Lawrence Welk's Big Band Splash

And now the time has arrived for the 15th Lawrence Welk public television pledge special, Big Band Splash.

With your host Doc Severinsen!

It was an entertaining program, filled with clips from several episodes from the show featuring the band and the Musical Family performing the classic songs from that era.

Big Band icons like Glenn Miller, Harry James, The Dorsey Brothers, Artie Shaw and Duke Ellington were featured.

It was also nice that the special featured many of Welk's orchestra in the spotlight, such as Dave Edwards on the saxophone playing Contrasts made famous by Jimmy Dorsey.

I also liked Bob Ralston's rendition of Paul Whiteman's Rhapsody In Blue, in which every time I hear it, for some reason thoughts of the old United Airlines commercials with Gene Hackman narrating come to mind.

And what can I say about the trumpet section's arrangement of The Dipsy Doodle....

Johnny Zell, Mickey McMahan, Charlie Parlato and Norman Bailey were all outstanding!

But that was just a sample of the fine instrumentals featured in the program, many of the featured singers had the spotlight such as Tanya Falan's excellent version of the Sammy Kaye song Daddy.

 
Other singers featured were Mary Lou Metzger and Champagne Lady Alice Lon with different versions of Harry James' "You Made Me Love You". The differences were that Mary Lou went with the Dear Mr. Gable route while Alice from Dallas just sang it straight up.

I was disappointed that the special did not feature any Sandi, Gail and Mary Lou numbers. Their version of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by the Andrews Sisters in my opinion would be considered big band and would have been a good fit.

But Toot Toot Tootsie by Bob Lido and the Hotsy Totsy Boys? That, by the way was the final number featured in the special, and by the way, I always thought Al Jolson was more Music Hall than Big Band.

Oh, and here's an extreme close up of Bob Havens and his trumpet.

  
Doc himself was featured, when he guested on the Welk show in 1972 playing the theme song from the movie "Love Story".

His performance and talent was picture perfect excellence and well done, but for his wardrobe.....we'll the jury is still out on that.

In all, it was a wunnerful, wunnerful special.

And no pledge special would be complete without Bob Allen and Mary Lou in the studio with the pledge breaks.

So until next time, keep a song in your heart and may the only Blues in the Night you get are the St. Louis Blues playing hockey. 

Lawrence Welk's Big Band Splash

Musical Family Hair of the Week

Today is the first day using other members of the Musical Family!

This week, it's Johnny Zell with his early 1970s short haircut.

Musical Family Hair of the Week

Musical Family Deep Thoughts #1

Ever wondered what the Champagne Music Makers are really thinking?

Musical Family Deep Thoughts #1

Johnny Zell's Birthday Jamfest

Happy Birthday Johnny!

 

Johnny Zell's Birthday Jamfest

More Musical Family Hope

Since the feedback I'm getting is positive, I decided to make and share two more!

The Lennon Sisters

Johnny Zell

If anyone is interested, the webpage where these works of art were made is OBAMICON.ME

More Musical Family Hope

Johnny Zell's birthday

And I do have the gift that beats all birthday gifts....a haiku!

He is Johnny Zell

and he can play the trumpet

just like Harry James

Johnny Zell's birthday

Musical Masterpieces

Any of you guys watched last night's Saturday Night Live? They did a pretty funny parody of the Lawrence Welk Show.

Fred Armisen does a pretty food job of being the Maestro, I must remember to tape it next time when they re-run that episode, and you can guarantee they will show it again!

Now how do I beat that? Maybe by showing some highlights from this week's Welk episode, "Musical Masterpieces."

Gail, Sandi and Mary Lou open up the show.....

Myron Floren plays "Czardas" on the accordion.....

Johnny Zell plays a nice trumpet solo of "It's All In The Game".....

....and finally, Tanya joins Ken Delo for a duet of "Glow Worm".

And here's some food for thought, the original airdate for this Lawrence Welk show was October 18, 1975. Later that evening, the second-ever episode of SNL also aired as well!

Funny how things come together.....yeah, that's the ticket.

