Kathy Lennon video interview

By request, here's her interview from last week's Lawrence Welk Show.

Enjoy snoopysnake!

Lennon Sisters YouTube clips and screencaps

Long time no blog. Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been going through a very rough patch the past month. Hopefully things are turning around. Anyway, let the blogging commence!

Did y'all see last night's Lawrence Welk Show? It was really good. From early 1968, it was one of the very last appearances by The Lennon Sisters on the show. They performed two choice numbers, which I've added to YouTube.

First up, the very beautiful Where Are The Words. This is an exquisite number.


Their second number was the cute and lively Quanto le Gusta.


Kathy was interviewed at the end of the show. She told a moving story of finding an old, very early amateur recording she and her dad did on a recording machine given to them by a wealthy relative. She got choked up talking about what a treasure it was to have a recording of her dad. She made copies for her brothers and sisters for Christmas. What a priceless gift.

I made some screencaps from the show if you'd like to have a look.
Enjoy.

another Mahlon Clark obituary

Here's a sweet obit, from a hometown angle, on the late Mahlon Clark. Good to know he had Southern roots, even though Virginia is up "nawth" to this Louisiana girl.

Post Script: Even among the stars, Virginia put a twinkle in his eye

By JIM WASHINGTON, The Virginian-Pilot
© October 2, 2007

PORTSMOUTH

You've heard Mahlon Clark's work, even if you don't know his name.

Think of the toodling clarinet in Henry Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk."

If you ever watched an Elvis Presley or Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie, or enjoyed the Frank Sinatra albums "In the Wee Small Hours" and "Songs for Swingin' Lovers," you know what he can do.

That's not to mention his performances with Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, Lawrence Welk, Dolly Parton and Madonna, and his work on movies and TV shows like "Dragnet," "Adam-12," "Dick Tracy," "Rear Window" and "When Harry Met Sally."

Clark died Sept. 20 in Van Nuys, Calif. He was 84.

A Portsmouth native, Clark launched his music career after graduating from Wilson High School in 1939, eventually rising to the top of the jazz world in Hollywood.

"My dad knew he was different growing up," said Julie Clark De Blasio, one of Clark's daughters. "Music was his passion. That was his true calling. There was no other choice."

As a teen, Clark spent more than a year touring the country with several big bands. On the road, he met a big-band singer named Imogene Lynn. They got married and moved to California when Clark enlisted in the Merchant Marine during World War II.

After the war, Clark signed a contract with Paramount Studios, where he played music for dozens of movies and television shows. He did numerous studio recordings with Dean Martin, Fitzgerald, Sinatra and Elvis.

The latter two giants didn't interact much with musicians, he told his daughter later, but he did get the occasional wink or thumbs up from The King after a session.

Later, Clark joined the Lawrence Welk orchestra. He and Lynn had divorced by then, and he met and married Kathy Lennon. She was one of the four Lennon Sisters, the family group that performed on the Welk show.

Clark continued working into the '80s, collaborating with Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Madonna.

"He didn't really know who they were," his daughter said.

Clark returned occasionally to Portsmouth to perform. According to his daughter, he remembered Virginia fondly in the waning weeks of his life.

"He really liked going back there," she said. "He loved the Atlantic seaboard, the slower pace of life and the Southern hospitality. That was his home."

Jim Washington, (757) 446-2536, jim.washington@pilotonline.com


Source

Mahlon Clark 1923 - 2007

Sad to hear the news Mahlon Clark, respected clarinetist, and ex-husband of Kathy Lennon, passed away on Sept. 20, 2007. He was 84. My condolences to his family and friends.

Here's a nice obituary from The Los Angeles Times. It includes an audio clip of his very memorable clarinet playing on The Elephant Walk.

Mahlon Clark, 84; clarinetist played with Welk, Sinatra and Madonna

By Jocelyn Y. Stewart, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 3, 2007

Mahlon Clark, the clarinetist who performed on the soundtracks of numerous Hollywood movies and recorded with artists as varied as Lawrence Welk and Madonna, has died. He was 84.

Clark, who also played a well-known clarinet solo in recordings of "Baby Elephant Walk," died Sept. 20 of natural causes at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, his family announced.

At Capitol Records, Clark developed a friendship with Nelson Riddle, arranger, composer and conductor for Frank Sinatra. Clark, who also played alto saxophone, performed on many Sinatra albums, including "In the Wee Small Hours."

"The days with Capitol Records and Nelson Riddle were very special," said Clark's son-in-law, Ron De Blasio.

"Mahlon said Frank knew what he wanted. He always gave the band lots of credit, which is why the musicians loved working for him," De Blasio said.

"Baby Elephant Walk" was featured on the soundtrack for the 1962 Oscar-nominated movie "Hatari!" starring John Wayne.

The song was a hit for Henry Mancini's orchestra, which recorded the soundtrack. When Welk later recorded it, he also used Clark.

Born in Portsmouth, Va., on March 7, 1923, Clark performed in vaudeville with his sister Jane when they were children.

When he was 16, Clark landed a professional job as a big band musician with the Dean Hudson Band. That gig was followed by stints with the Will Bradley Band and the Ray McKinley Band.

Beginning in 1942, Clark served in the U.S. merchant marine. He married Imogene Lynn, a vocalist with the McKinley band. Stationed on Santa Catalina Island, Clark was assigned to the merchant marine band, which entertained troops on furlough.

After the war, Clark found work as a musician with the permanent orchestra at Paramount Studios. At Paramount he performed on soundtracks for movies starring Elvis Presley, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and in films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Clark was an advocate for musicians in the mid-1950s, a time when many worried for their jobs and salaries at Hollywood studios. Musicians feared the studios would end the practice of hiring musicians to play live, opting instead to use prerecorded music.

During this debate, the leadership of the American Federation of Musicians was challenged by a newly created rival union, the Musicians Guild of America. Los Angeles Musicians Local 47 responded by purging members believed to be associated with the rival group, including Clark, who later served on the new guild's board.

From 1962 until 1968, Clark performed in Welk's orchestra, which appeared on his television show. After Clark's first marriage ended in 1966, Clark married Kathy Lennon of the Lennon Sisters, who appeared regularly on Welk's show.

Clark continued performing until the early 1990s, playing on the soundtracks for movies including "Dick Tracy," and "When Harry Met Sally." He also played on Linda Ronstadt recordings and Madonna's 1990 album "I'm Breathless."

Clark is survived by two daughters, Deborah Clark of Sherman Oaks and Julie Clark De Blasio of Los Angeles; a son, Kevin Clark of Aptos, Calif.; and four grandchildren.

jocelyn.stewart@latimes.com

Kathy and Janet 7.27.07 tv Interview

Another day, another scorcher. Temps were well over 100 again. I had to wait til almost sunset to go bike riding on the levee - still came home dripping wet. And why do they make bicycle seats so uncomfortable? Seriously, my behind is sore. Too much information. Sorry. I did take a pretty pic of the mighty Mississippi with my cell phone.



So anyway, last month Kathy and Janet were on CN8TV morning show promoting their Best Pals line. I don't get that channel, but thanks to Peter MacNeil, who shared the video with me, we can all view it as I've added it to YouTube .

It's a good interview about their dolls and cds, and they sing a bit too. Such beautiful voices. Particularly interesting is the tidbit about their meeting with QVC, where they hope to be able to sell their Best Pals products. Janet was cute with her "thumbs up" when the interviewer wished them luck with the meeting.

Kathy and Janet promoting new dolls

There's a new interview with Kathy and Janet in promotion of their Best Pals doll line. Check it out.

Presenting: Lennon sisters’ rag dolls
By GRETCHEN METZ

Entrepreneurism is a new role for sisters Kathy and Janet Lennon.



They are familiar with celebrity, having been in the spotlight 50-plus years. But as founders of KatJan, a company that makes rag dolls like the ones crafted for them by their mother and grandmother when they were tots, there is a lot to learn.

“I had no idea how much work was involved,” said Janet Lennon in an interview Wednesday at a local hotel. “Our background is entertainment. We leave the business-business part to people who know what they’re doing but we’re learning all the time.”

Kathy and Janet Lennon, the two youngest of the Lennon Sisters quartet, are in the West Chester area this week to pitch their new line of Best Pal dolls to QVC in West Goshen and appear on the Comcast CN8 “Your Morning” show at 8:30 a.m. today.

The Lennon sisters, Diane, Peggy, Kathy and Janet, grew up as the apple of America’s eye, little girls in matching dresses, singing in harmony on “The Lawrence Welk Show.”

Janet, the youngest, was 9 when the sisters made their first Champagne Music apparence for Welk on Christmas Eve 1955. They left the show in 1968 and started their own musical variety show on ABC, “Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters,” the following year.

In the 1970s, the sisters performed regularly on “The Andy Williams Show,” and toured with Williams across the country.

In 1994 they began performing at the Welk Resort Theatre in Branson, Mo., and producing CDs. Sisters Diane and Peggy have retired. Younger sister Mimi has joined Kathy and Janet to make a trio.

There were 12 Lennon siblings in all.

“We thought we’d be there for a year or two but it’s been 13 years,” Janet Lennon, 61, said.

The two sisters, who were inseparable growing up and still remain “best pals,” decided three years ago to make their entrepreneurial dream come true.

“We always wanted to do something together,” said Kathy Lennon, 63. “And we loved the rag dolls so much we wanted to give them to other children.”

Added Janet Lennon, “those dolls were with us on the road, slept in our bed in hotels when we were little girls.”

The still glamourous, yet approachable, sisters said they thought the time was right to fill a need for wholesome toys in an industry saturated with techno-toys and dolls with attitudes and provocotive cloths.

“They are playable and we felt it was time to bring children back to a simpler time,” Kathy Lennon said of Best Pals.

Like the dolls made by the Lennons’ mother and grandmother, Nana, the dolls have embroidered faces, yarn hair in pigtails, cotton-print dresses, white pantaloons, white stockings and white Mary Jane shoes.

The Best Pals line started with a blonde Janet and a brunette Kathy doll, both 16 inches tall. When the Best Pals Christmas CD came out and the sisters saw the covers with the Kathy doll in a green velvet dress and the Janet doll in a red velvet dress, Kathy Lennon said they decided that they were “so adorable” they would add Christmas Best Pals to their line.

The sisters launched the line in August 2006 at the Mall of the Americas in Bloomington, Minn. Since then, they’ve been on the road talking to retailers and making appearances at trade shows around the country.

As new entrepreneurs, performing at Branson, where they live, is actually the most restful part of the year, according to Janet Lennon.

“We get to sleep in our own beds,” Janet Lennon said.

KatJan is adding a line of multicultural dolls: Lily, Sofia and Isabelle so that black, Asian and Latino children will be able to identify with their own doll.

There will also be mini dolls, a cookbook, gift book and children’s CD.

KatJan is managed by Roxi Elfering who ran her own toy manufacturing company before signing on with the Lennons. As KatLJan president and executive director, Elfering is guiding rollout of the new products in the Best Pals line.

The start-up company is “exceeding goals” Elfering said, thanks in some degree to the sisters’ celebrity.

“It absolutely opens doors,” Elfering said.

The Lennon sisters have an office at their warehouse but prefer to work from home.

“You can have lunch with the grandchildren and go back to work,” Janet Lennon said. “It’s so much easier than getting dressed and going to the office.”

To contact staff writer Gretchen Metz, send an e-mail to gmetz@dailylocal.com.
dailylocal.com

As safe as America itself

The above quote by Kathy, from the 1965 radio program Guest Star, for US Savings Bonds, just strikes me funny. For one thing it's now ironic given the age of terrorism we live in. And she delivers the line with such earnestness. Sadly, I just can't comprehend the innocence Americans felt back in the day.

*sigh*

Well, I didn't mean to be so maudlin. I'm here to share some goodies. I have an lp of The Lennon Sisters on that Guest Star radio program, hosted by Merv Griffin.



The girls and Merv chat rather stiltedly, trying to sell some bonds. The girls sing and sound great on Chim Chimeny, More and You Made Me Love You.

*Reuploaded to MediaFire*
Download it all here.

classic clips

I added some more clips to YouTube - three numbers from the recent repeat of the Indiana episode of The Lawrence Welk Show.

My fave - I'm Coming Back To You.

Shhhhh - There's A Kind Of Hush.

Finally, Kathy and Kennedy look-a-like, Steve Smith - Somethin' Stupid.

Enjoy the songs, and not so subtle prop usage. It's so crazy how the show went to such lengths to hide the girls' pregnancies.

good, long interview in HomeArts magazine

Here's a terrific and in-depth interview with Kathy and Janet from the current issue of HomeArts magazine. I love that the interviewer is clearly a big Lennon Sisters fan. Just great stuff.

Lennon Sisters Interview

Julie Stephani, HomeArts Editor

The Lennon Sisters are an American institution. Glamorous, yet unpretentious. Sophisticated, yet down to earth. Famous, yet approachable. No wonder America remains fascinated by The Lennon Sisters. America fell in love with them as the girls next door. For 13 years on The Lawrence Welk Show, The Lennon Sisters charmed the nation with their sweet voiced harmonies. The combination of their extraordinary natural vocal talents, hard working professionalism, striking looks, unassuming personalities and strong family values has earned them a place in the hearts of millions of fans.



JS: Thank you for joining me to chat about your amazing careers and what it has been like for you to be singing performers recognized throughout the world. First, I have to tell you, I really enjoyed your autobiography, Same Song, Different Voices.
KL: Thank you! We were so proud of that! We wrote every single word ourselves
JL: We were really, really proud. It took us ten or twelve years to write it because every time we got together, we just wanted to play.
JS: I kind of caught that in reading your book. (laughter)
KL: Really, you always end up talking about your kids, and talking about what you saw at a store, and then it’s like, “Wait, we’ve got to get back to work!” The truth is that everyone should write their story, because your story is unique, and it’s always special whether you pass it on to your children or grandchildren. People are very interested in others’ lives, so you absolutely should do it.
JS: Right. And did you find when you were getting together and talking about your memories that some of them were a little bit different from each other?
JL: Oh, definitely!
KL: Very!
JS: So you were wondering if the same thing happened. (laughter)
KL: Very different perspectives. When we first started, Janet was only nine, and DeeDee was almost sixteen, so you look at things quite differently. At Easter time Janet could dance around a little toadstool and sing "Here Comes Peter Cottontail," but when you’re skipping around at sixteen years old, your friends are making fun of you in high school.



JS: I did catch that for your careers, for your fans, they wanted to keep you young.
KL: Oh yes.
JL: Right. I wore braids until I was thirteen or something. It was humiliating.
JS: As I was reading your story, there were so many parallels in our lives. My three sisters and I are about the same ages as the four of you, and we called ourselves the Olson Sisters—but we couldn’t sing. Janet, I used to wear braids, too (laughs), but I think I had mine cut off in 5th grade. But then nobody was holding me back on that. Did you save your braid Janet?
JL: I didn’t. I don’t think I ever cut them off. First of all, I have the world’s thinnest hair. It’s so fine and so thin that if I’d have saved them, it would have just looked like a little, wiglet that you’d put in your hair. You saved your braids?
JS: Yes. When I cut them off, they were long. It was during 5th grade, and that’s when the big ducktails came in so I got a really short boy cut.
JL: With a great ducktail in the back?
JS: Yes, I did! (laughter)
KL: We were never allowed to have a ducktail. That was racy. You were a really racy girl!
JS: No, not in 5th grade, I wasn’t. (laughter) With the image of the Lennon Sisters, I’m sure you always had to make sure that everything was the way that it needed to be.
JL/KL: Proper!



KL: We pretty much WERE the people that people perceived us to be. We were from a very loving, sheltered home. We didn’t really go out much or do much because we loved being at home. And we loved working at ABC Studios where we were sheltered by a wonderful crew of people and the Lawrence Welk Orchestra. It was just a great life! We really had no chance to really grow up and be jaded in any way, so we were just happy kids.
JS: It really comes out in your book, too–the wonderful life that you lived. My goodness. What is one of the most important life lessons you learned from your remarkable parents? They really were something special.
KL: They really were. Go ahead, Janet.
JL: I remember one of the things Mom and Dad said to us when we first knew we were going to be very popular after the first few months of being on the Welk show. They sat us down, and made a promise that we were never going to have to go to a Hollywood professional school–that we could stay in our same school and be with our same friends, which was wonderful. But my dad mentioned something in that meeting that really stuck with us, for whatever reason, and that all of us have lived by, and that is, “You are going to meet so many people in your life, and every single person that you meet, you leave for better or for worse, and that is your choice.” And we always remembered that. We have always signed after every show we’ve done, and we’ve been there till the last audience member was there to take a picture or to as us to sign an autograph. Every time I talk with anybody who comes up to get the autograph, I think of what Daddy said. “Put yourself in that position. If you went up to somebody that you really admired and said ’I’d like to say hello’ or ’can I have your autograph?’… how would you want them to treat you?” And I think that stuck with us and served us very well.



JS: I think your sincerity is what everybody has loved about all of you for so many years. You’ve been popular and you have these multi-talents, yet you are who you are.
KL: We are. And we can really tribute our parents for the love they gave us, for the love they gave each other. They set such a beautiful example. They had such a strong belief in God, and that’s the strength that held the family together. Nobody is a saint here, but it was about loving, about being fair rather than necessarily being right, being at peace. We just had such a beautiful, sheltered life. And it did not help us to realize that the world was not that way. There was no arguing in our house, there was no fighting. I know that’s really difficult for people to believe, but Mom came from a very broken home. She went to 34 different grammar schools, that’s how often she moved.
JL: She lived with cousins and aunts, her father was an alcoholic, and she just went through a lot of trauma and a difficult childhood. When she met Daddy, who was one of nine children, she said “I want a large family also, I want a lotta lotta children, and I don’t want any arguing or fighting in our home.” And that’s exactly what she got. If we’d just start, you know, to bicker about anything, she’d say, “Wait a minute!” and she would stop us. “This is your sister” or “This is your brother. You need to love them. Let’s work this out.” And she just had a way of making things positive instead of negative. It was always the half-full glass and not half-empty. And so the sincerity really comes from our parents–and how they were with each other and how they were with us. They respected us as individuals. Now we come from a family of 11 children, and each one of us thought we were their favorite. (laugh)
JS: Oh, that’s a skill in itself.
JL: But I think, and Kathy has said this before, because of our upbringing and because we have such a strong foundation, our career has never defined us as people. If we never had to perform again, it wouldn’t enter into our psyche that it has defined us as people because we are so solid, you know? So that’s a good thing, too.
JS: Well, you have such a solid foundation.
JL/KL: Oh gosh, yes!
JS: There are so many lessons to learn from reading your book–lessons and experiences you had, how your parents handled them, how you internalized things, and how you came through the experiences yourself.
KL: Well, thank you. I know that people just think we lived in la-la land, and we did not. After reading the book, you know that we went through many, many tragedies in our lives with the death of our little sister and then the death of our father due to a Lennon Sister demented fan. After the loss of Daddy, Mom still had seven children at home under 18. And we went on. We looked at her, and she was just this rock who said “And we go on.” We had families and children and Mom was there for us to admire, to follow, and to respect her attitude and the loving memory of Daddy. And he lives on in every one of our spirits, and in every one of our children and grandchildren now. I can just see Daddy in every one of them. And it was a tragedy beyond words.
JS: When I was reading the book, I knew he was a larger than life person. You could see that in everything that he did and how he kept a watch over all of you in the family. Yet you didn’t dwell on his death. When it happened, you dealt with it and you went on. JL/KL: That’s good. That’s what we wanted to show. Because that’s what we’d done.
JS: Knowing that your families are so important to you, can you explain to our readers how you did this balance between your performing and your families–because your families have always been number one.
JL: To the detriment of the Lennon Sisters!(laughs). Our families have always been number one. When we were young and not married yet, we pretty much strictly worked the Lawrence Welk Show during our school years. And that would be a Thursday afternoon rehearsal, a Friday afternoon rehearsal, and all day Saturday. The show was live for the first eight years, but after that it was taped live. So Saturdays were pretty taken, but other than that, our weeks were normal. We went to normal schools. We’d come home from the show and change our brothers’ and sisters’ diapers, and do the dishes, and take the trash out like every child. So our life was pretty normal that way. And then when we were old enough to get married and start our own families, that’s when we decided to leave the Lawrence Welk Show. It took up a lot of our time since we had been going on the road a lot as the Lennon Sisters. We then decided the best thing when we were raising children would be to work where we could bring them along. We had been asked to work in Las Vegas with Andy Williams, Tony Bennett, Glen Campbell, and with some other stars. By performing in Vegas, we could pack up our kids, drive from L.A., and have them in with us in our hotel rooms. And for several weeks, we would kind of camp out at Caesar’s Palace or wherever we were performing. That was the way we raised our children. All of our children–the cousins, there are 14 of them–sort of had this common upbringing. They learned to roller skate in the halls of Caesar’s Palace, and their aunt Kathy taught them to swim in the swimming pool there.
KL: That’s what we did. We couldn’t put our career on hold, but we took the jobs where we could be with our families the most.
JS: Maybe that was why it was easy for so many of them to become involved when you finally got to Branson, too. They understood what you were doing and knew whether they wanted to be involved in it or not.
JL: Well, the first few years, most of them performed with us on stage.
KL: Almost seven years, incredible!
KL: They still do. We’ll be performing our 14th year in Branson, Missouri at the Welk Resort, and we do six weeks at Christmas time. It’s The Lennon Sisters and the Gatlin Brothers, so we put on a great family holiday show. Janet’s little granddaughters come on stage and sing Christmas songs with us, we bring out our little Best Pals rag dolls, and we share our story. People just love it. Of course, we love it, because we get to be with our family every day, and they are just a hoot. They enjoy the Gatlins and the Gatlins just LOVE them. And so it’s a wonderful family backstage, also.



JS: Well, I have all the Gatlin Brothers tapes. (laugh) I love them, too.
JL: They are so wonderful.
JS: Now when you went to Branson, you all were there to start–even DeeDee and Peggy?
JL: Yes.
JS: And then eventually they went back to California?
KL: We first moved to Branson in 1994, Peggy’s husband Cathcart, who had been on the Lawrence Welk Show, died in November. He had been very sick for a couple of years. When we moved to Branson, she said ’oh, I’m so ready for a new start,’ so she and her six children came to Branson. A few years later, she met this wonderful doctor from California, and they fell in love. They got married and she worked one more year in Branson with him coming back and forth. Finally she said, ’You know what. I need to go to California.’ She called our younger sister Mimi, who is nine years younger than Janet, and said ’Would you consider taking my place in Branson? I’m going to retire.’ Mimi had always been our relief pitcher. She performed at Caesar’s Palace, she’d do a television show, she’d go to Tahoe, and she’d always fill in whenever anyone was out having a baby. So when Peggy called her she said. “I would love that!” So Mimi joined us and DeeDee retired the following year. So now it’s just Janet, Mimi, and me performing in Branson.
JL: It’s the same exact sound. Mimi sounds exactly like Peggy and she sings Peggy’s part. It hasn’t changed at all over the years.



