Lou Dinning born 29 September 1922

Lou Dinning (September 29, 1920 – April 28, 2000) was a member of the Dinning Sisters who were an American singing group, active from 1941 to 1955.

The trio consisted of Ella Lucille "Lou" Dinning, Jean Dinning (March 29, 1924 – February 22, 2011) and Virginia "Ginger" Dinning (March 29, 1924 – October 14, 2013). Jean and Ginger were twins.

Ginger, Jean and Lou Dinning

The sisters were born in Caldwell, Kansas, United States, and raised in Oklahoma From a family of nine children, all of whom sang harmony in church, and then spent their Sunday afternoons singing for fun. Three of the sisters, twins Jean and Ginger and sister Lou, started to win amateur singing contests before the age of ten, and later began to perform with older brother Ace's orchestra. In their teens, the girls had their own 15-minute local radio show, and later toured clubs and theatres in the Midwest with Herbie Holmes’ orchestra.

After moving to Chicago in 1939, they won a five-year contract with NBC, and during the early 40s were regulars on programmes such as the Bowman Musical Milkwagon, Gary Moore’s Club Matinee and the National Barn Dance, and headlined at venues such as the Chez Paree, the Chicago Theatre and the Latin Quarter and ultimately became the highest paid radio act in the Windy City.

A trip to Hollywood led to an appearance with Ozzie Nelson’s band in the movie Strictly In The Groove. They also provided vocals for two Walt Disney films, Fun And Fancy Free and Melody Time, in the latter of which they sang ‘Blame It On The Samba’, accompanied by organist Ethel Smith. 

                             

While on the west coast they signed for Capitol Records, and had several hits in the late 40s, including ‘My Adobe Haçienda’, ‘I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now’, ‘Beg Your Pardon’ and the million-seller ‘Buttons And Bows’ (1948), accompanied by accordionist Art Van Damme’s Quintet.They were to be Capitol's  answer to The Andrews Sisters, who recorded exclusively for 
Decca Records. Lucille (Lou) Dinning once said, "Let's face it, the Andrews Sisters were way ahead of us. We tried our darndest to be as commercial as they were, but weren't flashy enough. We were all kind of shy. We came from a farm in Oklahoma. We never took dancing lessons or anything."

The Dinnings, like The Andrews Sisters sang in fast-paced recordings such as the boogie-woogie influenced "Pig Foot Pete," as well as "Down in the Diving Bell," "The Hawaiian War Chant," and "They Just Chopped Down the Old Apple Tree," an "answer" song to "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)". The Dinning sound could also be compared, especially in slower ballads, to the soft blend of The Lennon Sisters, who appeared in the 1950s on The Lawrence Welk Show.

The Dinning Sisters charted four hits during the 1940s, including two top 10 successes. The group received further exposure from their appearances in the films, That Texas Jamboree (1946) and Throw a Saddle on a Star (1946)

The group underwent a few line-up changes over the years (Lou was replaced in 1946 by Jayne Bundesen, who was in turn replaced by Tootsie Dinning in 1952), but their albums for Capitol sold consistently well, including their debut release Songs by the Dinning Sisters which held the top spot on the charts for 18 weeks. Marriages and children eventually demanded the act's attentions and they disbanded in 1954 but the family remained involved in music.

Lucille was married to composer and pop artist Don Robertson. She made several recordings for Capitol Records as Lou Dinning including duets with her husband Don including "The Happy Whistler" and "You're Free To Go" but divorced before her passing. Lou Dinning also made some solo records, including ‘The Little White Cloud That Cried’, ‘Trust In Me’, ‘Just Friends’ and ‘Nobody Else But Me’, with Paul Weston’s Orchestra. Jean Dinning co-composed the song, "Teen Angel", which became a No. 1 hit for her brother, Mark Dinning.

The Dinning Sisters briefly reunited in 1993 and recorded the spiritual album "Rhinestone Christian" with the Jordanaires.

Lou Dinning 1987

Ella Lucille Dinning Robertson died 28 April, 2000 (aged 79). She was buried in Orlinda Cemetery, Robertson County, Tennessee. 

 (Info compiled from various sources mainly Wikipedia & Oldies.com)