The Little Drummer Boy

Rare Silk

Rare Silk was an American vocal jazz group that was active during the 1980s. MaryLynn Gillaspie and her sister, Gaile, grew up in southern California. Their father played trumpet, and from an early age they heard big band music and Ella Fitzgerald. In 1978, they were working as waitresses in Boulder, Colorado, with Gaile also singing at a local club. After they met another singer, Marguerite Juenemann, they formed Rare Silk. They sang on a local radio station and in clubs, sometimes dressed like the Andrews Sisters. In 1980, they were the opening act for Benny Goodman when he visited Boulder. He admired their work and asked them to tour with him. They sang at the Boston Globe Jazz Festival, which was broadcast live on PBS. The tour included dates at Carnegie … more »