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The Four Lee Sisters (aka Le Ahn Sisters) were rhythm singers who flourished during the Swing era of the latter 1930s and mid-1940s. Reference to "rhythm" means that they swung. They got their big break with Vaughn Monroe. At the end of their run with Monroe, they were replaced by the Moonmaids. The group started their professional career in 1936 on WLW radio in Cincinnati, WGN radio in Chicago as Little Women, then The Ahn Sisters, then around 1940, Le Ahn Sisters, then around 1943, beginning with with Vaughn Monroe, the Four Lee Sisters.

Career chronology
In the Early 1930s, the Ahn sisters studied voice with Minnie Humphries of Bellevue, and performed at Sidley Memorial Hall, and the The Hotel Netherland, Cincinnati
 * Growing up


 * Radio broadcasts from Cleaveland
 * April 6, 1934: Helen Mohr Ahn and her four daughters were featured as "The Musical Family From Bellevue, Ohio — Helen Mohr Ahn and Her Signing Daughters" on WTAM, Cleveland
 * 1936: The Ahn Sisters — Mary, Jean, Mariam, and Virginia — as "The Little Women," sang for WLW radio in Cincinnati WGN radio in Chicago

April 1939: Bill Bardo (Wilbur P. Bardo; 1905–1975), in Dallas, Hotel Adolphus, and around Texas
 * Bill Bardo

The Ahn Sisters continued with Heidt through June 26, 1940.
 * Horace Heidt
 * Tipped by a friend in Texas, Heidt, sometime in 1939, phoned the Ahn Sisters from New York while they were performing an engagement in Houston, and auditioned them over the phone The debuted with Heidt on the national broadcast Pot O'Gold, unaccredited, during the last week of August 1939. and, on October 13, 1939, entered into a five-year contract with Height.
 * 1 October 1939 – August 1940: Under the name, "The Ahn Sisters," joined Horace Heidt's Orchestra, with whom they broadcasted 5 times a with NBC Radio from the New York Biltmore Hotel.


 * The Beachcomber, New York City
 * Monte Proser (1904–1973), operator and co-owner of the newly opened Beachcomber Restaurant, New York, auditioned the Ahn Sisters on June 20, 1940, and signed then to a contract. They debuted there July 2, 1940.  The engagement drew a lawsuit from Heidt, who claimed that, under a contract signed October 13, 1938, they were bound to perform exclusively with him for five-years.  Heidt filed suit July 13, 1940, in Supreme Court of New York County (Manhattan).  The suit was a petition for temporary injunction, which, on August 2, 1940, Justice Felix Benvenga ruled in favor of the defendants.  Managers of the Beachcomber were also named as defendants — Monte Proser, Walter Batchelor (né Walter Frederick Batchelor, Jr.; 1894–1950), and J.M. (Jack) Goddard.  In 1940, the Beachcomber was the top nightspot according to Billboard.


 * Ted Lewis
 * 1941-1942: Ted Lewis, at times, Le Ahn Sisters were a trio


 * Tommy Dorsey
 * 1942: Tommy Dorsey


 * Vaughn Monroe
 * 1942: Vaughn Monroe
 * April 1942: The Four Ahn Sisters were performing with the USO Unit.
 * December 1942: The Lee Sisters left Monroe to go into defense work. Only Maree remained in entertainment.
 * Pot O'Gold Radio Program

Vaughn Monroe changes names of vocal groups
Because one or more ladies left Monroe's two first groups, The Four Lee Sisters, and the Norton Sisters. They got married, or couldn't take the grind of one-nighters, or went out as a soloist. Monroe decided on naming his third group Moonmaids so that he would own the name and keep name continuity when replacing a family artist who departed.

Selected discography
"Piggy Wiggy Woo"

Recorded October 5, 1939

(audio on YouTube)

Abel Baer (w&m)

Ira Schuster (w&m)

Paul Cunningham (w&m)

Red Farrington (vocals)

Le Ahn Sisters (vocals)

Matrix: WCO 26159

Columbia 35290



"Baby, What Else Can I Do?"

Recorded October 5, 1939

(audio on YouTube)

Le Ahn Sisters (vocals)

Matrix: WCO 26158A

Columbia CO35253



"Down in the Alley and Over the Fence"

Recorded October 25, 1939

James Cavanaugh (w&m)

John Redmond (w&m)

Nat Simon (w&m)

Matrix: WCO 26209

Columbia CO35327

Le Ahn Sisters (vocals)



"I'm Just Wild About Harry"

from "Shuffle along"

Recorded December 28, 1939

Los Angeles

Noble Sissle (words)

Eubie Blake (music)

Le Ahn Sisters (vocals)

Matrix: LA 2090

Columbia 35781



"It's A Blue World"

Recorded December 28, 1939

(audio on YouTube)

Chet Forrest (w&m)