JS: Didn’t two of you share the harmonies at one time?
JL: Two of us used to sing lead together instead of having vocal arrangements done in four-part harmony. I would sing with DeeDee, particularly when I was little because I didn’t have the strongest voice in the world then.
KL: Janet was with DeeDee and then she went into four-part harmony for awhile. Then we went back down to our three-part harmony, which is the real Lennon Sisters sound that you hear all the time now. And it’s still just the same!
JS: I had to laugh when you mentioned the costumes you wore. You sometimes felt you just had to put with them while all of us loved seeing you in the costumes. We couldn’t wait to see what you were wearing on the next show.
JL: When the ’60s came in, we wanted to wear mini dresses so badly, and Mr. Welk wouldn’t let us wear them. That was a hard time. We did the Jerry Lewis show, and we have these fabulous pink mini dresses on with these pink heels with the ice-cube heels, you know? Remember when that was in? We had such a good time, and I think we sang "Sunny.". When we came back to the Welk show the following week, he was so upset!
JS: Oh, no!
KL: The janitor had told him that he had seen the show and that our dresses were too short, and we got in trouble. It’s just such a perfect story! The janitor thought that they were really just too short, and that’s a perfect Mr. Welk story–always listening to his audience. As if our dad would ever let us wear anything that short anyway! It was really difficult. Those were the changing times when the Beatles were in. Janet and I were in high school and wanting so badly to wear those clothes. We did end up wearing all the hairdos that everybody wore…
JL: …the bubblehead…
KL: … and wiglets, and, oh my gosh. We have all those pictures of that.





JS: Oh, yes! And it’s so much fun to see you in your glam outfits from Las Vegas —wow!
KL: Oh, those were wonderful!
JL: I think Bob Mackie helped make them, but Rhett Turner would put our basic form on us in muslin to begin with. Then Bob Mackie would come in with a pencil and draw designs all over the muslin of where he wanted the beads to go. Then the muslin would go off and become the dress with beads. And it was so much fun–such a great time. We were just poor girls from Venice and didn’t go around with stars or anything, but going to get our dresses made, we’d walk out Cher would be in the waiting room or Diana Ross. It was so much fun.
JS: What exciting adventures you have had! My gosh! All the people you’ve met and all the people you’ve sung with. Are there people that who are your favorites?
KL: Oh, the stories of what we’ve done! I mean, singing for seven presidents has been a highlight in our career. And getting our star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was a wonderful, wonderful tribute. We always feel it’s a tribute to Mom and Dad. But the stars we sang with, from Perry Como to… Bob Hope, Jack Benny, and George Burns. We came in on the great days of variety and vaudeville. We were kids and they people were older, but we got to work with them.
KL: We had a show with Jimmy Durante and, appeared on shows with Perry Como Andy Williams, and Glen Campbell. We looked up to all of these people we were able to work with, and it was just so much fun. It seems that the bigger they were the nicer they were. We had great experiences with Sammy Davis, Jr.
JL: We loved him.
KL: We just loved him, and we just couldn’t believe that they’d really know us. They’d know us by name. We were still these four little kids from Venice, and it was like, ’oh my gosh! Dean Martin is in our dressing room!’ Rosemary Clooney was a dear, dear friend as well as Patti Page. Actually, we are looking forward to working with her again. The Lennon Sisters are going on a five concert tour in March, and we haven’t done that in 14 years.





JS: What cities are you going to hit?
KL: Four in southern California, and we’ll do one in Arizona with, Patti Page. We worked with her many years ago and still admire her–her sound and her wonderful way of harmonizing with herself. We did a lot of her songs so we’re excited. It’s always exciting to work with people like that.
JS: Well, I think because you still are excited about working with all of these other great singers, we get to enjoy that vicariously through you.
JL: Thank you!
JS: Because we know that you are “real” people and you’ve never gotten caught up in all that.
JL: No.
KL: Mom wouldn’t have it.
JL: Mom’s wooden spoon wouldn’t let us.
JS: Oh, she had one too?
JL: Oh, yes! All we had to do was hear the sound of that drawer opening and we were up those stairs doing what we needed to do!
JS: (laughter) Oh, that’s funny! When you have time on your own, when you really have time for yourself, what do each of you like to do most?
KL: For me, I love antiquing, flea markets, junk stores, and finding that wonderful salt and pepper shaker or that wonderful old doll–and someone doesn’t know that it’s really a collector’s item. I’m just a real flea market and antique junkie.
JL: You’re a traveler, too.
KL: My husband and I do travel. We love to go to Carmel. We just travel a lot and on the way we always say, “Quick! Stop! There’s this flea market that looks cute. Let’s go!” And maybe we find just one little thing but have a wonderful time looking.
JS: Gives you a good reason to be on the road, looking for all that stuff.
JL: I have a huge family. My husband and I have a Brady Bunch of five children, and they all live here in Branson. We have six grandchildren that live here in Branson also, so we have family dinner every Sunday night. I love to cook. I just love, love, love to cook! Wish I could do that for a living. I just love spending time with the grandchildren. Even my ex-husband moved here to be with our children, and he and his wife come for dinner every Sunday night, too.
JS: Oh my gosh! That’s neat.
KL: Janet is an incredible cook. I mean she could open a restaurant. She’s incredible!
JS: I heard that about you, Janet. Your reputation already precedes you.
JL: (laughs)
JS: You’re not just a singer!
KL: But our homes right now have been turned into warehouses. I mean we have Best Pals rag dolls, CDs, and all of the product we are signing and sending out. We always have our dining room or living room filled with the new product prototypes, so our homes have been, really, turned into…
JL: Sweatshops! (laughs)
KL: Yes, sweatshops!
JS: Talking about your business, how did the whole thing come together? When you decided you were going to start this company together, was it your Best Pals dolls that started the whole thing?
JL: When we were little, we were inseparable. Our whole life we’ve always called each other best pals. Well, we said later on in life we’d like to have a little business together, and we thought it might be antiques, collectibles, or something like that. But several years ago we were talking about our childhood and how fabulous it was and what best pals we were, and the thing that we loved to do the most when we were little was to sit in our little matching red rockers and sing to our dolls. And so we decided to record a Best Pals children’s CD with all of our favorite songs from childhood–the ones we had learned from Mom and Dad, our grandparents, and actually even our sisters DeeDee and Peg. So we recorded this CD and then Kath said, ’why don’t we try to recreate these dolls our favorite dolls?’ Kath, you can explain what our favorite dolls are.