Musical Masterpieces

TV themes we would've loved to hear on the Welk show

There are so many to choose from, and that's why I'll be posting regularly on this subject.

Great television shows are known for it's iconic theme songs, and the Champagne Music Makers have performed many of them on the Welk show over the years (Happy Days, The Tonight Show, My Three Sons, etc...)

And there are some that we would have loved to hear the Maestro's band play,

....one of them is the theme for Coronation Street.

A quick refresher course not familiar....Coronation Street is a popular British soap opera that has aired on ITV since 1960. If you live close to the Canadian border here in the good ol' USA....it's also aired on CBC...or in my case, their Windsor affiliate (Canada likes the show too!)

It takes place in the northern working-class English town of Weatherford, and it has famous characters such as Ken Barlow, Ena Sharples, Bet Lynch, etc....more can be read from it's Wikipedia article.

But it has a great theme song done Big Band style composed by Eric Spear, click here to listen to it.

After listening, you can agree it would be tailor-made for Lawrence Welk and his orchestra....I can just picture the trumpet solo either done by Mickey McMahan

...or Johnny Zell

....and it's great clarinet solo by Henry Cuesta

TV themes we would've loved to hear on the Welk show

Johnny Zell's birthday

Happy Birthday Johnny!

Play us one of your most popular trumpet solos on your special day!

Johnny Zell's birthday

Musical Masterpieces

This week, it's "Musical Masterpieces" from October of 1975 and here are a few highlights from the show!

Here's Tanya Falan and Ken Delo teaming up for "Glow Worm"

Also, here's Tom Netherton singing "Stranger In Paradise"

Always in top form, Anacani with her rendition of "Guadalajara"...

...and here's Johnny Zell with a trumpet solo of "It's All In The Game", he was also the featured interview afterwards as well.

And finally, The Trio with "Bubbles, Baungles and Beads".

Next week is back to the new stuff, "Fashion Hits Through The Years" and from what I hear.....Mary Lou Metzger will be interviewed!

And no, I don't think Mary Lou will conduct the interview this time....although it would make for very interesting television.

Until next week, keep a song in your heart and stay cool!

Musical Masterpieces

Another hairy situation

Today, it's super trumpet player Johnny Zell

First from 1969, when things were a little short......

And from 1979, going down the long and winding road.....

And that my friends is the long and short of it!

Visit Johnny's webpage for more on the art of the trumpet and concert dates

Another hairy situation

Big Bands 1978

This week, the folks from Welk Syndication and OETA present the first Welk show of 2007, Salute To The Big Bands which was also the first show of the 1978-79 season!

Here's Lawrence Welk introducing Johnny Zell to get things started with a trumpet salute to Harry James.

Speaking of Johnny, he is also the host of the wraparounds for the show. He talks at length about his family and his career since Welk, touring the west coast with wife Laura and their kids as a family musical act and his knowledge of computers, where he teaches cyber trumpet courtesy of his webpage, Jazell.com

Speaking of his wife, it was Tom Netherton, who is one of Johnny's best friends on the show, that introduced him to Laura. He also mentioned that when the Zells married in 1977, Tom served as best man.

The music makers are without a doubt, a true musical family in every sense of the word.

And now, back to September 16, 1978 (original airdate of this episode) where Tom was next, along with his freshly new haircut singing "I'll Never Smile Again" made popular by Frank Sinatra and the Jordanaires. Bob Ralston played one of his popular piano selections "Cumana" and Guy & Ralna came out with their ever popular selection "Tangerine".

The Aldridge Sisters and Otwell Twins, in the Maestro's own words, were a little too young to remember the big band days so they did sung, "Knee Deep In Loving You" which was excellent.

Lawrence also paid tribute to the great Artie Shaw by having the orchestra play "Begin The Beguine" with Henry Cuesta leading the way on clairnet. He also had George Cates lead the orchestra and singers with the Paul Whiteman arrangement "When Day Is Done".

