Roberta Linn's birthday

Today is Champagne Lady Roberta Linn's birthday, here's a special haiku I have written for her.

I just hope if she reads this, she'll like it....

From the Aragon

Champagne Lady Roberta

is every man's dream

Happy Birthday Roberta!

Charlotte Harris' birthday

Happy Birthday Charlotte! Here's a special birthday haiku for the Welk orchestra's lovely and talented cello player.

She plays the cello

with such a flawless technique

Music to my ears

I think I saw this once on a episode of Dallas....

Unless you have been living in a cave, the price of gas at the pump is really high...here's oil baron Larry Hooper and his cowgirls living the high life.

And from the bowels of YouTube, here's Larry and the girls with the ever popular "More Money For Me" from 1974.

Salute to Irving Berlin

This week is a salute to master songwriter and lyricst Irving Berlin, taped and first aired in 1978...here are some of the highlights from the show.

The band opens things up with "Alexander's Ragtime Band".

Guy & Ralna with the number "Remember".

Cissy King dancing with Lawrence to the tune of "Always".

Next up is Joe Feeney singing "A Pretty Girl" which is another Berlin classic.

Here's the Maestro's special musical guest, saxophonist Marshall Royal from the Count Basie Orchestra playing one of his two sax solos.

Gail, Sandi and Mary Lou all around the Baldwin playing and singing "I Love A Piano".

Other numbers include Anacani's "How Deep Is The Ocean", instrumentals such as "Marie" with Don Staples at the solo trombone, a medley of songs from "Annie Oakley", Arthur Duncan tapping to "Blue Skies", Tom Netherton singing "What'll I Do", Ken Delo singing "Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning", Cissy & Bobby dancing to "Let's Face The Music And Dance" and Norma Zimmer closing the show with "God Bless America".

It's just your typical salute to Irving Berlin show, great numbers performed real well by great singers and musicians.

And this week, in the hot seat is Ken Delo where this time around he talked about his family and as part of the team of Delo and Daly, became big stars in Australia in that country's early years of television. Their show paved the way for future popular Down Under programs such as Four Corners, Number 96, Hey Hey It's Saturday, Neighbours along with Home and Away just to name a few.

Not bad for a kid from sixty miles to the north in Detroit!

Until next week, keep a song in your heart and to be Australian, "Good day' mate!"

I feel a draft in here....

Today should be a great Spring day....I'll be watching the NFL Draft to see which promising college player will be my Cincinnati Bengals latest draft bust.

If you think I'm being too harsh, here's a few words for you....David Klingler, Dan Wilkinson, Ki-Jana Carter, Akili Smith, Odell Thurman and David Pollack.

And of course, brand new Lawrence Welk tonight....a salute to Irving Berlin. Yeah, I know, the Maestro has done a whole show about him before, however I'm curious what year they do this one.

According to OETA, Guy & Ralna and our dancers Cissy & Bobby are listed, so I am thinking it's a show from the 1070's....the question is when?

I'll just watch like you guys and find out!

Get your haiku on

It's that time again....hope you guys like this one

Arthur Duncan asks

"So you think you can dance boss?"

The Maestro says, "YES!

Toothless on Thursday

Hey everyone, I'm just starting to get back to feeling normal. Had the worst toothache in the world this past few weeks, went to the dentist and it looks like I have to undergo a root canal....a cavity in my uppers has gotten deep into the root so I'm taking medication to relive the pain....

...at least on a temporary basis.

It's now official, voting has closed for American Idol Songwriter...the winner will be announced on the show's season finale.

Now comes the dreaded waiting game, keep those fingers crossed and hope that Gail Farrell and her song "You Can Do Anything" will be chosen the winner!

What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life

Here's one of my favorite Ken Delo solo numbers, his rendition of "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life" from the movie "The Happy Ending" featured from the Welk show's 1970 Academy Awards episode.

North County Times article on Joe Feeney

Here's a nice story about Joe, it has alot of stuff about him that you might not have known already.

REMEBERING JOE FEENEY: NORTH COUNTY TIMES

Donna Semonski's birthday

Today is the birthday of one of the Semonski sisters....

It's Donna, the second-eldest, and I have a birthday haiku written for her

Her name is Donna

from the singing Semonskis

Let us salute her

And we wish you a very Happy Birthday today!

Springtime

This week's show is about Spring, which originally aired on April 1977....here are some highlights you may enjoy.

Opening number is "April Showers" and we see the ladies dressed for the event.

Folks dancing to the Champagne Music Makers, "It Might As Well Be Spring" and to your left is something you don't see everyday....Ralna English dancing with members of the studio audience!

Gail, Sandi and Mary Lou form a conga line to the tune of "Walking In The Sunshine".

The fellas getting ready to play some baseball to the tune of "Spring, Spring, Spring"

As for next week, it's a new episode....a salute to Irving Berlin!

Can't wait for that, so take care y'all until next week.

A Bill Page haiku

If he has internet access...I hope he like this

Fourteen instruments

Bill Page can play this and that

How does he do it?

Time once again for a Welk haiku

And seriously folks....I'll do better this time, hope you like this one

Play music with spoons?

