Massagli, Joan

Joan Massagli was born January 26, 1938 and spent her childhood in Tacoma, Washington singing three-part harmony—a member of a musically talented family that included five children as well as an aunt and uncle who raised all the kids to enjoy music. By high school in the early 1950s, she and her two older sisters were regulars on a local TV show.

In 1956, Massagli and her sisters joined together to make the musical group, the Sawyer Sisters and they were soon obtaining regular gigs in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their popularity continued from 1957 to 1964 and they played many of the major hotels. They usually performed as a warm up act for headliners that included entertainers such as Roy Clark, Louis Prima, Shecky Greene, and Della Reece.

Massagli met her future husband, musician Mark Tully Massagli, while performing in the early 1960s. Caring for ailing parents while working mostly in Las Vegas, the couple made the city their home. Even after the Sawyer Sisters name faded from the Las Vegas Strip’s marquees, Las Vegas remained home to the Massagli’s and their children.