The Champagne Five - Musical Family covers of Lynyrd Skynyrd

Freebird!

Now is the time for a new version of the Champagne Five, one in which the South is gonna rise again.

This edition will combine Lawrence Welk and the legendary Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 
And out of this, we bring you my choice of the top five Skynyrd songs I like to see covered by the Champagne Music Makers.

Sweet Home Alabama indeed.....

1. SWEET HOME ALABAMA - Sheila & Sherry Aldridge with Roger & David Otwell
2. WHAT'S YOUR NAME - Guy Hovis & Ralna English
3. FREEBIRD - Joe Feeney with Bob Ralston at the Thomas organ
4. THE BALLAD OF CURTIS LOEW - Ken Delo
5. MADE IN THE SHADE - Tanya Falan

The Champagne Five - Musical Family covers of Lynyrd Skynyrd

R.I.P Norma Zimmer (1923-2011)

I found out last night over on Facebook that Champagne Lady Norma Zimmer has passed away yesterday.

She was as Lawrence Welk described, one of the most beautiful women in television, and she was both inside and out.

I will pass along more information as soon it becomes available.

She will be missed.

R.I.P Norma Zimmer (1923-2011)

The Champagne Five - Tanya's covers of James Bond songs

Today, we celebrate the birthday of our favorite Italian daughter-in-law of the Maestro....Tanya Falan.

She can sing all sorts of song styles, and that includes torch songs and title songs from the movies.

And one the best, and my favorite movie songs come from those great James Bond films.

So on this occasion, we combine two of my favorites into this edition of the Champagne Five.

It's the top 007 movie songs I would loved to see and hear Tanya cover on the Welk show, or live in concert.


1. GOLDFINGER (Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger)
2. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (Nancy Sinatra - You Only Live Twice)
3. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (Shirley Bassey - Diamonds Are Forever)
4. NOBODY DOES IT BETTER (Carly Simon - The Spy Who Loved Me)
5. MOONRAKER (Shirley Bassey - Moonraker)

Happy Birthday Tanya!

Keep a song in your heart, and your martini be shaken and not stirred.

The Champagne Five - Tanya's covers of James Bond songs

The Champagne Five - Favorite Covers of Oscar Nominated Songs

Tomorrow night is the Academy Awards, where the movie industry celebrates what Hollywood has done the past year....

And here, the Music Makers salute the songs that were nominated for an Oscar, and some of them actually won the coveted statuette.

So on this version of the Champagne Five, here are my top five favorite covers of original Academy Award nominated songs sung by the Musical Family.

5. THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN - Norma Zimmer and Jimmy Roberts do an excellent job with this 1954 Oscar winner from the movie of the same name. They just seem to be a perfect fit for the lyrics and the melodies featured.

4. WHAT ARE YOU DOING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? - This 1969 Best Song nominee was originally written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman for the movie The Happy Ending. Ken Delo, sitting by the camera, does a great, melancholic solo of this tune.

3. RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD - You may know it by B.J. Thomas' version that won the 1969 Oscar, but Sandi & Sally do a great upbeat and sunny version of it dressed as Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid.

Let's see Paul Newman and Robert Redford top that!

 
2. GEORGY GIRL - An Oscar nominee from 1966, the Music Makers do a great arrangement as an instrumental accompanied by vocal arrangements from Guy, Ralna, Norma, Jimmy, Bobby and Cissy. Bob Ralston provides great work at the harpsichord and the reed section's flute sounds give this version a pleasant beat and a good rhythm tune.

 
1. SECRET LOVE - You may know this 1953 Oscar winner from Calamity Jane as a romantic love song. It has been covered on the show many times before as a melancholic solo piece, but I love how this is arranged as a jazzy and upbeat vocal group number. Bob Ralston strikes again with his keyboard work and contributions from the trumpet section makes this classic an enjoyable and easy listening piece.



We'll that's my two cents, only thing left is wait for the envelope with this year's winners.

The Champagne Five - Favorite Covers of Oscar Nominated Songs

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.....

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

The Champagne Five - My Favorite Anacani Songs

Well, I think the time is right for a new Champagne Five and today we put the spotlight on our favorite Latin Bombshell, Anacani!

