Out with the old, in with the new

From all of us here at Welk Musical Family.....

This could be the start of something big!

Jimmy and the Trio

They'll be ringing in the New Year in the great outdoors....

I just hope they're dressed warmly

Getting ready to party on New Year's

Myron has brought his accordion.....

Richard has his tuba......

....Gail and Mary Lou brought the coconuts

Musical Family Hair of the Week

This week it's Charlotte and her cello....

It's the Day After Christmas....

....and all the kids unwrapped their presents, lets take a look at some of the priceless moments from yesterday.

"And that is what a dog's tail is used for"

"Lets see....Shell is up a point, gold is holding steady and Merrill Lynch is looking strong, my portfolio is looking great!"

"Time to take the baby out to the park."

"Oh my gosh, LEGO Harry Potter!!!!! Thanks Dad!"

 
"I'm not afraid Ralna, I'm gonna ahead and stick my finger in his mouth!"

From my Musical Family to yours.....

Caption This! - Christmas Edition

Starring Jo Ann Castle and Jack Imel....

Add your own funny caption to this picture, just click below on the comments link!

This Day in Welk History: Christmas '72

On this day,some thirty eight years ago; the Welk Show aired it's second ever syndicated Christmas episode.

Thirty five years later in 2007, it resurfaced on public television.

CHRISTMAS '72 - December 23, 1972

1. JINGLE BELLS - Cissy, Bobby, Tanya, Sandi, Bob (Lido), Dick, Arthur, Gail, Mary Lou, Lawrence, Joe, Norma, Jimmy, Myron, Ken, Charlotte (Harris)
2. MARVELOUS TOY - Clay Hart on guitar with children Hank and Lizzie
3. SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN - Tanya Falan with son Lawrence the Third
4. TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR - Sandi Griffiths with daughter Jenni
5. RING THOSE CHRISTMAS BELLS - danced by Arthur Duncan with bell ringers Jack Imel and Bob Ralston

6. WHITE CHRISTMAS - Norma Zimmer and Jimmy Roberts with Mary Lou, Ken, Gail, Dick, Bobby, Cissy, Tanya and Joe
7. RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER - Bob Ralston on clavietta, with children Randy and Diane on piano
8. LITTLE LADY MAKE BELIEVE - Ken Delo with daughter Kimberley
9. SWEET LITTLE JESUS BOY - Guy Hovis and Ralna English
10. SCATTERBRAIN - danced by Bobby Burgess and Cissy King

11. HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS - Dick Dale with Gail Farrell and Mary Lou Metzger
12. THE CANDY MAN - Myron Floren on the accordion with daughters Heidi and Kristie on piano
13. O HOLY NIGHT - Joe Feeney with Bob Ralston on organ
14. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH - Timmy Feeney with Kathy Feeney on guitar
15. CHRISTMAS CAROL MEDLEY: HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING/IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR/JOY TO THE WORLD - Cissy, Bobby, Charlotte, Myron, Mary Lou, Norma, Charlie (Parlato), Jimmy, Gail, Dick, Sandi, Guy, Ralna, Clay, Tanya, Bob (Lido), Ken
16. TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR - Lawrence and the kids, singing and on spoons, with Robbie Smale on celesta
17. INTRODUCTION OF FAMILIES BY THE MUSICAL FAMILY
18. JINGLE BELLS - Lawrence's granddaughter Christine
19. SANTA ARRIVES WITH THE PRESENTS

Who wants to spend Christmas in Killarney?

I'm guessing Joe Feeney, his son Chris and the Maestro would be interested....

 

Musical Family Hair of the Week

Mary Lou from the mid 1990s, hosting one of the wraparound segments for the Welk shows on PBS....

Tonight, there's gonna be a Total Lunar Eclipse

So that means that ol' Harvest Moon will not shine on....

 

The Champagne Five - Christmas songs never sung on the show, but should have

It's now officially Christmas Week, and what better way to spread yuletide holly and joy than with a holiday edition of the Champagne Five!

This edition is my personal top five Christmas themed songs never sung on the Welk show, but I would have loved to heard members of the Musical Family cover.

