Ken Delo
Encyclopedia
Ken Delo is an American
singer best known as a member of television's The Lawrence Welk Show
.
Born and reared in River Rouge
, Michigan
, Delo started performing first as a magician, then a ventriloquist, and later a hypnotist before taking up singing by miming
to records
. While attending the Roman Catholic-affiliated Our Lady Of Lourdes High School in River Rouge, he made his public singing debut as a member of a doo-wop
group known as The Pencil Smudges, a take-off of the group The Ink Spots
, singing "The Battle of Jericho" at a school recital
.
About 1961 after serving in the United States Army
, Delo teamed up with his Army buddy and fellow performer Jonathan Daly to form the Martin & Lewis-style comedy team of Delo & Daly. The act was very popular in Australia
throughout the 1960s with their television variety show
and numerous concert
appearances, however upon their arrival back to the United States
to capitalize on their growing fame, the act broke up as Daly chose to go into television production work.
By 1969, Delo was now in Los Angeles
moving on with his career; making guest TV appearances on shows such as Mission: Impossible
and Here's Lucy
. His introduction to Lawrence Welk
came from Arthur Duncan
, the show's featured tap dancer who had known Delo from their days in Australia. Upon Duncan's recommendation, the maestro invited him on the show as a guest star, singing the Hawaiian Wedding Song. Three more guest appearances and positive viewer response led Lawrence to hire him as a full-time performer for the 1969-70 season, and remained on for the remainder of the show's run. Delo's performances frequently involved his sitting in the audience, singing directly to various female show-goers.
After the show ended, Delo continued his performing career, either on the road with his fellow Welk stars or as a headliner at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Branson
, Missouri
, from 1994 to 1999. He also became an author
, penning the novel The Frozen Horror.
He now lives in Gilbert
, Arizona
, with his wife Marilyn. His record label KimKev Records is named after his two children, Kimberly and Kevin.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer best known as a member of television's The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
.
Born and reared in River Rouge
River Rouge, Michigan
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,917 people, 3,640 households, and 2,504 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,713.9 per square mile . There were 4,080 housing units at an average density of 1,528.0 per square mile...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Delo started performing first as a magician, then a ventriloquist, and later a hypnotist before taking up singing by miming
Miming
In Norse mythology, Miming was a forest-dwelling troll, the son of Hothbrod and foster son of Gevar. In a Teutonic version of the myth of the death of Balder, Miming's sword is the weapon that Hodur uses to slay Balder; here, Hodur is not blind but is instead a physically potent figure. Miming's...
to records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. While attending the Roman Catholic-affiliated Our Lady Of Lourdes High School in River Rouge, he made his public singing debut as a member of a doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
group known as The Pencil Smudges, a take-off of the group The Ink Spots
The Ink Spots
The Ink Spots were a popular vocal group in the 1930s and 1940s that helped define the musical genre that led to rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and the subgenre doo-wop...
, singing "The Battle of Jericho" at a school recital
Recital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
.
About 1961 after serving in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Delo teamed up with his Army buddy and fellow performer Jonathan Daly to form the Martin & Lewis-style comedy team of Delo & Daly. The act was very popular in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
throughout the 1960s with their television variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
and numerous concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
appearances, however upon their arrival back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to capitalize on their growing fame, the act broke up as Daly chose to go into television production work.
By 1969, Delo was now in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
moving on with his career; making guest TV appearances on shows such as Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
and Here's Lucy
Here's Lucy
Here's Lucy is Lucille Ball's third network television sitcom. It ran on CBS from 1968 to 1974.-Background:Though The Lucy Show was still hugely popular during the previous season, finishing in the top five of the Nielsen Ratings , Ball opted to end that series at the end of that season and create...
. His introduction to Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
came from Arthur Duncan
Arthur Duncan
Arthur Duncan is a tap dancer, known for his stint as a performer on The Lawrence Welk Show from 1964 to 1982; which made him the first African-American regular on a variety television program....
, the show's featured tap dancer who had known Delo from their days in Australia. Upon Duncan's recommendation, the maestro invited him on the show as a guest star, singing the Hawaiian Wedding Song. Three more guest appearances and positive viewer response led Lawrence to hire him as a full-time performer for the 1969-70 season, and remained on for the remainder of the show's run. Delo's performances frequently involved his sitting in the audience, singing directly to various female show-goers.
After the show ended, Delo continued his performing career, either on the road with his fellow Welk stars or as a headliner at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Branson
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, from 1994 to 1999. He also became an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, penning the novel The Frozen Horror.
He now lives in Gilbert
Gilbert, Arizona
-Demographics:As of July 1, 2009, Maricopa Association of Governments, Census 2000. United States Census Bureau. there were 217,521 people, 74,147 housing units, and 3.01 persons per household....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, with his wife Marilyn. His record label KimKev Records is named after his two children, Kimberly and Kevin.