- The Del Rubio Triplets
-
The Del Rubio Triplets Origin Los Angeles, California, United States Genres Pop Occupations singers Years active 1979–1996 Labels Karma
Del Rubio RecordsThe Del Rubio Triplets were an American variety/musical act who rose to notoriety in the 1980s due mostly to their campy style of dress and their goofy interpretations of standards and songs of the era.
The Del Rubio triplets were born as the Boyd triplets (Edith, Elena and Mildred Boyd) in 1921 in the Panama Canal Zone. The girls grew up in the Panama Canal Zone and Washington, D.C.. Their stage name comes from the color they dyed their hair; the word "rubio" means "blond" in Spanish.
Grammy winning songwriter Allee Willis is credited with discovering the Del Rubio Triplets in 1985 and presenting them at her parties where they garnered much notable attention.[1] Their biggest "hit" was an acoustic-guitar cover version of the song "Whip It" by Devo.
They made various television appearances such as Married... with Children (as aunts of Peggy), Full House, The Golden Girls (called the Donatello Triplets on the show), Night Court, New Monkees and Pee-wee's Playhouse wearing bouffant hair-dos and gaudy blue eyeshadow. They often appeared scantily clad (usually showing off their legs) despite the fact that they were in their sixties at the time. They are often remembered for their contribution of "Winter Wonderland" to the Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special that originally aired in 1988. They also briefly appeared in the motion picture Americathon, playing "America the Beautiful" behind several posing bodybuilders. They also appeared in Sliders, season 1 episode 9, "The King Is Back" as themselves, performing "Whip It". In the late 1980s they were featured in a McDonald's fast food advertisement.
The three performed until Eadie was diagnosed with cancer in 1996; she died that year at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, California. After Eadie's death, Elena and Milly never again performed, but lived together until Elena died of cancer in 2001. Milly died from respiratory failure July 21, 2011. All three triplets are interred in a family plot at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California next to their father.
Members
The Del Rubio Triplets Name Eadie Del Rubio Elena Del Rubio Milly Del Rubio Birth name Edith Bolling Boyd Elena Rolfe Boyd Mildred Stuart Boyd Born August 23, 1921 Location Ancón, Panama Canal Zone Died December 16, 1996 (aged 75)March 19, 2001 (aged 79)July 21, 2011 (aged 89)Location Torrance, California Los Angeles, California Resting Place Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California Years Active 1979–1996 IMDb profile IMDb profile IMDb profile References
Categories:- 1921 births
- 1996 deaths
- 2001 deaths
- Outsider music
- Sibling musical trios
- Triplets
- Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.