The Lennon Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Lennon Sisters are a singing group consisting of four siblings: Dianne (born December 1, 1939), Peggy (born April 8, 1941), Kathy (born August 2, 1943), and Janet (born June 15, 1946). They were all born in Los Angeles, California
of German
/Irish
and Mexican
ancestry. The original quartet were the eldest four in a family of twelve siblings. In 1992, younger sister Mimi replaced second sister Peggy who retired. Sister Dianne (DeeDee) has also retired. The group were a regular on the weekly television show, The Lawrence Welk Show
. The current group line-up, appearing mostly at Welk resorts, consists of Mimi, Janet and Kathy. Younger brothers Kipp & Pat make up part of the band Venice along with two cousins Michael and Mark.
on Christmas Eve 1955 after their school classmate, Larry Welk, son of Lawrence Welk
, brought them to the attention of his father. Welk was home, sick in bed, when his son brought the sisters in to sing for him. He was so impressed he picked up the phone and booked them for that week's show. They were a mainstay on the show until they left to start a career of their own in 1968. The quartet was only three members from 1960 to 1964; oldest sister Dianne (also called Dee Dee) married, left the group, and then rejoined them. Peggy sang the high harmony part, Kathy the low harmony, and Janet and Dianne sang the middle harmony and lead parts.
Their first hit, "Tonight, You Belong to Me" reached to #15 on the charts in 1956. This was followed by their 1961 single, "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)
", (Dot 16255), which turned out to be their highest-charting record. It provided them with the only number #1 single of their career, reaching the top of the charts in Japan.
Items such as coloring books, paper dolls and story books were produced with the Lennon sisters.
In 1969, the sisters starred in their own variety show, Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters Hour. Six weeks before the show premiered on August 12, the sisters were forced to deal with the shooting death of their father, William Lennon, by a stalker named Chet Young, who believed himself married to Peggy and claimed their father stood in the way and had to be eliminated. Young shot William Lennon in the parking lot of the Marina Del Rey golf course; two months later he used the same weapon to commit suicide. The sisters discovered an unopened letter containing a cut out of their father, a picture of a gun pointed at his head, and the words "High Noon" (the time of the murder). (Source, Dr. Doreen Orion, I Know You Really Love Me) In the wake of the murder, Jimmy Durante Presents The Lennon Sisters Hour lasted one season before it was cancelled by ABC.
In the 1970s, the sisters performed regularly on The Andy Williams Show
, and toured with Williams across the country including engagements at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. They also appeared on several game shows as well, such as Family Feud
, Tattletales
and The Hollywood Squares. From 1994 to 2004, the quartet performed as headliners at the Welk Champagne Theater in the Ozark community of Branson, Missouri
. When Peggy retired from singing in 1999, younger sister Mimi took her place, and when Dianne left for a second time in 2001, the act became a trio again for the rest of its run in Branson.
While continuing to play tour dates, Kathy and Janet Lennon have branched out into the toy market, designing and selling their "Best Pals" dolls. In addition to the dolls, the sisters have recorded CDs of favorite children songs for their "Best Pals" line. In addition, Kathy appeared on a religious TV show called Search, produced by Catholic TV Studios in California.
The four original Lennon Sisters wrote their autobiography Same Song, Separate Voices, which was originally published in 1985 and updated a decade later.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
/Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
ancestry. The original quartet were the eldest four in a family of twelve siblings. In 1992, younger sister Mimi replaced second sister Peggy who retired. Sister Dianne (DeeDee) has also retired. The group were a regular on the weekly television show, 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...
. The current group line-up, appearing mostly at Welk resorts, consists of Mimi, Janet and Kathy. Younger brothers Kipp & Pat make up part of the band Venice along with two cousins Michael and Mark.
Career
The quartet debuted on The Lawrence Welk ShowThe 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...
on Christmas Eve 1955 after their school classmate, Larry Welk, son of 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...
, brought them to the attention of his father. Welk was home, sick in bed, when his son brought the sisters in to sing for him. He was so impressed he picked up the phone and booked them for that week's show. They were a mainstay on the show until they left to start a career of their own in 1968. The quartet was only three members from 1960 to 1964; oldest sister Dianne (also called Dee Dee) married, left the group, and then rejoined them. Peggy sang the high harmony part, Kathy the low harmony, and Janet and Dianne sang the middle harmony and lead parts.
