Vivian Dandridge - Sunny 1968

Vivian Alferetta Dandridge (1921–1991) was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She was a singer and actress. She is best known as the sister of actress Dorothy Dandridge and the daughter of character actress Ruby Dandridge. She was a member of the Dandridge Sisters musical group, along with Etta Jones and Dorothy Dandridge.

In 1968, Vivian signed with Jubilee Records and recorded a jazz LP, "The Look of Love" that same year. The album was produced by Bob Stephens and conducted by Charles Coleman. The album included such tracks as "Love is Blue", "Try to Remember", "Sunny", "Strange Fruit", and "Lover Man". 

In California, the Dandridge daughters befriended another girl, Etta Jones, and began to sing together. After Jones' father heard them sing, Ruby Dandridge decided that the three should form a singing group. Thus, the Dandridge Sisters were born. While Neva and Ruby gained bit parts in films (Neva appeared as a maid in the Shirley Temple vehicle The Little Colonel), the Dandridge Sisters began appearing in musical sequences of films and toured over the United States, sharing bills with the likes of Nat King Cole, Mantan Moreland, and dancer Marie Bryant. The female trio was a sort of black Andrews Sisters, singing songs in three part harmony. They eventually became headliners at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York. They even appeared in a short-run Broadway musical revue, Swingin' The Dream, in 1939, at the Center Theater. The Dandridge Sisters also toured in London and Hawaii, and recorded four tracks with well-known big band leader Jimmie Lunceford and his orchestra: "You Ain't Nowhere", "Minnie the Moocher Is Dead", "I Ain't Gonna Study War No More," and a minor hit, "That's Your Red Wagon". After touring for a year and a half, however, the Dandridge Sisters group abruptly disbanded, after Dorothy was determined to become an actress, unsatisfied with just appearances in occasional soundies or bit parts in Hollywood films. Dandridge detested life on the road and was certain she could find bigger success as a dramatic actress. This left Dandridge in a desperate financial situation. She attempted to find work in clubs, but many were not interested. She did, however, find employment as an occasional actress in films but did not achieve the same level of success as her sister Dorothy.

By 1956, friends and family members were concerned for the welfare of Vivian, as she moved away and went into seclusion. Her sister Dorothy hired a private detective to find her missing sister, but to no avail; Dorothy later found out that her sister was in the South of France trying to find work. Later, she found out that her sister was residing in New York City. At this point, Dorothy and Vivian did not remain in contact, though Dorothy sometimes provided financial assistance to Vivian and her son Michael Wallace. Other than the occasional telegram, Dorothy and Vivian remained estranged. Upon Dorothy's death in 1965, Vivian could not bear to attend the funeral. Instead, she disappeared from the public eye.