KL: When we were little, Janet was three and I was six, Mom and our grandmother, whom we called Nana, made us rag dolls. They were 16" tall handmade rag dolls with yarn hair and embroidered eyes and these wonderful rag dolls had darling little dresses on them. Janet and I loved these dolls, and we took them everywhere with us. When we started on the Lawrence Welk Show, we would take them on the road with us, too, because it was kind of taking a little bit of home with us. When it was time to go to bed, we’d put them in little nighties. So they traveled with us, and we still have them to this day. They’re like the Velveteen Rabbit–they’re just loved and rubbed off and a little bit dirty on the face…one’s missing a foot (laughs). They’re the most loved dolls! So after we did this CD, we said, “You know, there is a hole in the toy industry right now that we feel we can fill.” There’s always room for the trendy toys and there’s always room for the techno-toys. I mean that’s what’s popular now, but there’s a hole in the market that will give little girls an option to stay little girls for a little longer. We decided to recreate our original rag dolls right down to the vintage fabric of the dolls and the dresses. They’re exact replicas of what Mom and Nana made for us. And we were so thrilled! It took us a couple of years to really get it right. We kept looking at the prototypes coming in throughout the year and we’d say, “Oh no. We have to be proud of them. We have to see tem up on a shelf and say, ’Oh my gosh. That’s exactly right’–they’re so cute.’” And it happened. When we launched these dolls at Mall of America in August, we had only seen the prototypes but finally we had the dolls in our hands. Well, the first dolls that came from the factory went to the Mall of America, so when we went in there and there’s thousands of dolls in baskets and they’re our dolls–we just started crying! It happened. We feel the dolls take us to a simpler time that brings a little home back, and it shares some of our family history with our incredible loyal fans.
JS: I saw your original dolls, too, and you have to look closely to see that yours are worn to see the difference between them.
JL: We just came back from two doll shows: the International Doll Exposition in Orlando, and Toy Fair in New York a few weeks ago. We displayed our original dolls that Mom made right next to the new dolls, and you really have to look hard to figure out which one is which.
KL: And I told Janet, “Gosh, when you’re five years old a child doesn’t want put a doll up on a shelf, and these dolls can really be played with. You can hold on to it by the braid and love it and take it to bed. It’s not going to scratch you. It’s totally safe for every age. And all the little clothes we had made for the dolls because one thing little girls love to –and Janet and I used to LOVE to do–is change their clothes. And everything on this little doll comes off: the little stockings, the little shoes, the little unders, the little slip, the little dress, and the bows come off the braids. You can unbraid the hair, put it in ponytails instead, and we just made sure it was exactly like we used to do when we were little.
JS: I bought my own dolls and right now they have their dresses and nightgowns. Are you planning on adding to their wardrobes?
JL: Well, we have a whole new line of prototypes which should be out by next fall. We have three new dolls coming: one will have an Oriental coloring, with pale skin, black eyes, and black hair; one will have the Latin coloring, with light brown skin, dark brown eyes, and dark brown hair; and one will be more like an African-American with brown skin, black eyes, and black hair. And they all so adorable–we absolutely love them! And the thing that’s so fun, is that they come in braids, but you can take them out and put their hair in one big high ponytail with a big bow, or two ponytails that you can put half up and half down. Every time you fix their hair, they look like a different character. They’re so cute! We also have little mini-dolls that are 5 1/2" tall and are exact replicas of the two sets of dolls that we put out last year. And we’ll have Christmas dolls that people can hang on their trees if they want. They’re so cute.
JS: The mini-dolls will be the ornaments?
JL: The Christmas ones. They’re in the red and green dresses, exactly like the other ones, and they’re in braids. And we’ll be coming out with a little tin tea set like the ones we had in the ’50s when we were little. The little tea set will have our logo on it, and that’ll be very, very cute. And then we’ll have a bunch of new clothes that we’re going to sell separately.
KL: Darling clothes, like a little plaid dress that we had in first grade, and a little denim jumper. So we’re really adding to our Best Pals line, and we’re so excited about our ethnic dolls, just so excited.
JS: So there’s a doll for everybody.
KL: It’s our original rag doll, exactly the same, only in different colors.
JS: It sounds really wonderful. Now every little girl can have a doll that’s really going to be just for her.
KL: We know that our mama’s spirit is in every one of them. Mom died last year — oh Jan, it’s almost two years!
JL: I know!
KL: She watched us create these replicas and get them back, and she’d say, “Have the braids more like this” or “watch the little eyebrow.” Mom was so specific that the eyebrows could not be real thick. They’re little teeny eyebrows, and that’s what makes the face so sweet. When we had the dolls finished finally, it was after Mom had died. And even though we know she’s not totally aware of what these dolls are, we just know that her spirit and Nana’s spirits live on in these dolls.
JS: Now, when your mom and Nana made the original dolls, did they just come up with them on their own? Was it one or the other that designed them?
KL: What they had was a pattern of a gingerbread rag doll kind of thing.
JL: That’s exactly what they had.
KL: And then they created their faces. They created their faces in the yarn and put the little thumb in, and did the little feet differently, so they just had an idea and then they did their own.
JS: And then they took it from there.
KL: Yes.
JS: And now you’ve got another tape out, too–your Christmas tape?
JL: Yes, for Christmas.
JS: That’s the second tape that you did?
JL: That’s our second, and we’re going to be recording a new one. So we’re going to be putting out more, because we’re basically music-driven. That’s how we started, and we still have voices that can continue to sing in harmony that is the Lennon sound. We know that children react to our music and have been very comforted and soothed.
JS: Yes, your voices are very soothing. The harmony is very soothing.
JL: Plus we’re planning to put together a children’s cookbook and a children’s storybook which we’ll be doing when we get back from our tour from L.A. We’ve got a lot of work to do!
KL: You brought up the Christmas CD. Janet’s grandchildren sing on the CD with us. It’s so adorable.
JS: If we get any questions or requests about that, we can just send our readers to your website, too.
JL: Everything is available on our Best Pals.net website. Just go to the gift shop.
JS: When you’re away from Branson, the two of you and Mimi, who is performing the theater?
JL: The Welk Theater used to have the Welk Show all year long. There is no Welk Show anymore, so we have a magician named Darren Romeo, who’s a singing magician and he’s fabulous.
KL: Fabulous!
JL: And he’s there from spring until fall. Then on certain weekends, they have big circuits come in–the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, and BB King. They also have these weekend concerts, too. And in the fall, the Tillis family will be there–Mel Tillis and Pam Tillis and her brother and sister. That’ll be a great show. And for Christmas, it’ll be the Gatlin Brothers and the Lennon Sisters.
JS: I know that two of my sisters are already planning on seeing you, so I guess I have to get my act together.
KL: You’ll sing with the Olson Sisters!
JS: We’ll make sure we never sing in front of you! (laughs) I just meant getting my act together to get my tickets and reservations!
KL: We actually open on October 29th and we go through December 7th–and we work Monday through Friday.
JS: Okay, that’s good to know.
KL: There is something we could do for you. Jan, should we sing “Pure Imagination” for her?
JL: We can try to, but we’re long distance, so I’m not sure if we’ll cancel each other out, Kathy.
KL: Well, let’s see what we can do, and you can let us know if you can hear both harmonies. I think you can, if we can sing at the same time.
JS: I’m holding my heart before you even start. This is a thrill. (laughter)
JL/KL: (eight bars of “Pure Imagination”)
JS: (applause) You’re making me cry. That was so pretty! Thank you. That’s really made my day!
KL: Our Christmas CD opens with “Pure Imagination,” and we really love that album.
JS: That was really something. To get back to your grandchildren, they are on the first CD and on the Christmas one?
JL: At the very end of our first Best Pals CD, we sing a song called “All The Pretty Little Ponies,” (singing) “Hushabye, don’t you cry…” It’s a beautiful little song, and when we recorded it several years ago, my oldest granddaughter was 2 ½. She loved that song so much, and she came into the studio one day and started to sing it. She had this baby little voice singing, “Hushabye….” It was the cutest thing, so we just tacked it on to the end of our song,. At the very end of our first CD, you hear this little teeny voice singing “Hushabye” and then she says, “I love you, Gramma!” It’s the cutest.
JS: Oooohhh!
KL: On our Christmas CD, in one spot they actually kind of giggle and laugh, which is kind of cute because it’s this song about children looking through Christmas windows. Then we do a song called “The Friendly Beasts” singing about the baby Jesus, and the girls Lia and Anna actually sing with us and sing most of the song themselves. It’s so cute. The Christmas CD is pretty special because they are on it. On our next album, we want to have them do even more than that.
JS: Your entire careers have been a family affair.
KL: We also took Janet’s little voice from when she was nine, and we sang against it on the songs “Shake Me, I Rattle” and “I’m a Little Doll (That’s Been Dropped and Broken),” so it’s so sweet. It is so sweet.
JS: I’m writing a little note so I will be sure to listen for your little voice, Janet.
JL: I’m still very shy, and I was very shy at nine years old and because I was the youngest. Mr. Welk always wanted me to do these little solos, but I just was terrified. I would break out in hives, and just feel like crying. Mom would be so sweet and give me a glass of water and say, “Calm down.” I still feel the same way, only I’m all grown up so I can’t throw a tantrum. (laughter)
JS: I know you have all this memorabilia, do you ever get a chance to put things together in your albums? Do you ever get to do anything like that?
KL: Oh gosh. First of all, we have SO many albums and so many pictures. I’m pretty much the historian, so I have them now, basically, in files, from before Lawrence Welk–our baby photos, da da da. I am dying to put a book together with all of that. We have been very fortunate that so many of our loyal fans have brought scrapbooks to us and said, “I did this when I was a teenager, and we want you to have them, because we figure that your children would want to have them or your grandchildren.”
JS: Oh, how nice!
KL: And they bring them to us in Branson. After the shows in Branson, we always go out in the audience and out in the lobby. We sign pictures, and take pictures, sign autographs, and they bring us scrapbooks. We look back on these movie magazines when we were on them for years, and some of the titles … we just laugh! “What the Lennons have that the Beatles want” or a rabbi comparing the Catholic girls with Jewish girls. I mean, they’re phenomenal, just incredible! So these fans give us movie magazines, their scrapbooks, and, when they’ve been to antique stores, they’ll bring us our old novelette books, like "Janet Lennon at Camp Calamity.[Julie note: I have this one!] We had these Nancy Drew type books when we were in the ’60s–and paper dolls and coloring books. They’ll say, “Oh, I found this at an antique store, and I thought maybe you’d want to give this to your grandkids.” So fans collect these things, too! After our 50th anniversary, we decided to recreate the original paper dolls that we now have on our LennonSisters.com website. So many fans came up after the show with their paper dolls-or with stories about their paper dolls.
You were talking about all the pictures we have. We have put together a 50th anniversary anthology that has three CD packages of songs that we recorded from 1956 through 2006. There’s 66 songs of our recordings and a photo album–I think there’s 40 pictures in it. It’s a beautiful black package with gold ribbon–it’s really lovely. That’s probably as far as we’ve gone with doing a scrapbook. We just don’t have the time at this point, but boy, do we have enough to put in one.
JS: I think you do!
KL: In fact, we’re going to send it all to you and you get to do it.
JS: Well, I sure would enjoy it! (laughter) By the way, I have my own paper doll story. When we moved from one town to another, my sisters were cleaning out the attic and they threw out my paper dolls of you–and my childhood teddy bear Amy. I never forgave them for it, and they heard my whining about it ever since. So this summer when we came to see you, I reminded them that I had to get your paper dolls. I have them now and all is forgiven. I had to actually cut them out again, just for old times’ sake.
JL: You know, when we autograph after the show, people bring their paper dolls for us to sign. One lady who came obviously had our paper doll package in her hand, and she said, “I really want you to sign these, but before I take the dolls out I just have to tell you something. The last time I played with them was with my little sister. We had an argument and she got mad at me and ripped all your heads off …"
JS: Oh, no!
JL: “…but would you sign the bodies anyway?” (laughter)
JS: In one of the pictures, it looks like you have small Lennon Sisters dolls.
JL: Those are our collectibles.
KL: They were made by the Effenbee Toy Company and were a limited edition sold just at Branson. I think there are only a few left.
JS: I’m sure the dolls are very valuable by now.
KL: They wore outfits that we wore, and they were very sweet.
JS: Well, I think I have all of my questions asked. Is there anything you would just like to share with your fans? So many of our readers have been fans right from the very beginning.
JL: Oh gosh. We can ask if there’s anyone who wants to do our scrapbooks to let us know! (laughter)
JS: You might get a lot of offers.
KL: We actually do our own. For years I’ve been a total collector of stickers, ribbons, and lots of other stuff. I was never blessed with children, so my nieces and nephews have been everything to me. When I do their birthday cards or I put picture albums together for them I use my stickers and everything else I’ve collected. So I did my own scrapbooking before it became really the thing to do. It’s just so fascinating, and I wish I had the time to just sit down and do a complete Lennon Sisters scrapbook, but I’ll probably be in my 80’s by then!
JS: I just keep collecting all this material for when I’m in my 80’s, too. They have so much you can choose from. I’ve scrapbooked since high school, but now they have all these wonderful things you can use for your scrapbooking. My pages look much better today–and it’s more fun to do, too.
JL: Oh I know! I love to go into the scrapbooking stores and it just looks like so much fun! It’s like, “Oh look at this little paper” and “I just want to do this.” I can see us eventually doing a Best Pals sticker scrapbook. We would love to do that.
KL: I think that would be really fun, so that people can get all the elements to make up their pages, but do it as a Best Pals. I just know we could do something like that.
JS: Well, maybe I’ll retire the same time you will, and then I’ll do them for you. But I’ve got a few more years before that . . .
KL: I hope your readers will check out our two websites. At Lennonsisters.com we have music they can listen to and they can get the CDs in the gift shop. There are lots of pictures and they can get information about what we’ve done and what we’re doing now. And Janet’s husband actually puts the web and the gift shop together, so it’s kind of a family endeavor.
JS: And Janet, besides your husband being a conductor of all the music, he’s a photographer, too!
JL: Oh gosh! When the road show closed here, he just decided he’s loved photography for so long, it’s his second passion, that he would just stop the whole music thing for awhile and start doing photography. He has a wonderful business here in Branson doing all our publicity photos, taking beautiful shots of families, weddings, and all sorts of things. Branson is a great place to be a photographer because there are so many reunions, and they call him to take pictures. He’s so talented. When we do our CDs, he’s the one who sits in the booth and takes care of everything.
KL: He produces our tapes.
JL: And with our concert tour coming up for the Lennon Sisters in California, we got him out of retirement, and he’s going to be conducting for us.
JS: Oh he is! Now, when you say “the Lennon Sisters,” it’s you two and Mimi
KL: Right. The dates and where we’re going to be performing is on both of our websites.
JS: Okay, we will make sure to tell our readers to check that out. Thank you so much for chatting with me today. You are just as sweet and real as everyone thinks you are. It has been such a pleasure getting to more about you and all of the exciting things you are doing now. I’ll always be one of your biggest fans.

