The Del Rubio Triplets were an American folk/acoustic cover band who rose to fame in the 1980s due mostly to their campy style of dress and their cover versions of songs. They earlier performed from the 1940s through the 1960s as The Boyd Triplets as singers in

Xavier Cugat Xavier Cugat (; ; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was an American musician and bandleader who was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. Originally from Girona, Spain, he spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba, before arriving i ...

's band, in night clubs, and in at least one movie.

Biography

The Del Rubio Triplets were born as Edith, Elena, and Mildred Boyd on August 23, 1921, in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

. They were of Scottish, English, and Spanish descent, and were also direct descendants of

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

through the Bolling family lineage. Their grandfather was Rolfe Emerson Bolling, and their great aunt was

Edith Bolling Galt Wilson Edith Wilson ( Bolling, formerly Galt; October 15, 1872 – December 28, 1961) was First Lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921 as the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson. She married the widower Wilson in December 1915, during his firs ...

, the wife of United States President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

. The girls grew up in the

and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

They had one older sister Lola Boyd, who died in 1992. Their stage name comes from the color they dyed their hair; the word "rubio" means "blonde" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. The girls never got married or had children because they didn't want to break up their act. They came up with their stage name The Del Rubio Triplets after their mother died from a stroke in 1965. The triplets were Christians. They first achieved fame in the U.S. in the 1950s, when they were popular night club performers, appearing often on television, including several Bob Hope programs on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

. They appeared on ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' and ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the first installment of the '' Late Night''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ...

''. Grammy-winning songwriter

Allee Willis Alta Sherral "Allee" Willis (November 10, 1947 – December 24, 2019) was an American songwriter and art director. Willis co-wrote hit songs including "September" and " Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire and " What Have I Done to Deserve T ...

is credited with re-discovering the Del Rubio Triplets in 1985 and presenting them at her parties where they garnered much notable attention. Their biggest hits were cover versions of " Whip It" by

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

, "

Neutron Dance "Neutron Dance" is a song written by Allee Willis and Danny Sembello which was introduced by the Pointer Sisters on their 1983 album '' Break Out''. The song became a Top Ten hit in 1985, its success augmented by being prominently featured on th ...

" by

The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their ...

, "

Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" is a song in the 1939 film ''The Wizard of Oz''. It is the centerpiece of several individual songs in an extended set-piece performed by the Munchkins, Glinda (Billie Burke) and Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) highlight ...

" from ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'', "

Walk Like an Egyptian "Walk Like an Egyptian" is a song by the American pop rock band the Bangles. It was released in September 1986 as the third single from the band's second studio album, '' Different Light'' (1986). It was the band's first number one single, being ...

" by

The Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...

, "

These Boots Are Made for Walkin' "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' is a hit song written by Lee Hazlewood and recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra. It charted on January 22, 1966, and reached No.1 in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart. ...

" by

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer, actress, film producer and author. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato) and is known for her 1965 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walki ...

, and "

Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' fir ...

" by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. They released three albums ''Three Gals Three Guitars'', ''Whip It'', and ''Jingle Bells: Christmas with the Del Rubio Triplets''. In 1999 they released their compilation album ''Del Rubio Triplets Anthology'' three years after Eadie died. They made various television appearances such as '' Married... with Children'', ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about the recently widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend ...

'', ''

Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme ''Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme'' (also known as ''Shelley Duvall's Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme'' or ''Shelley Duvall's Rock in Rhymeland'') is a 1990 American musical television film that aired on the Disney Channel. The film stars Shelley Duva ...

'', ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. The show's ensemble cast stars Beatrice Arthur, Betty ...

'', ''

Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 4, 1984, and ended on May 31, 1992, after nine seasons consisting of List of Night Court episodes, 193 episodes. The show is set in the night shift of a Manhattan ...

'', '' Hangin' With Mr. Cooper'', ''

New Monkees ''New Monkees'' is the name of both an American pop rock music group and a 1987 syndicated television show featuring the group. Overview Background The 20th anniversary of ''The Monkees'' TV series in 1986 generated enough interest that ''Ne ...

'', ''Videolog with Huell Howser on KCET'', '' Square One TV'', ''

Ellen Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth (given name), Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena, and Helen (given name), Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004. People named Ellen include: * Elle ...

'', and ''

Pee-wee's Playhouse ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' is an American comedy children's television series starring Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-wee Herman that ran from 1986 to 1990 on Saturday mornings on CBS, and airing in reruns until July 1991. The show was develop ...

'' wearing

bouffant A bouffant ( ) is a type of puffy, rounded hairstyle characterized by hair raised high on the head and usually covering the ears or hanging down on the sides. Etymology The word ''bouffant'' has its etymological origin in the French word ''bouf ...

hairdos and gaudy blue eye shadow. They often appeared scantily clad (usually showing off their legs) despite the fact that they were in their 60s at the time. They often are remembered for their contribution of "Winter Wonderland" to the

Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special This is the complete episode list for ''Pee-wee's Playhouse''. A total of 45 half-hour episodes and 1 primetime special were recorded for CBS from 1986 until 1990. Series overview Episodes Season 1 (1986) Season 2 (1987) Season 3 (1988) S ...

that originally aired in 1988. They briefly appeared in the movie ''

Americathon ''Americathon'' (also known as ''Americathon 1998'') is a 1979 American science fiction comedy film directed by Neal Israel and starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin ...

'', playing "America the Beautiful" behind several posing bodybuilders. They also appeared in ''

Sliders Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

'', season 1 episode 8, "The King Is Back" as themselves, performing "Whip It". In the late 1980s, they were featured in a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

fast food advertisement. The three performed until Eadie was diagnosed with cancer in 1996; she died that year at

Torrance Memorial Medical Center Torrance Memorial Medical Center is a private hospital located in Torrance, California. Torrance Memorial was the first hospital in the South Bay region and is currently one of the three burn centers in Los Angeles County. History Torrance Mem ...

Torrance, California Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...

. After Eadie's death, Elena and Milly never performed again, but lived together until Elena died of cancer in 2001. Milly died from pneumonia on July 21, 2011. All three triplets are interred in a family plot at Holy Cross Cemetery in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...

next to their father.

Members

Albums

* ''Three Gals Three Guitars'' (1988) * ''Jingle Belles: Christmas with the Del Rubio Triplets'' (1991) * ''Whip It'' (1991)

Compilation albums

*''Del Rubio Triplets Anthology'' (1999)

References

External links

* * * *
Eadie Del Rubio
at Find A Grave
Elena Del Rubio
at Find A Grave
Milly Del Rubio
at Find A Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Del Rubio Triplets, The 1921 births 1996 deaths 2001 deaths 2011 deaths American satirists American women satirists American satirical musicians Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Female musical trios American outsider musicians Sibling musical trios American triplets 20th-century American women singers Christians from California Zonians Singers from Los Angeles