Wikipedia

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

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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 

In January 1982, Saturday Night Live film producer Neal Marshad produced and engineered a studio recording of twenty songs performed by The Steinettes in his studio at 295 West 4th Street in Greenwich Village in New York City.

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

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e Trillin, Calvin (1999). Family Man. Macmillan. p. 120. ISBN 0-374-52583-8. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. ^ a b 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. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. 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. ^ a b 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. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
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