The three together is God. That's the same thing with us three.

December 7, 2007 4:09 PM

Imagine being born into a set of triplets. You are all inseparable... for an entire lifetime the three of you live together, work together, play music together... your bond is so unique and people find you so endearing that you all even become famous together. Now imagine that time has passed and you have become a frail 85 year old, left alone for the first time in eight decades... Send Milly Del Rubio a Christmas card.

Click here for the Del Rubio Triplets official MySpace page.

Although The Del Rubio Triplets performed music for much of their lives, they didn't become particularly famous until after they released their first album in 1988 at 67 years old. They attracted attention for their unique and unexpected covers of tunes like Whip It, Satisfaction, and These Boots Were Made for Walkin'. (Here they were performing their scary Halloween medley as well as "These Boots" in between bantering with Regis and Kathie Lee.) Most everyone they met along the way remembers The Del Rubio Triplets fondly. Born in 1921, the three remained single and always hated eachother siblings' choices in men. They lived in the same house together through most of their lives. When performing together, especially in later years, they often did shows for nearly nothing or free altogether. At 70 years old, they were performing in up to 3 convalescent hospitals a day, as well as appearing in clubs and doing regular shows at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.

They stopped performing in 1995. Since the death of Edith (1996) and Elena (2001), Milly has remained in the San Pedro, California home that they all shared together. She celebrated her 85th birthday in August of 2006.

posted by miss lynnster (26 comments total)

I think somebody just perfected the chain letter.
posted by phaedon at 4:16 PM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Okay, so maybe this won't be well received by the cynics here I guess. I have just always had a fondness for them and felt it was really nice that someone is trying to make what may be her last Christmas a little less lonely.
posted by miss lynnster at 4:25 PM on December 7, 2007

Interesting they stayed single and hated each other's choices in men. Seems quite odd and enmeshed. As if they were not allowed to have boundaries or didn't permit each other separate lives, together but separate. With such an enmeshment it must be particularly painful the other sisters died.

Aww, what a nice idea of Michael's to comfort and cheer Milly. Charming. A little bird did that for me for my birthday this year, asked MeFite buds to send me an email. That made it the best birthday of my life. I'm going to send her a card.
posted by nickyskye at 4:27 PM on December 7, 2007

awww...they were adorable--i'll never forget seeing them on PeeWee.

Thanks, Milly, and thanks to your sisters too : >
posted by amberglow at 4:29 PM on December 7, 2007

You know who else could use a Christmas card this year?

That's right.
posted by dersins at 4:34 PM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Do not say "get well soon" etc, as she does not want anyone to know she is sick.

There's a peculiar optimism at work here to expect thousands of Internet strangers to all keep a secret.
posted by vacapinta at 4:47 PM on December 7, 2007

Some of you guys really suck.

This is awesome. Poor Milly. I'm sending her one.
posted by tristeza at 5:01 PM on December 7, 2007

Good post. I actually added them as a friend on MySpace about a year ago after catching a piece they did with Huell Howser a year ago. Then I realized it was a little creepy to have some old ladies in my Top 8, but I'm still a fan (seriously!)
posted by dhammond at 5:08 PM on December 7, 2007

Any connection between these women and Les Triplettes de Belleville?
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 5:14 PM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

You know, I never actually read the Kaycee Nicole drama until now.
posted by puke & cry at 5:36 PM on December 7, 2007

What a sweet idea, miss lynnster.
posted by Iron Rat at 5:56 PM on December 7, 2007

I would've considered it a privilege to be able to call myself "The DelRubio Triplet" (singular). But, that's just me.
posted by wendell at 6:05 PM on December 7, 2007

Interesting they stayed single and hated each other's choices in men. Seems quite odd and enmeshed.

Apparently their motto was this: "God comes first.... my sisters come second.... Music comes third" and any potential love interest was a distant "fourth."
posted by miss lynnster at 6:45 PM on December 7, 2007

Miss Lynnster, I adore you!
Your generosity of spirit is evident in all of your posts and comments and you make me want to be a better MeFite.

I love the Del Rubio triplets and was just today thinking about heading over to Ebay to see if I could find an affordable copy of 3 gals, 3 guitars.
Saw them at my 1st gay pride festival in Long Beach, CA in 1989 & was concerned for their feelings because the expanding crowd seemed to be laughing at them, not with them. It felt to my delicate, newly out, 18 yr old self like mocking laughter and it troubled me.
but the longer I watched, the more I began to actually groove to the creative, even witty, arrangements, and the energy of those 3 women, along with their skill with instrument and harmony, transformed me.

Here they were, in befringed and bedazzled costumes they proudly proclaimed they had designed and made themselves, using every bit of their post retirement age voices to attack the notes with a joy that most 20 year old vocalists could not muster,
just radiating love and acceptance out to the fags and dykes and trannies & we were loving them right back.
sure, Thelma Houston and E.G. Dailey were the headliners (and they would rock the festival on the mainstage after the sun went down), but the Del Rubio Triplets were the real stars of that weekend.

I got to see them at a few events after that, but the last time I saw them all together was in the parking lot of NBC in Burbank (or was it Studio City?)
I had just auditioned to be a featured extra on season 2 of Saved By The Bell
(not relevant to the story, I know, but perhaps some context for the time...oh, hell...I just wanted to plug SBTB -Dancing to the Max, the episode with Kasey Casem)
and I saw two of the triplets sitting in their station wagon.
One of them was knitting (costumes?), the other was reading a map.
I told them how much joy they had brought me and they told me the third sister was calling AAA because they had a flat tire.
they signed a picture for me, forging the third signature, and I practically skipped to my car, full of the giddiness that comes from meeting celebrities & not having them treat you like shit.

I had such a great story, but only a handful of people who would understand its significance.
So.
Welcome to the handful, I guess.
posted by mer2113 at 7:31 PM on December 7, 2007 [5 favorites has favorites]

sorry for the mess but I'm posting from my phone & editing is
apparently
too complicated.
BUT, I just meant to add that after I told them how much joy they had brought me,
they told me how much joy performing gave them and how blessed they felt to be able to do what they loved.

That is all
posted by mer2113 at 7:35 PM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I didn't know Elena had died, too. When their first album came out I was a college radio dj - they were HUGE at our station. When I moved to SF years later I could hardly believe I was in the same city as them - well, the same metropolitan area, at least.
My mom's a twin. It breaks my heart thinking what it must be like to lose a twin, much less two triplets.
posted by smartyboots at 8:17 PM on December 7, 2007

Awesome post, thanks.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 9:07 PM on December 7, 2007

This is a superb fucking post, with HEART.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:03 AM on December 8, 2007

Heartwarming!
posted by iamkimiam at 10:27 AM on December 8, 2007

Too sweet! I'm sending a card too. Thanks ML.
posted by dejah420 at 10:30 AM on December 8, 2007

I'm sending one too.
posted by Nenna at 11:16 AM on December 8, 2007

{sniff}
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 1:57 PM on December 8, 2007

Great post, miss l.

I wonder if these gals might've been some of the inspiration for Les Triplettes de Belleville? (Highly recommended movie!) Here's the opening sequence.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:56 PM on December 8, 2007

And on the same subject, here's the wonderful performance scene from the film. Work that vacuum cleaner!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:11 PM on December 8, 2007

wait...what?
posted by 29 at 11:56 PM on December 8, 2007

I wonder if they were the inspiration for the maiden aunts on Pushing Daisies (the TV show). I think it's sad that they never extended their family by getting married and/or having kids. I'll send a card.
posted by bluefly at 10:02 AM on December 9, 2007