Lennon Sisters in Reminisce Magazine

Many thanks to Katerina over at The Yahoo Group for the heads-up on Kathy and Janet writing about The Lennon Sisters in the April-May issue of Reminisce magazine.You can read the article in PDF form here and clicking on "large print" or read the text below.

Sweethearts of Song
The Lennon Sisters have always loved performing, but they saw themselves as the “kids down the street.”

By Janet and Kathy Lennon

On Christmas Eve 1955, we Lennon Sisters, then ages 9-16, were preparing to make our first appearance on The Lawrence Welk Show, which was in its first season on TV. Just before the live broadcast, someone from one of the show’s sponsors said to us, “Only 30 million people are watching…” Kathy remembers herself and Peggy just staring at each other. Despite having sung publicly only in church and at Elks and Rotary clubs, the four of us rose to the occasion, not only for that first show, but for most Saturday nights over the next 12-plus years. We’d see the nervousness in each other’s eyes, but we kept it from affecting our performance. At the time of our debut, Janet was just 9 years old; Kathy, 12; Peggy, 14; and Dianne, whom we call Dee Dee, 16.

Ordinary Beginnings


We believe we were anchored by our beginnings. Before the Lennon sisters became The Lennon Sisters, the four oldest children of William and Isabelle Lennon lived somewhat ordinary lives as part of a large family—at the time, there were “only” eight kids. What wasn’t ordinary were the living arrangements of our family of 11, which was crammed, sardine-like, into a two-bedroom house in Venice, California.
At one point, there were two sets of bunk beds and a fold-out bed in one bedroom and three babies in the other. Our parents slept in the living room, while our grandmother Nana lived in a tiny room in the back of the house. There was no room for dressers, so our clever mother obtained long, wide bread drawers from “Jim the Baker,” who used such drawers in his delivery trucks. The drawers fit perfectly under each bed and stored our clothing.
Our mother’s creativity also came into play when she purchased a single bike and a single pair of skates for herself, then lent them to her children. This eliminated any possibility of bickering and led us siblings to become resourceful.We recall each wearing a single skate and scooting around the block together. There was very little money to go around, especially for vacations, but we don’t remember ever feeling deprived.We have wonderful memories of making annual visits to our Great-Uncle Max’s apricot ranch north of Los Angeles. For a week or so every year, we picked fruit, went fishing and sold apricots at a roadside stand. Our father’s job as a milkman also helped the money situation. One of the perks was getting 120 quarts of milk a week for his family. Without the help, we wonder how it would have been possible to feed all of us!

