The Steinettes

The Steinettes were an a cappella doo-wop[2] street quartet[5] from Greenwich Village, New York,[1][2] formed in 1978.[3] The group appeared in HealtH[4]: 612  and Popeye,[4]: 506  two films from director Robert Altman that saw release in the early 1980s.

The Steinettes
OriginGreenwich Village, New York[1][2]
GenresA cappella, doo-wop[2]
Years active1978[3] – mid-1980s
MembersJulie Janney[4]: 612 
Diane Shaffer[4]: 612 
Nathalie Blossom[4]: 612 
Patty Katz[4]: 612 

Career

Consisting of four actresses—[3] Julie Janney, Diane Shaffer, Nathalie Blossom and Patty Katz—[4]: 612  the Steinettes were formed in 1978 during a production at the Westbeth Theater.[3] Another a cappella group, the Great American Dream, had been formed at this venue.[3] Early on in their tenure, the quartet sang for donations at the Sheridan Square in Manhattan's West Village area.[3] Eventually, they also served as a filler act for local comedian Phil Stein,[2] and in 1981, they filled in for Rodney Dangerfield.[6]

The group contributed vocal performances to the score of Robert Altman's HealtH,[4]: 612  completed in 1979[7] but shelved by 20th Century-Fox for over two years.[8] During the shoot, they were dressed in vegetable outfits.[9] A year later, they also appeared in another Altman production, Popeye.[4]: 506 

During their existence, the Steinettes appeared in commercials for television and radio, as well as in nightclubs.[10] In 1985, they performed backing vocals on three tracks of a self-titled album by dance artist Robey.[11] One of them was a version of "One Night in Bangkok" from the musical Chess, which peaked at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1985.[12]

Diane Shaffer, one of the Steinettes, became a playwright in 1995 with the religious piece Sacrilege.[5][10][13] Another member, Julie Janney, became an actor by the late 1990s, starring in shows such as Ellen and Another World.[14]

References
  1. Clark, Roy Peter (1979-02-16). "Carol Burnett, Glenda Jackson ready to go to work on 'HEALTH'". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1-D. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  2. Trillin, Calvin (1999). Family Man. Macmillan. p. 120. ISBN 0-374-52583-8. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  3. Trillin, Calvin (1979-07-02). "U.S. Journal: MANHATTAN - Discovering the Steinettes". The New Yorker. Vol. 55, no. 19–28. Condé Nast Publications. p. 78. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  4. McGilligan, Patrick (1989). Robert Altman: Jumping Off the Cliff. St. Martin's Press. p. 612. ISBN 0-312-30467-6. Retrieved 2010-05-01. Steinettes.
  5. Niebuhr, Gustav (1995-10-29). "THEATER; A Homily on Women Priests: 'You See? This Isn't So Bad'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  6. Feibel, Larry (1981-04-30). "Respectless Rodney Repeats Record". The Stony Brook Press. Vol. 11, no. 22. p. 9. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  7. McLeod, Michael J. (1979-04-29). "ALTMAN IN A STATE OF 'HEALTH'". Los Angeles Times. p. N1. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  8. Maltin, Leonard (2007). "Health". Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2008. Signet Books. p. 587. ISBN 978-0-451-22186-5.
  9. Huisking, Charles (1979-02-23). "Regarding Robert Altman's 'Health'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1-C. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  10. Smith, Marisa (1995). Women Playwrights: The Best Plays of 1995. Smith and Kraus. p. 170. ISBN 1-57525-035-7.
  11. "Album information for Robey (Robey, 1985)". Discogs. 1985. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  12. "Album information for One Night in Bangkok (Robey, 1996)". Billboard. VNU/Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  13. "Viva la Vida!". Hamptons Online. 2006-07-26. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  14. Dretzka, Gary (1999-11-14). "SEEING DOUBLE JULIE JANNEY MAKES A NAME FOR HERSELF STANDING IN FOR THE STAR". Chicago Tribune. p. 9. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
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