Their first hit, "Tonight, You Belong to Me" reached to #15 on the charts in 1956. This was followed by their 1961 single, "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)
Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)
"Sad Movies " is a 1961 pop song by the American singer Sue Thompson. The song was written by John D. Loudermilk and appears on Thompson's 1962 Hickory Records album Meet Sue Thompson....
", (Dot 16255), which turned out to be their highest-charting record. It provided them with the only number #1 single of their career, reaching the top of the charts in Japan.
Items such as coloring books, paper dolls and story books were produced with the Lennon sisters.
In 1969, the sisters starred in their own variety show, Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters Hour. Six weeks before the show premiered on August 12, the sisters were forced to deal with the shooting death of their father, William Lennon, by a stalker named Chet Young, who believed himself married to Peggy and claimed their father stood in the way and had to be eliminated. Young shot William Lennon in the parking lot of the Marina Del Rey golf course; two months later he used the same weapon to commit suicide. The sisters discovered an unopened letter containing a cut out of their father, a picture of a gun pointed at his head, and the words "High Noon" (the time of the murder). (Source, Dr. Doreen Orion, I Know You Really Love Me) In the wake of the murder, Jimmy Durante Presents The Lennon Sisters Hour lasted one season before it was cancelled by ABC.
In the 1970s, the sisters performed regularly on The Andy Williams Show
The Andy Williams Show
The Andy Williams Show is a television variety show which ran from 1959 to 1971 , and a short-lived run in syndication, beginning in the fall of 1976...
, and toured with Williams across the country including engagements at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. They also appeared on several game shows as well, such as Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, Tattletales
Tattletales
Tattletales is a game show which first aired on the CBS daytime schedule on February 18, 1974. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with several announcers, including Jack Clark, Gene Wood, Johnny Olson and John Harlan, providing the voiceover at various times...
and The Hollywood Squares. From 1994 to 2004, the quartet performed as headliners at the Welk Champagne Theater in the Ozark community of Branson, Missouri
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....
. When Peggy retired from singing in 1999, younger sister Mimi took her place, and when Dianne left for a second time in 2001, the act became a trio again for the rest of its run in Branson.
While continuing to play tour dates, Kathy and Janet Lennon have branched out into the toy market, designing and selling their "Best Pals" dolls. In addition to the dolls, the sisters have recorded CDs of favorite children songs for their "Best Pals" line. In addition, Kathy appeared on a religious TV show called Search, produced by Catholic TV Studios in California.
The four original Lennon Sisters wrote their autobiography Same Song, Separate Voices, which was originally published in 1985 and updated a decade later.
Members
| Dianne | Peggy | Kathy | Janet | |
| Born: | December 1, 1939 | April 8, 1941 | August 2, 1943 | June 15, 1946 |
| Spouse(s): | Dick Gass m. October 16, 1960–present three children |
1) Dick Cathcart Dick Cathcart Charles Richard Cathcart was an American Dixieland trumpet player.Born and raised in Michigan City, Indiana; Cathcart was best known as a member of the Lawrence Welk orchestra, in which he appeared on the Maestro's television program from 1962 to 1968... (1924–1993) m. May 24, 1964 six children 2) Robert Felt m. July 2, 1995–present |
1) Mahlon Clark Mahlon Clark Mahlon Clark was an American musician who was a member of the Lawrence Welk orchestra from 1962 to 1968. His primary instrument was the clarinet.... (1923–2007) m. June 26, 1967 divorced 1979 2) Jim Daris m. April 24, 1982–present |
1) Lee Bernhardi m. May 7, 1966 divorced three children 2) John Bahler John Bahler John Bähler is an American vocalist, arranger, conductor, composer and producer.John Bähler is brother of Tom Bähler and husband of Janet Lennon .-Early career:... m. September 25, 1976–present two children |
External links
- The Lennon Sisters' Website
- Lennon Sisters page from Welk Musical Family.com
- 'The Lennon Sisters' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
- The Lennon Sisters: Untainted Pop Princesses Lennon Sisters profile at Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict