Dianne
Lennon (1939),
Peggy Lennon (1941)
Kathy
Lennon (1943),
Janet Lennon (1946)
Mimi
Lennon (1955)
The Lennon Sisters’ strength is in the
exceptionally-fine blending of their
voices. It is harmonizing of the finest
order.
The Lennon Sisters come from extremely modest
beginnings. They were raised in a family
of 12 children with a milkman father and a
homemaker mother. They all lived in a
2-bedroom cottage in Venice, California.
One of the older sisters’ schoolmates was
Lawrence Welk’s son, Larry Jr.
He loved the way the Lennon Sisters sang and,
in 1955, he dragged them home to have them
sing for his father, who was sick in
bed.
Lawrence Welk Sr. was well enough to like what
he heard, and he booked them for his next TV
telecast.
A
quick history lesson on Lawrence Welk:
He
was an accordion
player-turned-bandleader-turned-television
star.
"The
Lawrence Welk Show" was on the air from 1951
to 1982, and specialized in what Welk
called “champagne music.” Today, we'd
call it “easy listening.” Very easy
listening.
Here's an early Lennon Sisters appearance on
the show. The song was their only Top 20
hit:
Tonight
You Belong to Me
The
Lennon Sisters were regulars on "The
Lawrence Welk Show" for 13 years.
They
were never paid more than minimum scale (my
guess is about $125 to $250 an appearance
over the course of 12 years -- not $125 to
$250 per person; $125 to $250 for the
group!).
Here
they are in 1960 with their 5-year-old
sister, Mimi. (Many decades later,
when Peggy retired, Mimi took her place):
Do
Re Mi
Although
The Lennon Sisters had a record contract
with Dot Records and recorded a fair number
of albums, they weren’t big record
sellers.
Where they did make money was in live
appearances.
Plus, there were Lennon Sisters paper doll
sets, story books, and comic books, among
other licensed products.
Here
are The Lennon Sisters in 1964:
More
In
1967, chafing under the minimum union scale
payment on the Welk show, The Lennon Sisters
renegotiated their contract so that they
only appeared on the show once a
month. But after a year of this, Welk
was dissatisfied with the arrangement, and
he let the sisters go.
They
had their own variety show in 1968 and 1969
- “Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters
Hour.”
They had a wide variety of guest stars on
the show, including another group of
siblings - The Osmond Brothers:
Rain
Medley
as well as -- on the other end of the
musical spectrum -- Mel Torme:
All
the Things You Are
The
Lennon Sisters then became regulars on
"The Andy Williams Show" for a year,
followed by a decade-long association with
Williams in Las Vegas, where they shared a
residency at Caesar’s Palace.
Next
came TV game shows, successful tours, and
a generally rewarding career.
Then, out of the blue, they were asked to
headline at the Lawrence Welk Theater in
Branson, MO. The theater was run by
their old school friend, Larry Welk
Jr.
A
seven-month engagement turned into an 18
year run!
Here’s
a telethon appearance from that time
(1996):
Sophisticated
Lady
Dee
Dee retired a few years later, so The
Lennon Sisters became a trio - Kathy,
Janet and Mimi. They still perform
-- notably a Christmas show at the Andy
Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson.
Here
are two recent video clips of the Lennon
Sisters trio:
Kay
Thompson's Jingle Bells
|