Фонтан Систерс: Тарихы мен өнері

Born to an Italian family, their mother, Louise Rosse, was both a soloist and the leader of the St. Joseph's Church choir in New Milford. The group auditioned for NBC and was soon sent off to work in Cleveland. When they returned to New York in 1944, Frank was drafted into the Army; he went to France and was mortally wounded by a German sniper. Geri, who had just finished school, took her brother's place, making it an all girl trio. The trio also did appearances on Chesterfield Sound Off Time when the program originated from New York; however, the television show lasted only one season. In 1949 they were signed by RCA Victor and dropped the I from "Fontaine." There they cut a few dozen singles over the next several years, sometimes as backup to Perry Como. These songs were in the typical slow, sedate pop style of the period. In 1951, they had a minor hit with "The Tennessee Waltz", of which bigger selling recordings were made by Patti Page and Les Paul and Mary Ford. In 1954 they switched to Randy Wood's Dot Records, where they abandoned the slow late 1940s early 1950s style for faster material aimed at the growing teen/rock and roll audience, and they had 18 songs reaching the Billboard pop charts, including ten in the Top 40. Their late 1954 recording, "Hearts of Stone", was the highest charting single of their career as it sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.

The Fontane Sisters released their last significant hit when Chanson D'Amour went to #12 in 1958, and they retired from performing around 1961, when youngest sister Geri was expecting her daughter. The daughter was named after Geri, and as an adult she went by the name 'Geri Fontane Latchford' — 'Latchford' coming from her father's name, Al(bert) Latchford. She remarried and became Marge Smith, the wife of an advertising executive. Only Marge left the area, relocating to Florida with her second husband. In 1963, Dot Records released one final album, Tips of my Fingers, and single ("Tips of My Fingers"/"Summertime Love") by The Fontane Sisters. These recordings did not mark a return to performing for the trio, who remained retired despite having agreed to make the recordings.

For the next 40 years, The Fontane Sisters remained mostly out of the public's eye. In 2001, RCA Records released a CD compilation of recordings made by the Fontane Sisters and Perry Como, "Perry Como With The Fontane Sisters", containing many of the songs featured on the Como radio and television shows. In 2004 an article in the New York Daily News reported that Geri Fontane Latchford had received royalties due to her mother and two aunts. It was revealed in this same article that all three of The Fontane Sisters had died: Geri, on September 13, 1993; Bea, on March 25, 2002; and Marge, on December 3, 2003.

Year SingleChart positionsU. S. 1949 "N'yot N'yow" (with Perry Como) 20 "A You're Adorable" (with Perry Como) 1 "A Dreamer's Holiday" (with Perry Como) 3 "I Wanna Go Home" (with Perry Como) 18 1950 "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" (with Perry Como) 14 "Hoop Dee Doo" (with Perry Como) 1 "I Cross My Fingers" (with Perry Como) 25 "You're Just In Love" (with Perry Como) 5 1951 "Tennessee Waltz" 20 "Let Me In" 24 "There's No Boat Like A Rowboat" (with Perry Como) 20 "Castle Rock" 27 "Rollin' Stone" (with Perry Como) 24 "Cold Cold Heart" 16 1952 "Noodlin' Rag" (with Perry Como) 23 "My Love and Devotion" (with Perry Como) 22 "To Know You (Is To Love You)" (with Perry Como) 19 1954 "Kissin' Bridge" 22 "Happy Days and Lonely Nights" 18 "Hearts Of Stone" 1 1955 "Rock Love" 13 "Rollin' Stone" 13 "Playmates" flip "Seventeen" 3 "Daddy O" 11 "Adorable" 71 "Nuttin' for Christmas" 36 1956 "Eddie My Love" 11 "I'm In Love Again" 38 "Voices"(with Pat Boone) 47 "Lonesome Lover Blues" 93 "Please Don't Leave Me" 55 "Still" 86 "The Banana Boat Song" 13 1957 "I'm Stickin' With You" 72 1958 "Chanson D'Amour" 12 "Jealous Heart" 94