And the list will be the Blogmaster's All Time Favorite Songs sung by Anacani on the show, I hope they will be your favorites too.

5. Sugartime (1974)

4. The Lady In Red (1978)

3. Noche De Ronda (1973)

2. Rancho Allegre (1979)

1. South America, Take It Away (1978)

But seriously, it's hard to find favorites since any song Anacani performs is a masterpiece....you never find genuine talent like that anymore.

Keep a song in your heart and a rhumba in your soul!

The Champagne Five - My Favorite Anacani Songs

The Champagne Five - Musical Family Cameos We Like To See

We all know that addition to their regular appearances on the Lawrence Welk Show, the Musical Family have appeared on other popular television programs and game shows.

Examples include Gail Farrell as a panelist on Match Game

...and who can forget Ken Delo appearing with Lucille Ball on Here's Lucy?

Picture courtesy of Ken Delo.com

And of course there's Tanya on General Hospital, Arthur Duncan on Diagnosis Murder, Lawrence Welk on the Jack Benny Program and so forth.

On this latest version of the Champagne Five, I present my top five television programs in which I would love to see tailor made for any of the Champagne Music Makers to do a cameo appearance, guest starring role or celebrity contestant in....

So with AFTRA's blessing, here's the list.

1. THE $10,000/$20,000/$25,000 PYRAMID - Have Ken Delo and Mary Lou Metzger as the celebrity contestants for the week

2. THE DUKES OF HAZZARD - Fans of the show remember Boss Hogg's Celebrity Speed Traps, usually the celebrities are well known country singers. Ava Barber could be latest to sing at the Boar's Nest in order to have her traffic citation forgiven.

3. THREE'S COMPANY - Sheila and Sherry Aldridge could both star as Jack, Janet and Chrissy's newest next door neighbors.

4. SANFORD AND SON - Tom Netherton and Arthur Duncan both appear as performers at a nightclub where Fred, Bubba and Grady are patrons.

5. THE ROCKFORD FILES - Gail Farrell could guest star as one of Jim Rockford's latest clients.

The possibilities are endless, so don't be surprised if a second version of this particular Champagne Five appears in the near future.

Now where's is this week's TV Guide? I gotta find out who's on what this week.

The Champagne Five - Musical Family Cameos We Like To See

The Champagne Five - Bruce Springsteen covers by the Musical Family

What's more American than the flag, mom, apple pie and heartland rock?

Yeah, you heard me right, and that's the subject of today's Champagne Five where we combine two American Institutions, Lawrence Welk and his Music Makers....

.....and The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen

As a music fan, I have always wondered what would it be like if Lawrence Welk and his Musical Family had the chance to do their cover versions of Bruce and the E Street Band's songs?

I present to you, after much exhaustive debate, the top five covers!

5. BORN TO RUN - performed as a barbershop quartet by Bob Lido, Kenny Trimble, Charlie Parlato and Larry Hooper

4. NEBRASKA - sung and performed on guitar by Clay Hart with Bob Ralston providing the harmonica sounds

3. TUNNEL OF LOVE - Sandi, Gail and Mary Lou

2. THUNDER ROAD - sung by Joe Feeney with Bob Ralston at the organ

1. HUNGRY HEART - Dick Dale with the Lennon Sisters

Regardless of which song made the list, one thing is for sure....a jam session featuring the Welk Orchestra and the E Street Band is one concert event I would pay good money for!

The Champagne Five - Bruce Springsteen covers by the Musical Family

The Champagne Five - Milestones & Memories moments

Usually, I'm not too crazy about pledge drives on my PBS station, but I don't mind if they show a great Lawrence Welk pledge special.

And one of my favorites, and yours, has to be Milestones & Memories

And in today's edition of the Champagne Five....here's my top five moments from the reunion of forty-seven members of the Musical Family taped at Fun City USA....Branson at the Champagne Theater.

5. THE SHOW'S OPENING

It opens with the stars all singing "We're Here....Milestones & Memories!" followed by a roll call in chronological order (for example: "1957 - Joe Feeney, Jack Imel, Pete Fountain;" "1959 - Jo Ann Castle") and pictured above is the class of 1968 featuring Johnny Zell, Sandi Griffiths and Sally Flynn.

