The Burns Sisters' professional musical career began when several of the sisters moved to Ithaca, New York where they originally sang with the David Kent Band. One of their earliest successes was when their music appeared in the Louis Malle film Atlantic City as a result of their brother Patrick who was working on the film. As a quintet made up of sisters Marie (born c. 1957), Annie (born c. 1961), Jeannie (born c. 1958), Sheila (born c. 1963), and Terry (born c. 1962), the band released "The Burns Sisters Band" (1986), and "Endangered Species" (1989). In 1993 the quintet released "Songs of the Heart" before older sisters Terry and Sheila dropped out to devote more time to their families. Agreeing to continue as a trio, Annie, Marie and Jeannie switched their focus to acoustic music.