So grab yourself some egg nog, sit under that mistletoe with that special someone and imagine these classics sung by the following....

  
1. MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING (The Carpenters) - Tanya Falan

2. SHAKE HANDS WITH SANTA CLAUS (Louis Prima) - Rocky Rockwell

3. HARD CANDY CHRISTMAS (Dolly Parton) - The Aldridge Sisters and the Otwell Twins

4. CHRISTMAS ISLAND (The Andrews Sisters) - Sandi Griffiths, Gail Farrell and Mary Lou Metzger

5. MERRY CHRISTMAS, I DON'T WANNA FIGHT TONIGHT (The Ramones) - Kathy Lennon and Steve Smith

Ah yes, that would be music to my ears.....

Meanwhile, over by the Christmas tree....

Ken Delo and the ladies are catching up on the latest yuletide gossip....

Oh, by the way, Christmas is only just a week away

The Merry Christmas Tree

From the 1958 Christmas episode, here's Janet Lennon with Cubby O' Brien and Brian Siebman joined by the Maestro's Junior Band singing "The Merry Christmas Tree"

 

A Christmas Polka

Here's Myron at the PAN accordion....

.....joined by Bobby and Becki Burgess with some fancy footwork!

 

Lennon Sisters article on Yahoo News

It's about the girls celebrating 55 years in show business

Here's the full press release, it's a very good read

THE LENNON SISTERS CELEBRATE 55 YEARS IN ENTERTAINMENT

Norma Zimmer hits the slopes

The weather outside is perfect for skiing, so the Champagne Lady takes advantage of it....

 

The Nutcracker Suite

From 1981, here's George Cates conducting the orchestra with this timely number....

Champagne Book of the Month Club: My America, Your America

December's edition of the Champagne Book of the Month brings you My America, Your America; the third in the collaboration of Lawrence Welk and Bernice McGeehan

First published in 1976, the Maestro talks about how he and members of his Musical Family overcame disadvantages and adversity to reach the level of success in the world of entertainment.

It emphasizes all the traditional, old fashioned values of hard work, commitment, and personal involvement that reflected in the building of America, which at the time of it's publication was celebrating her bicentennial. He mentions this plenty of times throughout.

Lawrence talks about his latest discovery, the Semonski Sisters and chronicles the journey of how his organization trained six young girls from having no professional experience to television stars.

He also shares stories from the band's three week appearance at Harrah's Lake Tahoe, how he developed Sandi Griffiths into a solo singer and when Larry Hooper fell ill, who had to be off the show for a few years and his recovery and triumphant return.

It's a very heartwarming and inspirational book, one that stands the test of time. And maybe, just maybe, it will give guidance to anyone living through these current tough times. 

A Christmas jam session with Bill and Scotty Page

Here's Bill Page with his son Scotty from the 1960 Christmas show...

Time to let the kids play!

What better way for the musical family children to show their musical talents than on Christmas?

First, here's Bob Ralston and his kids....

Next we have two of Myron Floren's daughters Heidi and Kristie...

....and finally two of Joe Feeney's kids as a duo!

Here Comes Santy Claus

...and he meets all the children of the Musical Family from the 1965 Christmas special.

 

Champagne Art

Since one of my hobbies, other than blogging, is drawing....here's some sketches I made of a few Welk Stars!

Sally Flynn

 

 Buddy Merrill

Ralna English

Hope you like them!

Dick Dale and his children

After a long day on television, nothing beats spending the holidays on the family sofa with the kids

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

With Dick Dale along with Mary Lou Metzger and Gail Farrell...

 

Dave Edwards is very pleased

That is alma mater, Auburn University, won the SEC championship in football today.

Somewhere, up in the Great Big Band Ballroom In The Sky, Dave is playing a triumphant solo of War Eagle on his saxophone.

It's time to decorate the Christmas Tree

Just wondering if they need an extra helping hand....

Christmas Through The Years with Sandi Griffiths and her family

It all began not too long ago with Jenni....

And as the years went by, the family grew....