In light of our cramped house, we had a dream of building a dormitory for ourselves in the backyard, putting money away through our singing appearances for our area’s local civic organizations. It was at one of these performances, in late 1955, that fame began falling into our laps. Dee Dee had just finished singing for an Elks Club party. Among the attendees was a classmate of hers, Larry Welk, who told her that his father, Lawrence Welk, was starting a new television show. Larry asked Dee Dee if she and her three sisters would like to sing for him.

The Next Big Act

We all went over to the Welk home and wound up singing for Mr. Welk in his living room. He signed us up to sing for his Christmas Eve show on live national television. For the first 8 years, The Lawrence Welk Show was broadcast live at 6 p.m. on the West Coast, where it was produced, and 9 p.m. in the East. As we remember it, the show went to a live-on-tape format (with a same-day broadcast) when the show transitioned from black-and-white to color. However, from our standpoint, the change made no difference in how we approached the show. There were no cuts or retakes, so every taping was exactly as the live broadcasts were—goofs and flubs included.
Rehearsals took place every Thursday night at the Aragon Ballroom, close to our home, at a now-vanished amusement park in Venice called Pacific Ocean Park. The orchestra also played regular gigs there twice a week. We sisters got to know many of our young peers from the era, including Fabian, Bobby Vee, Paul Petersen,Shelley Fabares, Brenda Lee and the child stars of TV’s Father Knows Best. One of our great thrills came when we appeared as TV guests a number of times on The Mickey Mouse Club.We were very excited to hang out with Bobby, Annette, Tommy, Cubby, Karen and the whole gang. Because of labor laws, we had to attend school while on the set, and we were delighted to have all the Mouseketeers as classmates. Being of high school age, Dee Dee and Peggy thought this was “cool,” but not nearly so much as we younger girls, who were still in grammar school.

Staying Grounded

As for being celebrities, we didn’t think in those terms.We saw ourselves as just another couple of young girls going to parochial school with our local cousins—70 of them!—and living normal lives. Along with school, our regular routine consisted of changing diapers and washing dishes—no maids for us! As much as we loved singing, it didn’t define who we were.While we have loved performing, we feel that none of us, Dee Dee and Peggy included, had a particularly huge drive to be onstage or be in
the entertainment business.
In fact, there were moments when we made great sacrifices. Kathy missed her high school graduation and Janet missed her prom because we were touring with the Lawrence Welk band.We were devastated at the time; we just wanted to be like everyone else at
our school—just another group of kids down the street. In Kathy’s case, she received a bit of consolation. She was awarded her diploma onstage in front of a crowd of 10,000 at a Washington, D.C. theater. Jack Lennon, our father’s brother (and Kathy’s godfather), was working in the diplomatic corps as consulate general to Sargent Shriver, the ambassador to France. Jack flew in from Paris to personally present the diploma to Kathy and give her one of her most cherished memories.
The rising popularity of The Lennon Sisters also resulted in Peggy and Dee Dee, as teenagers, being teased a lot about our music skewing toward an older audience. As the younger sisters, we didn’t feel the embarrassment of the teasing in the same way.
That our fans loved our performances, we considered a blessing.
Looking back, we feel that because of our upbringing, we were well grounded, especially for being celebrity kids. None of us ever had the desire to go solo.

Who We Are

Our sense of identity is rooted in our loving upbringing, which led us to embrace the notion that “God only made one me.”We think it’s noteworthy that in talking with our siblings in the wake of the passing of our mother in 2005, we each felt that we were “Mom’s favorite.”
We never did build the dreamed-of dormitory in our backyard. Our growing family eventually moved into a larger house in Venice with six bedrooms to pack in our family’s now six girls and five boys, plus our parents and grandmother. There was still only one bathroom, but somehow we managed to make it work through a spirit of cooperation and teamwork—plus lots of love and laughter. With all of our fame, one of our fondest memories as sisters is of our father taking one of us at a time onto the middle of the otherwise empty Aragon Ballroom floor. The world-famous Lawrence Welk Orchestra would begin to play, and we would dance, with our father singing softly to us—truly magical moments for his four budding “celebrities.”

Lennon Sisters Show-Biz News

KATHY AND JANET Lennon still keep in touch with many of the people they met and worked with on The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1968, including crew and band members. They both established lifelong friendships with a number of the show’s guests, including Jimmy Durante, Bill Medley, Paul Revere, Perry Como, Sammy Davis Jr. and Glen Campbell. One of their most special relationships is with Andy Williams, whom they look upon as a big brother to this day. Tommy Cole, one of the Mouseketeers they met during their The Mickey Mouse Club appearances, later became a makeup man for ABC’s TV studios. He worked with The Lennon Sisters on numerous occasions, including their own show with Jimmy Durante, which lasted a season, from September 1969 to July 1970.
In the 1970s, the sisters performed regularly on The Andy Williams Show and toured with Williams around the country. Numerous other appearances were made on such programs as Bing Crosby’s Christmas show, The Roy Rogers Show and The Dinah Shore Show and game shows such as The Hollywood Squares, Tattletales and Family Feud.
They continued to produce music and tour in the 1980s and ’90s, performing as headliners at the Welk Champagne Theatre, in Branson, Missouri, from 1994 to 2004.
When Peggy retired from singing, in 1999, younger sister Mimi took her place. Dianne, who had left the Welk show and the quartet from 1960 to ’64 to concentrate on marriage and children, retired for good in 2001.
Kathy, Janet and Mimi continue to perform together and will join the Gatlin Brothers for a seasonal Christmas show at Branson’s Welk Resort, starting in late October.

All Dolled Up

The introduction to the public of their Best Pals dolls has been a dream of Kathy and Janet Lennon’s for many years. The cloth dolls are replicas of the ones designed and handmade by their mother, Isabelle, and grandma Nana. From childhood, the sisters recall that the dolls were the one thing they always took with them on their many travels. This has continued over the years, including their many tours with the
Lawrence Welk Orchestra, and even to this day. As Kathy and Janet moved from hotel to hotel, they always felt connected to home through their dolls. They created Best Pals as a valentine for the next generation of children and for the child inside each of us.

Did You Ever See A Dream Walkin?

"well, I diiid."

So sing Kathy Lennon and Steve Smith, strolling through the park, looking like lovebirds, in this Oct. 15, 1966 clip from The Lawrence Welk Show.

They made a cute singing team. Steve, to me, always looked like a Kennedy.

*shrug*

Pre-'Idol' idols

Saw this article online a few minutes ago. Kathy gives an interview promoting the Lennon Sisters upcoming (tomorrow) concert performance in CA.

http://www.presstelegram.com/travel/ci_5498022

Pre-'Idol' idols
By Luanne J. Hunt, Special to the Press-Telegram
Article Launched: 03/23/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

THE LENNON SISTERS

Who: With Peter Marshall, the Ink Spots, John Wing, Cassie Miller and the Harry James Orchestra

When: 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos

Tickets: $32.50, $46 and $57.50

Information: (800) 300-4345 or (562) 916-8500

THANKS TO the golden age of television, vocalist Kathy Lennon said she and her singing siblings, known as the Lennon Sisters, have been going strong for more than 50 years. The girls got their start in 1955 on "The Lawrence Welk Show," became regular guests on the program and quickly became household names.

Although the Lennon Sisters eventually moved on to other projects, Kathy believes the exposure on "The Lawrence Welk Show" is what gave them their staying power. She said not only can her group still pack a house, but its name often shows up in places that surprises even them.