Professor Spoons convinced me

as well as his friends

Memories of Joe

On a personal level, I have had the pleasure of seeing Joe Feeney perform live in person not once, but twice. The first time was in April 2004 at the Forever Blowing Bubbles concert in South Euclid, Ohio and the second time in Eastlake, OH on November 2005, with the Bubbles troupe.

He's still got it, the voice, the stage presence and his charm...and although I only met him very briefly, Joe was a very nice and gracious fellow.

Here are some pictures of him from the Eastlake concert....just a few great ways to remember him.



We'll miss you Joe! Say hi to the Maestro, Jimmy Roberts, Myron Floren, Aladdin and the rest of the boys in the band for us.

Joe Feeney (1931-2008)

Very sad news here today in the Wide World of Welk, according to his family...Irish tenor Joe Feeney passed away yesterday.

The following is from San Diego's Channel 10 news, CLICK HERE to read the news bulletin.

Hump Day

Springtime in Toledo brings flowers, birds, sunshine....

....and orange barrels, always alot of fun (**SARCASM**) when you're driving in Ohio.

And on top of that....my Sirius radio crapped out on me, me thinks it's a sinister plot by the powers of regular AM & FM radio in an act of sabotage.

But that's just me speaking.....now on to more pleasant thoughts

I did my part voting for Gail Farrell's song (You Can Do Anything) in the American Idol Songwriter 2008 contest, the full ten stars.

Have you voted yet....If not, whaddya waiting for?!

Go to American Idol's webpage and to quote Larry the Cable Guy, "Git Er Done!"

Michael Redman

Today is music maker Michael Redman's birthday...here's a special haiku that I have written.

He sings high tenor

Mike Redman can do it all

Portland's very proud

And here's Michael dancing with Mary Lou Metzger....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Get Out The Vote

Yes folks, 2008 is an election year in America....and it's not just about who is going to be the next President.

On American Idol, all you Welk fans out there have a voice in choosing the next big songwriter in the US of A....about twenty are in the running and one of them is our own Gail Farrell!

Gail and her masterpiece, "You Can Do Anything" is in the running. You first heard it on "Precious Memories" and now you can take it to even bigger heights!

Just go to AI's webpage by clicking here at AMERICAN IDOL SONGWRITER 2008

On the menu, under SHOW GUIDE, click on AMERICAN IDOL SONGWRITER, you'll be asked for your email and password to log in to see the entries (for first time users, you can register...they'll show you how).

Once logged in and everything else...be sure to vote for "You Can Do Anything" on a scale of 1-10 stars....I know you guys out there will give a perfect 10.

Let's do it for Gail and all the Champagne Music Makers! Voting ends on April 23rd.

Hey Jude

To put you in the mood for some Beatles music....champagne style that is....from 1969, here's the music makers with their rendition of the Fab Four's popular hit "Hey Jude."

Swing and Sweet Bands

This week's show is a Salute to the Swing and Sweet Bands that aired originally in 1980, here are few of the highlights.

The cast with the opening number, "And The Angels Sing".

Ava Barber, with some nice backing by Neil Levang on guitar and Bob Lido on rhythm, singing "Heartaches."

Tom Netherton, with Bob Ralston at piano, singing "You're Nobody Until Somebody Loves You."

Anacani in the solo spot with "Amapola."

And finally, the battle of the drummers, Paul Humphrey vs. Jack Imel with the St. Louis Blues March.

Next week, we'll get the "Springtime" show from 1977....see you guys until then!

The Maestro takes on the counterculture

I found this interesting entry from the blog 10 Zen Monkeys....

It's an account of Lawrence Welk taking on the rock & roll and hippie generation of the 60s and 70s.

Here's the link, just click on Lawrence Welk vs. The Hippies

It's got five great YouTube videos as well, and it will give you a chuckle or two.

Peace out....

Here's another one of my lame, pathetic haikus

I sure hope you Welkies out there like this one....

What's going on here?

Looks like the folks at wardrobe

made the pants too long

Anacani

Today is Anacani's birthday! I have prepared a special haiku for her on this day.

Hope you all like it.

Here's Anacani

When she sings, all the fellers

fall in love with her

Happy Birthday Anacani!

Gotta get to the church on time

And now, a look back at Musical Family weddings from yesteryear....

This is from 1969, when Sandi Jensen married Brent Griffiths.

The kid that Lawrence is holding in his arms is Brent's sister Lisa.

Dancing With The Stars stuff

It's been a pretty good season so far, although I liked last season better.

Last night, Adam Corolla and Julianne Hough was kicked out of the ballroom....didn't see that coming (*sarcasm*). My family is rooting for Jason Taylor to win the whole thing....they're all Miami Dolphins fans.

And I still think Len Goodman looks like Sam the Eagle from the Muppet Show.

Peggy Lennon

Today is Peggy Lennon's birthday today, and to celebrate....I have prepared a special birthday haiku for her!

Her name is Peggy

She sings and later became

Mrs. Dick Cathcart

Happy Birthday Peggy!

Three Little Drummers

Well, technically speaking....they're not little, they do carry a big stick.

From 1978, they all team up for a musical number on the Welk show, and here they are!

Paul Humphrey....

Jack Imel....

....and associate producer Doug Smart

Each one moves to the beat of a different drum, but they all can make sweet music!