Myrna Barry (Myra Bagelman) - biography

Born in the Bronx, New York, Clara and Minnie Bagelman were first known as the Bagelman Sisters. As Claire and Myrna Barry they were popular Yiddish jazz singers made popular in the 1940s-1960s on the New York Radio Show "Yiddish Melodies in Swing", where they would sing jazz recordings in Yiddish. They also would record popular tunes in Yiddish, such as "Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head." During the height of their popularity, they even made appearances on the Ed Sullivan and Jack Paar shows and were one of the few American acts to tour the Soviet Union in 1959. [1] The Barry Sisters also recorded with other noted Jewish singers such as Barbra Streisand and Moishe Oysher. The Barry Sisters are thought to be the inspiration for the Saturday Night Live skit, "The Sweeney Sisters," in which Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn portrayed a sister cabaret act. Mark Shaiman did the musical arrangements for these sketches.

Myrna Barry was born in 1925 and died in 1976. [2]. Claire Barry, born in 1923, continues to sing and perform, and was recently featured in the NPR radio show, "Yiddish Melodies in Swing." [3]

The duo's 11th and final album, "My Way," was issued in 1973.