Also among the big band numbers featured on the show was "Sentimental Journey", sung by our favorite all girl trio of Gail, Sandi and Mary Lou.....both looking might nice in their yellow outfits.

There was Anacani, bring back memories of ex-Champagne Lady Jayne Walton by singing one of her signature hits "Eres Mi Amor" with Myron Floren at the squeezebox. Bobby and Cissy danced a fine mambo done Prez Prado style and Arthur Duncan doing a tap routine to the Shiek of Araby.

It was a wunnerful show, finishing up nicely with a bang with the orchestral arrangement of "Panama" which had the music makers getting their groove on.

I agree with Johnny here, this episode does get one huge thumbs up!

Next week, it will be "Time Was" I think....should be a good one.

Big Bands 1978

Johnny Zell

It's the day after Thanksgiving, which means today is Black Friday; However, it's also a day of celebration....Johnny Zell's birthday!

Our fearless trumpet guru hails from Fort Benning, GA but as a kid, lived in Los Angeles. Although he tried to audition for the Welk orchestra when he was just 15 and got turned down due to his age, it didn't deter him from pursuing a career in music, in fact he was motivated more than ever.

After high school; he was drafted by the Army where he got to play for the NORAD Commanders band and THAT's where he got a second chance to audition for the Maestro, thanks in part to being a guest star. Impressed; Lawrence gave him a job in the band upon completing his military service, that was in 1968 and of course the rest was history.

Today, Johnny and his wife Laura lives in Oregon and continues to perform his artistry with the trumpet, and thanks to his official webpage....teaches aspiring musicians to play the trumpet online!

Happy Birthday Johnny! May your birthday be "A String of Pearls!"

Johnny Zell

Musical Masterpieces

This week's episode is Musical Masterpieces from October 18, 1975, here's Bob Ralston at the piano playing "Rhapsody In Blue" to get things started!

Lawrence Welk really has one heckuva show in store this Saturday, all classic songs done in contemporary style (CHAMPAGNE!). Bobby and Cissy dance to the "Breeze and I " while Tom Netherton sings about his Stranger in Paradise. Anacani here, sings about the Mexican town of Guadalajara.

Guy & Ralna sings their ever popular Anniversary Song and later we are treated to Sandi, Gail and Mary Lou's Baubles, Bangles and Beads (just excatly what in Sam's Hill is a 'bauble' anyway?)

Dick Dale and Ava Barber sings "On Top of Old Smokey" but sadly, it is not the meatball version....("I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed"). There was Carmen's Boogie played by the orchestra....second week in a row I heard that number and the Semonski Sisters singing Perry Como's ever popular "Hot Diggity"

A very fine program indeed....watch for Ken Delo and Tanya Falan doing a duet of "Glow Worm", and here's the maestro having a Kodak moment with Jimmy Roberts handling the Polaroid.

Mary Lou's guest this week in the hot seat is Johnny Zell, our fine trumpet player. He talks about his first attempt joining the Welk band while still a youngster, his early days with Freddy Martin plus his stint in the Army playing with the NORAD band with fellow and future music makers Dave Edwards and Richard Maloof.

Did you also know that Johnny is a fan of the rock group Steely Dan? Or that he teaches trumpet online, just check out JOHNNY ZELL AND FAMILY here in cyberspace.

That's all folks....keep a song in your heart and your baubles all in one place!

Musical Masterpieces

Johnny Zell

Here's one of the most talented and most popular musicians to have ever played the trumpet on the Welk show, Johnny Zell.

Born in Fort Benning, GA....Johnnny and his family grew up in Southern California where at age 15 tried to score an audition with the music makers at the Hollywood Palladium, but the maestro thought he was too young and suggested he get some experience.

Five and a half years later, fresh out of the Army (with the NORAD band), he got his chance to play with the Music Makers which lasted from 1968 to 1982 and became immensly popular with his workmanship with the trumpet.

A devout Christian, Johnny, the father of four, and his wife Laura lives in Oregon where he continues to perform his horn and teach trumpet lessons in cyberspace courtesy of his webpage.

Johnny Zell