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Blue Anchor Belles bring back the ‘Boogie-Woogie’

Teal Yost
by Teal Yost
December 1, 2020
Blue Anchor Belles bring back the ‘Boogie-Woogie’

Goldie Lahr, Amie Glazier and Veancha White. Photo courtesy of Marin Merkley.

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One look at their pin curls, painted red lips and A-line dresses in patriotic hues, and you’re instantly transported back to the 1940s. 

 But then you hear the Blue Anchor Belles sing. Just a few notes, and you can’t help but tap your toes.

The “Belles,” as they’re known, is a 1940s-style female singing trio in the Pensacola, Florida area. The group is made up of Naval aviator spouses.

The group takes inspiration from The Andrews Sisters, the best-selling harmony group of the early 20th century, famous for their song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” 

“We’re bringing boogie-woogie back,” Goldie Lahr, who started the singing trio in 2016 while stationed in Oklahoma City, said.

Lauren Martin, a member of the group, notes that the song is a crowd favorite. 

“I missed singing, so I decided to start [the group],” Lahr said.

Lahr began arranging unique, three-part harmonies for beloved songs from the World War II era. She held auditions to find additional singers for the group, inviting fellow military spouses to be a part of her vision. Before she knew it, the Blue Anchor Belles was born.

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 Like for many military families, new orders eventually came. So rather than leave it behind, the Blue Anchor Belles PCS’d to Pensacola in 2018, a move that’s been a great fit.

“Coming to Pensacola has been like coming home for us. Not only is the rich history of Naval aviation here close to our hearts, but the military, veteran and civilian communities have welcomed us with open arms. Not to mention, people in Pensacola love live music,” Lahr said.

Veancha White, Amie Glazier and Goldie Lahr. Photo courtesy of Marin Merkley.

The Belles perform at military functions, community events and minor league sporting events. Still, their passion is singing for aging veterans and their families at assisted living centers and memory care facilities.

“This is music from their generation, and you can see how much joy it brings them. Plus, it brings us joy to keep this vintage music relevant,” Lahr added.

Since its beginning, nearly a dozen talented female singers have been a part of the Blue Anchor Belles.

“Once a Belle, always a Belle,” Lahr said.

But as most military stories go, their spouses eventually move on to new assignments in new duty stations. Each member takes a piece of the Belles along with them when they move.

“We’ve gotten pretty used to members coming and going,” Lahr said.

For that reason, auditions are held semi-regularly.

“The member that’s about to leave teaches the new member her parts.”

Lahr admits there’s a downside to having members move so frequently.

Goldie Lahr, Lauren Martin, Elizabeth Davis and Liz Marshall are members of the Blue Anchor Belles. Photo courtesy of Tori Hynds, Hynds Design.

“But there’s an upside too,” she added. “We have this community of Belles all over the country. We’re in Washington state, San Diego, Virginia, and that community is constantly growing!”

Martin joined the group in 2019 when she moved to the Pensacola area with her husband for primary flight training at NAS Whiting Field.

“I saw a call for auditions and decided to give it a go. I did theater and music growing up and had really missed it,” Martin said.

She says she appreciated the opportunity to pursue her passion.

“Moving down here, I had a hard time finding a job. There weren’t many opportunities in the field I work in, and when employers realize you’re a military spouse and are going to move sooner rather than later, it just adds to the difficulty. It was disheartening. Then I found the Blue Anchor Belles, and it was so nice to have something for me. I feel so lucky to be able to do what I love, which is singing and performing, and so lucky to be a part of this,” Martin said.

The Belles love being a part of a community of military spouse performers, which is exactly what Lahr was hoping to build in the first place. 

“It’s a special thing in that it gives military spouses the opportunity to use their talents and a family to belong to,” Lahr said.

The new year will bring another PCS for Lahr, and she plans to bring the group with her, opening up the opportunity for new military spouses to join the Belles’ ranks.

“We brought the boogie-woogie to the gulf coast, and soon we’ll look to bring it to the west coast. And who knows where we’ll take the Belles after that,” said Lahr.

To learn about auditions or book the Blue Anchor Belles for an event, visit: www.blueanchorbelles.com.

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Tags: Blue Anchor BellesentertainmentNavy wivesPensacola
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Teal Yost

Teal Yost

Teal Yost is an award-winning journalist who anchored and reported at NBC, CBS and Fox television stations in Texas and Iowa. She also produced and delivered live reports from the Chicago Board of Trade as a financial correspondent for Bloomberg Television. Like military life, the life of a journalist is never boring. Teal has interviewed sitting presidents and rock stars. She's covered everything from devastating floods and deadly tornadoes to the federal government shutdown and IPOs for the latest tech start-up. Television news provided unique insight into the military even before becoming a Navy spouse. Teal was one of the first journalists on the scene of the Fort Hood shooting massacre — reporting live for several hours as events unfolded. She was lucky enough to fly in an F-16 Thunderbird — wearing a g-suit and experiencing Diamond Cloverloops and Aileron Rolls to help publicize an air show. Since leaving TV news she’s spent time as a Navy public affairs officer, content director for a nonprofit, SEO specialist, freelance writer and content strategist. Teal holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York. She received a B.A. in political science and theatre at Millikin University. Teal has six military moves under her belt. When not packing, PCS’ing or tripping over toy cars and train sets, she enjoys travel, spin classes and trying out new recipes. She’s currently based in Rota, Spain with her husband and two sons.

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