The Merry Macs Family Page

Picture above are the Merry Macs
Ted McMichael, Mary Lou Cook, Joe McMichael and Judd McMichael,

The web pages for the Merry Macs are created and included in the Browne's Family Website
because of the three McMichael brothers being related to Diana Browne Friedman. Judd McMichael is the grandfather of Diana.

The Merry Macs were an American close-harmony pop music quartet active from the 1920s till the 1960s and best known for the hits "Mairzy Doats," "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition," and "Sentimental Journey."

Influenced by The Mills Brothers, the close-harmony quartet began with Ted on baritone, Joe and Judd on tenor, and Cheri singing melody. Their blend was so incredibly tight that it was difficult to distinguish one vocalist from another. In 1932 the group's manager, Harry Norwood, got them signed to Victor Records, source of their historic four-part harmony 78 "The Little White Church on the Hill." This was also the year of their first live performance at the Chicago Theatre and the commencement of their appearances on Don McNeil's "Breakfast Club" program several times a week under an NBC Radio contract. A number of firsts are attributable to this trend-setting group: they were the first close-harmony quartet to include a female, the first to use purely rhythmic accompaniment, and reportedly the first to wear white tie and tails, thus setting the trend toward formal attire on stage.

In 1936 the Macs performed on NBC's national network show, "The Maxwell House Showboat Program," and soon after, they were in demand for all the important network shows from the "Lucky Strike Hit Parade" to "Fred Allen's Town Hall Tonight," where a single performance blossomed into a three-year contract. During that same year Cheri was replaced by Helen Carroll. With their 1938 appearance in Love Thy Neighbor, starring Jack Benny and Fred Allen, the Merry Macs became the first close-harmony group to show up in a Hollywood film. This supplemented a performing schedule that had them headlining with Glenn Miller, Ray Noble, Glen Gray, Paul Whiteman, and other top orchestras of the era.

In 1938 the foursome signed with Decca Records, recording the single "Pop Goes the Weasel" on August 4, 1938. They also signed a 10-year contract with Universal Studios, leading to appearances in such films as Ride 'Em Cowboy with Abbott and Costello and Mr. Music with Bing Crosby. A national hit came in March 1939 with the unlikely title "Ta Ha Wa Nu Wa (Hawaiian War Chant)" (#14). By now Mary Lou Cook had become the obligatory female lead of the group, replacing Helen Carroll. "The Hut Hut Song" (June 1941) was their initial Decca hit of the '40s. Marjory Garland stepped in for Mary Lou Cook in 1941 and spent the next 22 years with the Macs, eventually marrying one (Judd).