresh sound in today's musical climate and would give pleasure to those who could remember the tunes the first time around! Not wishing to be just a tribute band, Heather called on the expert help of Dave Cooke who has transcribed some of the original arrangements and scored new arrangements of both standards and some of Heather's own compositions.
Of course, a group of this nature would not be compete without paying tribute to the Andrews Sisters who were popular with audiences all over the world. During the 1940's they were established radio personalities, they made appearances in 17 Hollywood movies and released eight new singles including "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". The trio brought laughter and happiness in difficult times and they are remembered lovingly by their fans.
Fortunately for Heather she had become friends with Claire Furley, a very accomplished singer/songwriter who was interested in being part of the group. Claire's beautiful voice, sight reading skills, range and harmony skills are all vital assets to the group and enable the girls to tackle complex tight harmonies. Claire recommended that we ask Debbie Bines to be the third member. Debbie adds wonderful colour to the music, she has a warm, round voice that blends the harmonies, great range and intonation, and fortunately for the group is happy to take on the administrative side of the job.
And so The Swinging Belles were formed. The girls rehearse now once a week under the supervision of Dave Cooke their musical director. They gig with Martin Wheatley's Arcadians, jazz trio, swing band or just with a piano but always using top professional musicians rather than backing tracks. Something Heather feels quite strongly about!! They are available for corporate events, parties, concerts and can arrange to be accompanied by any size band. As you will see from the individual biographies on this website, each of the Belles are solo performers as well and can provide a whole nights entertainment in addition to their Swinging Belles set.