That is also followed by the next number "Say It With Music" where each of the Music Makers, while singing, waltz out in front of the camera in pairs of boy with girl arm to arm....all which sets the mood for a great show.

You can tell what they were doing is lots of fun and then some.

4. TANYA SINGS "IT HAD TO BE YOU"

This moment is significant for this reason, the last time Welk fans saw Tanya Falan sing on television was back in 1977 and since then, she basically disappeared from the public eye.

For many fans, they have asked "Whatever happened to Tanya?", "Has she changed?" or "Does she still sing?" amongst the many questions asked.

So after twenty three years of not being heard from, all questions are answered with her rendition of "It Had To Be You", proving she still has the vocal chops.

3. BOBBY BURGESS AND ALL THREE OF HIS DANCING PARTNERS

Yes, we love to watch Bobby Burgess dance. Whether it's with Barbara Boylan, Cissy King or Elaine Balden....fans could not get enough.

But we never seen Bobby dance with all three of his partners on stage at the same time, that is until Milestones & Memories came along.

To the tune of "Night & Day", the kids waltz away the night fancy....

....with Barbara

...with Cissy

....and with Elaine.


2. ALL THE CHAMPAGNE LADIES COME TOGETHER

This was one of the more sentimental and emotional moments of the show, all the surviving Lawrence Welk Champagne Ladies share the stage, stretching from the days at the Aragon in Chicago during the 1940s to when the television show ended in the early 1980s.

Appearing on stage were Lois Best (1939-40), Jayne Walton (1940-45), Helen Ramsey (1947-49), Roberta Linn (1949-53) and Norma Zimmer (1960-present)

I think it's safe to say that this is a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime milestone.


1. THE INFORMAL MUSICAL FAMILY GET TOGETHER

This was the final part of the special, and the most fun at it! All the Music Makers got together, on the stage, sharing memories, singing songs and just plain having fun like real good friends should.

Who can forget Guy & Ralna singing together again?

Ken Delo singing "Babyface".....

Janet Lennon and Arthur Duncan doing that old soft shoe?

....and towards the end when everyone sings "That's What Friends Are For?"

That is what the special is all about, true friendship made together by song and the vision of a farmboy from Strasburg, North Dakota.

We'll never see magic like this, from a collection of talent like this on one stage ever again. But thanks to the magic of television, it's preserved for all of us to see over and over again.

The Champagne Five - Milestones & Memories moments

The Champagne Five - The Hotsy Totsy Boys fantasy playlist of cover songs

When it comes to pure fun, sheer madness and great entertainment, nothing beats the musical stylings of Bob Lido and the Hotsy Totsy Boys!

....especially when Bob and the fellas are joined by the cute vocals of Mary Lou Metzger

Sometimes, I wish they were all still around today...there are so many great pop songs out there that they can cover, so on today's version of the Champagne Five....here the top five songs I would love to see the Hotsy Totsies cover

1. SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT) - Beyonce
2. GIRLS ON FILM - Duran Duran
3. PANTS ON THE GROUND - General Larry Platt
4. HOT FOR TEACHER - Van Halen
5. THE MACARENA - Los Del Rio (Bayside Boys Mix)

You kids can have your Lady Gaga....these boys know how to party!

The Champagne Five - The Hotsy Totsy Boys fantasy playlist of cover songs

The Champagne Five - Lennon Sisters covers of Top 40 songs

Well all know that the Lennon Sisters are known as the Sweethearts of American Song....

When it comes to what type of song, there is no genre that these girls cannot tackle....

....and that includes Top 40 songs from Billboard!

So here's my top five favorite Lennon Sisters covers of familar pop songs that have reached the top of the charts.

1. Up Up And Away (The Fifth Dimension)
2. Georgy Girl (The Seekers)
3. Hit The Road Jack (Ray Charles)
4. Green Tambourine (The Lemon Pipers)
5. California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas)

The Champagne Five - Lennon Sisters covers of Top 40 songs