WELK MUSICAL FAMILY

Saturday, September 12, 2009

A Dynamite way to attract the young fans

Remember growing up in the 70s and 80s with Dynamite magazine?

Every school kid anticipated each new issue every month, on their cover featured stars of the hottest TV shows, movies and music of the era.

And that lead me to thinking....what would it be like if Lawrence Welk and his Musical Family were featured on the cover of Dynamite?

That led to another landmark in Photoshopping, and the result was this.

Now that's....to quote Jimmie "J.J" Walker....is DY-NO-MITE!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Bill Page's Birthday Pandemonium

Happy Birthday Bill!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Lennon Sisters with Sha Na Na

My good friend Peter MacNeil gave me the heads up on this, it's a You Tube clip featuring the Lennon Sisters on Sha Na Na's syndicated variety show in a ballroom skit.

Hard to believe that Sha Na Na was one of the acts that appeared in Woodstock.

I kinda wish that Dee Dee, Peggy, Kathy and Janet Lennon appeared as well....

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Bob Davis owns your soul

If it means playing woodwind instruments much better, I'm all for it...

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Meet the Hotsy Totsy Boys

Inspired by one of Lawrence Welk's early bands of the same name, the Hotsy Totsy Boys first appeared in the early 1970s bring a rock star mentality to the show's novelty numbers!

Let's meet the fellas!

Bob Lido, lead vocals and the fiddle

Jack Imel....drums, triangle and other percussions

Richard Maloof....tuba

Russ Klein....soprano saxophone

Charlie Parlato.....piccolo trumpet

Bob Havens.....trombone

Bob Ralston......piano

.....and Mary Lou Metzger with vocal support

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Welkin' across the USA in a new syndicated frontier

The year was 1971.

Movies like Shaft and Diamonds Are Forever ruled the box office, and folks were watching All In The Family and The Brady Bunch on the boob tube.

And on September 11th of that year...America was anticipating the debut of the syndicated version of the Lawrence Welk Show.

It was a brave new world, and after being canned by ABC....no one knew what to expect, but when the lights came on, the horns were a blazin'...the Music Makers didn't miss a beat.

Here this week, it was also the debut show of the 2009-2010 season on public television. Unlike recent years, there's no interview segments, no wraparounds of members of the Musical Family sharing memories, family and career updates...just Mary Lou as host saying "Hello" and enjoy the show.

Yes, it's pretty stripped down....but the basic core remains the same.

And Mary Lou as always does a great job hosting and sharing her thoughts..plus I liked the return of the "Coming Soon" segments of upcoming episodes.

Back to 1971, the show was titled "Salute to the USA", here's some highlights and a rundown of the musical numbers featured.

The Maestro is in search of new talent as seen here...

Tanya shows off her flower collection.....

Clay Hart and Buddy Merrill are sweet talking to the boss....

A wild polka with Myron Floren along with Bobby and Cissy.....

....and Bob Lido and Mary Lou Metzger go Hotsy Totsy on your keyster

SALUTE TO THE USA - original airdate: September 11, 1971

1. Thank You Very Much - Mary Lou, Gail, Norma, Ken, Tanya, Dick, Jimmy, Joe, Sally, Sandi, Ralna, Guy, Arthur, Cissy & Bobby

2. Carolina In The Morning - the orchestra

3. By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Tanya Falan

4. Do You Know The Way To San Jose - Bob Smale at harpischord with Buddy Merrill at guitar and vocals by Gail, Mary Lou and Norma

5. Everything's Up To Date In Kansas City - Sandi Griffiths and Sally Flynn

6. New York Medley - Bob Ralston on piano

7. Moon Over Miami - Ralna English & Guy Hovis

8. Chicago - the orchestra with dancing by Cissy King and Bobby Burgess

9. On The Banks of the Wabash, Far Away - Joe Feeney with Mary Lou, Ken, Gail, Jimmy, Dick, Sally, Guy & Ralna

10. Meet Me In St. Louis - tap dancing by Arthur Duncan

11. Tennessee Waltz - Ralna English

12. St. Louis Blues - Peanuts Hucko on clairnet backed by the rhythm section

13. Tiny Bubbles - Dick Dale & Gail Farrell with Buddy Merrill on steel guitar

14. Alabamy Bound - Bob Lido and Mary Lou Metzger plus the Hotsy Totsy Boys

15. Oklahoma! - Ken Delo

16. Missouri Waltz - Bob Ralston on organ and Charlotte Harris on cello

17. M-O-B-I-L-E - Clay Hart (vocals) with Buddy Merrill and Neil Levang all on guitars

18. Beautiful Ohio - Norma Zimmer and Jimmy Roberts

19. Pennsylvania Polka - Myron Floren on accordion with polka dancing by Cissy & Bobby

20. America The Beautiful - Mary Lou, Norma, Tanya, Sandi, Sally, Ralna, Jimmy, Ken, Arthur, Joe, Guy & Dick

Keep a song in your heart, and those hot pants looking sharp!

Jim Turner's Birthday Jambalaya

Happy Birthday Jim!

Saturday, September 05, 2009

But officer, we're in a hurry....

"Today is the first Saturday of college football and Ohio State is playing Navy at the Horseshoe....

....and Toledo is playing Purdue at noon, we must make it before kickoff

....and did we mention that the new season of Lawrence Welk on public television starts tonight?"

Friday, September 04, 2009

Galveston was never a pain in the brass

Galveston was one of the first Lawrence Welk albums I bought and to this day, it's still one of my favorites

It's got that big brassy sound provided by the Champagne Music Makers, especially from the horn section plus some great guitar and keyboard work as well.

Several of the songs covered are just a few of the many hit songs that Glen Campbell made famous.