Michelle asked about a group I hadn't thought about in a long time, The Forester Sisters.  I played all their songs on the radio over the 6 years or so they had.  Yes, they were four actual sisters from Lookout Mountain, Georgia. And even though they had some real nice success, like the old saying goes, timing is everything.  Outside of the music, they were the only womens "group" in country.

First Hit Song  -  Listeners Loved It!

First off, I love sibling harmony.  There is something about 4 part harmony blending together when everyone involved has the same DNA, and theirs was terrific. It was slick, tight and just flat out great!  They, and a group that came later, Mulberry Lane (4 sisters too from Omaha, Nebraska with power harmonies) had about the best I have ever heard.  ( Mulberry Lane - Worth a listen if you like harmonies). The Foresters broke in the summer of 1985 and had a run till about 1991. In that time they had 15 songs in the top 10, and 5 number ones.  They also earned a ton of award nominations and won a couple of Grammy's. 

First Number One - And A Great Song! 

Their first big hit, (That's What You Do) When You're In Love, was a nice harmonious song that was catchy, very fresh, and listeners loved it.  In the mid 80's, we were still playing the Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers as current artists, but there was no 4 part harmony women equivalent until them.  But they soon zoomed past both of those male acts with big number ones like, I Fell In Love Again Last Night, Just In Case, and Mama's Never Seen Those Eyes, all off their debut album, with the last three going number one. They hit the concert trail with some big stars like Alabama and they were on their way.

Just In Case - Very Big Song

Over the next few years they had some great songs, including Sincerely, (If you love harmonies listen below) You Again, and a nice duet with the Bellamy Brothers, Too Much Is Not Enough, that went number one.  Sincerely won another Grammy and things were on track.  But the truth is, as talented as they were, and as good as the success was, Country was changing so drastically during their run they, as much as any act were affected by the new direction, and none of it was in their control.

Sincerely - Perfect Group For This Remake - Grammy Winner  - A McGuire Sisters Staple

We were pivoting traditional shortly after thier arrival, and fans were asking a lot more from their newer stars for the first time ever. Videos were now a country thing, fans were moved by newer acts that had a different outward and fashion style than previous eras.  Stage shows were no longer "stand and play,"  and the joke telling on stage shtick was out.  Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers and George Jones were being replaced by Alan Jackson, George Strait, Garth, Clint and others with a younger sound and stage shows full of fire. The Hat Acts were here, it was a new day.

Duet With The Bellamy Brothers  #1

Fans were getting younger, Urban Cowboy had faded, as the days of a rudderless format of sort of pop, sort of country crossover songs were over.  Song styles were changing too, with new and more daring subject matters. The new young traditionalists were here, male, female and new groups, and it seemed to strike a big blow to the 4 part harmony acts.

The Forester Sisters went on and recorded long after their initial run and had some success including a very big song called, Men, which got them another Grammy nomination, and it was a very popular song.  They have been compared to The Judds, and The Whites of the same era, and even to The Mandrell Sisters of the late 70's and early 80's.  I feel they even had a feel similar to the Andrew Sisters of WWII fame, or the McGuire Sisters that followed them.  I loved hearing them sing together and during the 1980's as they and The Judds really carried the torch for women's groups on the country charts.

This Too Was a #1

I personally liked their sound very much, and I thought they were really good for country.  Much of their music was written by big Nashville songwriters of the era, and touring with Alabama, George Jones and Ricky Skaggs at the time was huge, as they were among the giants of the mid decade, so clearly the Foresters caught the attention of everyone.  But as they were coming in, country was changing so fast there going to be some casualties.  4 part vocal groups were among them.  And I would argue that until Little Big Town, they have had a rough time ever since.

Men - This Was A Very Popular Song!