Vet Boswell
Toronto Daily Star, August 25 1936
The Boswell Sisters were Martha (1905-1958), Connie (1907-1976), and Helvetia "Vet" Boswell (1911-1988). By the time of this photo, they had split up as a performing act; they had made their last recording earlier in the year. Connie, who was unable to walk, due most likely to polio or a go-kart accident (she used both stories at times), continued as a solo artist. She eventually changed her first name to Connee, apparently because this was an easier name to use when signing autographs.
The sisters were extremely successful on radio during the early 1930s and were an influence on other close-harmony recording artists that followed them, such as the Andrews Sisters. A number of recordings of them can be found on YouTube, including this film clip of them singing "Crazy People" in 1932.
The Birmingham, Alabama wiki has more information on Vet Boswell, who was born there. She married a man named John Paul Jones in 1935 and the couple moved to Canada; she gave birth to Vet Boswell Jones on August 23, 1936. They relocated to New York when he retired.
Created September 3, 2025.