Bob Wright (w&m)

Le Ahn Sisters (vocals)

Matrix: LA 2089A

Columbia 35359



"Say It" ("Over And Over, Again")

Recorded January 18, 1940

(audio on YouTube)

From the 1940 Paramount film:

Buck Benny Rides Again

Frank Loesser (words)

Jimmy McHugh (music)

Virginia Le Ahn (vocal soloist)

Henry Russell (vocal soloist)

Matrix: 35412

Columbia LA 2113



"The Vocalizing Song"

Recorded February 1, 1940, New York

Miriam Le Ahn (vocal soloist)

Columbia

Matrix: LA 2135

Columbia 35397



"Nothing But You"

Recorded March 20, 1940

From the 1940 musical:

Higher and Higher

Lorenz Hart (words)

Richard Rodgers (music)

Larry Cotton (vocals)

Le Ahn Sisters (vocals)

Matrix: WC 3010

Columbia 3544



<li>"On A Simmery Summery Day"

Recorded May 21, 1940

James Cavanaugh (w&m)

John Redmond (w&m)

Frank Weldon (w&m)

Le Ahn Sisters (vocals)

Matrix: 27335

Columbia CO35529

</li>

<li>"I Bought a Wooden Whistle"

Roscoe ("Roc") Hillman (w&m)

Jimmy Dorsey (w&m)

Recorded May 21, 1940

(the Sisters' last recording with Heidt)

Art Carney

Le Ahn Sisters

Chorus

Matrix: 27336

Columbia CO27336

</li></ol>

<li>"Let's Get Lost"

From the 1943 Paramount film:

Happy Go Lucky

(audio on YouTube)

Jimmy McHugh (music)

Frank Loesser (words)

Vaughn Monroe (vocal solo)

Four Lee Sisters (vocals)

Victor 20-1524

</li>

<li>"After It's Over"

Paul Brenner (w&m)

Gilbert Mills (words)

Ted Rolfe (music)

Four Lee Sisters (vocals)

Matrix: 27958-B

Victor 20-1596-B

</li>

<li>"You Were Never Lovelier"

Recorded July 17, 1942

From the 1942 film:

You Were Never Lovelier

Johnny Mercer (words)

Jerome Kern (music)

Marilyn Duke (vocalist)

Four Lee Sisters (vocals)

Matrix: 075433=1

Victor 27958

</li></ol>

<li>The Le Ahn Sisters, Program No. 722</li>

<li>"Tired of Romance"</li>

<li>"I Can't Blame It On a Thing"</li>

<li>"Lazy Little Daisy"</li>

<li>"Maybe I Had the Wrong Idea of Love"</li></ol> Matrix: YTNY 740

<li>The Le Ahn Sisters, Program No. 738

<li>"Lonely Little Robin"</li>

<li>"People Like You"</li>

<li>"Hawaii and You"</li>

<li>"It Was Lovely While It Lasted"</li></ol> Matrix: YTNY 741

</li>

<li>The Le Ahn Sisters, Program No. 740

<li>"Save That Song For Me"</li>

Ned Kaplan (words)

Frederick Piket (music)

<li>"With You, Dear"</li>

<li>"Half a Love, Half a Grapefruit"</li>

<li>"You're Still On My Mind"</li></ol> Matrix: YTNY 742

</li></ol>

Family
Their parents, Aaron Adam Ahn (1891–1980), and Helen W. Mohr (maiden; 1895–1980) married September 19, 1917, at Zion's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lima, Ohio.
 * Parents


 * Father
 * Aaron had been been a Lutheran minister up until 1934. He was ordained as a Lutheran minister at Capital Theological Seminary in 1915.  He also did post-graduate work at Columbia University in 1930.


 * Mother
 * Helen was a singer, pianist, and music educator. She was a 1914 graduate of Lima High School, Lima, Ohio, and had studied music at Woodville Seminary, Woodville, Ohio.  And privately in Columbus, Ohio, she had studied with Ernestine Schumann-Heink.

In January 1934 — After 16 years of marriage, and when Jean, Miriam, Virginia, and Margee were 15, 13, 12, and 9, respectively — Helen filed for divorce, accusing Aaron of having had an affiar with Julia Donahue (1882–1955), a nurse. The divorce was granted in July 1934 and custody of the four daughters was assigned to Helen. Aaron married Julia sometime before 1944 and remained married until her death. Helen never remarried.

Disambiguation

 * The Three Lee Sisters, Peony Park, Omaha: 1942–1943

December 1942 – January 1943: Advertisement for Ted Cole and His 16-Piece Orchestra plus 3 Lee Sisters, Peony Terrace Park, Omaha; April 1943, Morton Wells took over the 16-Piece Orchestra at Peony Park with the Three Lee Sisters still singing


 * Lee Sisters, two singers from the late 1920s, Mary and Billie Lee