Champagne Covers #1

In all the years the Lawrence Welk Show has been on the air, the Musical Family have done covers of very popular hit songs of any genre.

Our crack research team has uncovered some musical gems. Their own unique covers of today's hit pop songs the kids like!

See if you can recognize anyone of them.

 

Champagne Covers #1

Easter Parade '79

Greetings everyone, hope you all had a pleasant Easter weekend!

As you can guess, the subject of last Saturday's Welk episode was Easter so put on your grey bonnet and lets go to the highlights!

Barbara Boylan pretends she's the Columbia Pictures logo.....

Neil Levang plays the guitar.....

.....and the Trio are playing with flowers.

EASTER PARADE - April 14, 1979

1. EASTER PARADE - Gail, Joe, Norma, Jimmy, Guy, Ralna, Sherry, Roger, Sheila, David, Mary Lou, Ken, Kathie, Larry, Anacani, Curt
2. ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE - the orchestra
3. HE TOUCHED ME - Tom Netherton
4. DO LORD - Sheila and Sherry Aldridge with Roger and David Otwell
5. THE LORD'S COURT - Myron Floren on accordion with orchestra

6. GIMMIE THAT OLD TIME RELIGION - Guy Hovis & Ralna English with Curt, Kathie, Ken, Mary Lou, Jimmy, Gail, Joe, Sherry

7. I'D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING - Anacani
8. A PRETTY GIRL IS LIKE A MELODY - danced by Bobby Burgess & Barbara Boylan
9. SPRING IS HERE - Kathie Sullivan
10. LOVE LIFTED ME - Henry Cuesta on clarinet with orchestra

11. MEDLEY OF SONGS FROM "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF" - the orchestra
12. SUNRISE, SUNSET - Joe Feeney
13. THE OLD RUGGED CROSS - Norma Zimmer
14. THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S - the orchestra
15. TIPTOE THROUGH THE TULIPS - Sandi Griffiths, Gail Farrell, Mary Lou Metzger

16. SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS - Bob Ralston at the piano
17. APRIL SHOWERS - Jimmy Roberts with Bob Smale at the piano
18. ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET - Ken Delo
19. PUT ON YOUR OLD GREY BONNET - danced by Arthur Duncan
20. MEDLEY OF HYMNS - entire cast with Bob Ralston at the organ and conducted by Bob Ballard

I really enjoyed the show, especially Sandi, Gail and Mary Lou's number. You can tell that the girls were really into it.

One thing about the wardrobe in the opening number "Easter Parade", I doubt that anyone dresses like that anymore, even in the 1970s.

Regardless of how anyone dresses, the spirit of Easter remains the same and that consists of family, friends, tradition and religion. I hope that never changes.

In the meantime, keep a song in your heart and don't get a tummy ache from biting the head off that chocolate bunny! 

Easter Parade '79

Ringing the old year out....bringing the new year in

And now, here's the ladies with a very special message....

 

Ringing the old year out....bringing the new year in

If today is the First of August.....

....it can only mean one thing.

Today is Sandi Griffiths' birthday!

If today is the First of August.....

In a Penny Arcade

From 1978, here's the trio of Sandi, Gail and Mary Lou along with some stuffed, furry friends as they sing one of the lost hits from the 1970s.

It's a little ditty about fun at a penny arcade.

In a Penny Arcade

Nothing to see here, that's just Elmer's Tune

From 1974, here's Dick Dale with the girls as they sing this classic Glenn Miller song.

 

Nothing to see here, that's just Elmer's Tune

Hit Songs From Broadway '74

Here's some of the highlights from this week's episode....

Sandi, Mary Lou and Gail are at the end of their rope.....

Anacani asks Henry Cuesta for extra change in order to use the studio's snack machine.....

Ava Barber plays with Roger Sullivan's cheeks for good luck.....

And the Musical Family would not touch the buffet table with a ten foot pole.

Must be the bean dip everyone's talking about

Hit Songs From Broadway '74

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

It's Movie Night here at the Welk studios!

But be sure to check the picture rating first....

"No security measures is gonna keep us from being in that new Adam Sandler movie!"

"Fine time for the studio's AC to go out, it's really hot in here!"

"Dick, can it wait? I'm in the middle of filming."

"The fellas think we're watching Jackass 3D? They'll be surprised we switched the reels so we'll be really watching The King's Speech."

It's Movie Night here at the Welk studios!

The end of another weekend....

For you romantics out there, today is Valentines Day....

But for the rest of us in the real world, today is just Monday....

Back to work everyone!

The end of another weekend....

Salute to Vincent Youmans

That's the episode shown this Super Bowl weekend, here are some of the highlights.....

Sandi and Sally look snazzy in their outfits, which also can be at the car wash for washing and buffing....

 
The Maestro gets in a polka dance with Cissy.....

Judging from the look of Ralna's face, Guy must be in her dog house, so he's trying to get back in her good graces by singing....

.....and Kenny the Sailor Man gets acquainted with the locals.

And here's my Super Bowl prediction:

STEELERS 19, PACKERS 16

Salute to Vincent Youmans

Who's got the Rose Milk?

It's getting cold and dry back here in Toledo.....

Mary Lou has a bottle,

.....so does Sandi

I know Anacani has a bottle or two....

And I'm %@$# out of luck....

Who's got the Rose Milk?

The Trio on the pulpit

Me thinks the girls have plenty to say....

The Trio on the pulpit

Bringing back suffrage.....a brand new poll!

Democracy has returned to Welk Musical Family.com!

Actually, for the first time in over a year....I have a new poll ready for your voice to be heard.

And here's the question....

Which of the acts from the Welk Show you like to see cover Beyonce's hit song "Single Ladies?"

Just in case you not familiar....here's the video for the song that is very popular with the young folks.

Now imagine that same song being performed on the Lawrence Welk Show, sung straight up, Champagne style.

Here are your choices......

1. Bob Lido and the Hotsy Totsy Boys

2. Jack Imel, Bobby Burgess and Arthur Duncan

3. The Trio of Gail, Sandi and Mary Lou

You can cast your ballot over on the right side of this blog.

Bringing back suffrage.....a brand new poll!

Ride' Em Cowboy

From this past weekend's County Fair episode. Here's our country boy Clay Hart joined by Gail and Sandi as he sings about the rodeo cowboy in this song made famous by Paul Davis.

And it's true, you can make no money if you hit the ground....

Ride' Em Cowboy

This Day in Welk History: January 6, 1968

The duo of Sandi and Sally made their national television debut...

Fresh out of Brigham Young University, these pretty young ladies joined the show from an open casting call at the Hollywood Palladium.

The episode that Saturday night? That's Showbiz

Their first number ever sung? Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah

And from that point on, they never looked back.

This Day in Welk History: January 6, 1968

Jimmy and the Trio

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

I just hope they're dressed warmly

Jimmy and the Trio