"I think we are the only singing act to become famous through television and not a hit record," said Lennon, who performs with the Lennon Sisters on Sunday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.

"We were on 'The Lawrence Welk
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Show' week after week, and we got imbedded in people. We're even on a Trivial Pursuit card, and it still shocks us at how popular we've become."

The Lennon Sisters' original lineup consisted of Kathy, Dianne, Peggy and Janet. (Dianne and Peggy have retired and have been replaced by the youngest Lennon sister, Mimi.) They made their debut on "The Lawrence Welk Show" on Christmas Eve in 1955, after being introduced to Welk by his son Larry.

Larry Welk, who went to school with the girls, convinced his father to let them audition for him. Kathy said Welk booked the Lennon Sisters immediately, and their stint on the show lasted 13 years.

During their time on the program, the Lennon Sisters also toured throughout the United States. They shared their wholesome pop music and soaring harmonies at nightclubs, fairs, conventions, charity benefits and churches. The group's success sparked a massive merchandising campaign, which produced everything from paper dolls to TV trays to coloring books.

The Lennon Sisters' popularity continued to grow. In addition to making guest appearances on almost every variety show on television, they sang for seven U.S. presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

In 1969, the girls hosted their own television show, "Jimmy Durante Presents The Lennon Sisters Hour." Guests on the show included Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Perry Como, George Burns and Bing Crosby.

"I think people might be surprised to know that we were just normal kids from Venice, California, who happened to sing," said Kathy Lennon, 63. "We did our chores and went to a regular school. Our career did not define us as far as who we were as people. That was a real tribute to our mom and dad."

Although the Lennon Sisters were not caught up in fame, Kathy said they knew it was their calling to be in the public eye. Even when the quartet's momentum slowed, the sisters continued to perform and record.

In 1986, they wrote their memoir "Same Song, Same Voices," which provided insight into their personal lives.

Along with appearing on television talk shows to promote the book, the Lennon Sisters became regular guests on the game show "Hollywood Squares."

In 1994, they were invited to be featured performers at the Welk Champagne Theatre in Branson, Mo. Next month, the group will open its 13th season at the theater.

The Lennon Sisters' appearance at Cerritos Center will mark the first time they have performed outside of Branson since 1994. Kathy said they agreed to tour California in celebration of their five decades in show business.

Their live show will include a variety of songs, including "Somewhere" from West Side Story, "Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Kathy said there also will be a video presentation of the Lennon Sisters' performances throughout the years.

Following the concerts, the girls will be on hand to greet their fans and sign autographs.

"We still have such a loyal fan base that follows us everywhere," said Kathy. "But I think because people grew up with us, when they see us now, it brings back so many memories.

"It takes them to a simpler time when TV was very new and families all sat around together and watched their favorite programs. The stories we hear are wonderful."

Luanne J. Hunt is a Hesperia freelance writer.

Best Pals video on YouTube

Just noticed that gsbahler has posted a video/commercial for Kathy and Janet's Best Pals dolls. If I'm not mistaken this is Janet's step-son, Greg. And damn if he didn't post a very effective marketing tool. I had not intended to buy the cds that come with the dolls. I mean, I don't have kids, and I assumed the product was for kids only.

Wrong!

Seriously, I got chills listening to their harmony on the video. Hauntingly beautiful. So I'll be making an unexpected purchase.

Savvy marketing, Kathy and Janet. Bravo!

Best Pals - San Bernardino County Sun article

Kathy and Janet are getting more and more press about their Best Pals line, with this Feb. 20, 2007 interview with San Bernardino County Sun. Click the link or continue on for the article.

Familiar faces
Lennon Sisters create rag dolls modeled after theirs from childhood
By Diana Sholley, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/20/2007 12:00:00 AM PST

Every time Kathy and Janet Lennon go on tour, there are stowaways in their bags - lifelong friends they would never think of leaving behind.

It's their rag dolls, made with love by their mom and grandmother more than 50 years ago, when Kathy was 6 and Janet was 3.

The dolls represented a little piece of home when the girls - part of the famous singing sensation, The Lennon Sisters - were on tour.

Though now adults, with children and grandchildren of their own, when they hold those well-worn dolls with the painted-on faces and yarn hair, they are transported to another era. It's a time of innocence, where imagination was queen and children her subjects.

Janet and Kathy, who grew up being each other's best pals, wanted to bring the magic of their childhood to the children of today.

In August, the sisters introduced Best Pals, a line of rag dolls and music CDs, named after the relationship the girls had as children. The dolls are exact replicas of the dolls they still cherish.

"We remember all the love Mom and Nana put into making those dolls," said Kathy. "We'd spend hours playing with them. They were comfort on the airplane...the dolls are a tribute (to them). They meant more
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than any store-bought dolls."

The sisters - Dee Dee (Diane), Peggy, Kathy and Janet - debuted in 1955 on the Christmas Special of The Lawrence Welk Show, where they would perform for 13 years and be dubbed America's Sweethearts of Song.

The Lennon Sisters now live in Branson, Mo., and perform often at The Welk Resort Theater there. When Peggy retired in 1999, younger sister Mimi, an accomplished singer and comedian, took her place. Dee Dee retired in 2000 and since then, The Lennon Sisters has been a trio with Kathy, Janet and Mimi. They will be appearing at Citrus Community College in Glendora on April 1.

In creating the dolls, it was important to the sisters that they be authentic. They paid close attention to each detail. The dolls are 16 inches tall and the materials used for their dresses are exact duplicates of the originals. Like the originals, these new versions of the rag dolls have embroidered faces and yarn hair that can be styled - brown to represent Kathy, blond for Janet.

New features include an elastic beaded bracelet on each doll that reads "Best Pals." Also, first edition "Best Pals" are individually numbered for collectability. Both sisters have doll collections.

"We've had so many people say to us with a big ol' smile, `Oh, my grandmother made me one when I was a girl,"' Janet said. "It's a reaction of nostalgia. The dolls bring back a simple time in history, and tradition. It's so important for us to try to duplicate that feeling and for others."

Also bringing back those old feelings are two CDs of childhood favorites the sisters have recorded to go along with the "Best Pals" line.

"Best Pals" has 14 songs and includes a booklet insert with pictures and lyrics. "Best Pals Celebrate Christmas" is a 13-song collection of the sisters' holiday favorites.

"They are some of our favorite songs that we sang to our dolls," Janet said.

Kathy and Janet hope their children's products give today's kids a chance to be children a little while longer.

"Little girls have a basic instinct to nurture," Kathy said. "They like to use their imagination. We look at some of the trendy dolls and ask `Would I want my daughter playing with that?' Our dolls give kids another option."

"Best Pals" will soon be introducing ethnic rag dolls in several nationalities, including African American, East Indian and Hispanic.

"Our dolls duplicated in another nationality," said Janet. "Our dream is to bring the joy and magic that these dolls gave us to children everywhere."

Diana Sholley can be reached at features@sbsun.com with 0"Diana Sholley" in the subject field or (909) 483-9381.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

What: Best Pals rag dolls and children's CDs

Who: Created by two of the original Lennon Sisters, Kathy and Janet

Cost: $16.98 to $29.95

Information: www.bestpals.net

Kathy gets engaged

The topic of Kathy's first marriage is something of a touchy subject as I found out on the Yahoo group. It's apparently not something the family wishes to have discussed, nor do they mention it in any official capacity, almost as though the marriage never occured.

It's kind of hard to ignore, given that the marriage took place during the hayday of the magazine coverage of The Lennon Sisters. So without further ado, here's a rather pleasant article about the newly engaged couple, Kathy Lennon and Mahlon Clark from TV Radio Mirror May 1967. Peggy has some really nice things to say about her sister, and the importance of her place in the family. There are some great color photos in this issue. And may I just say that Dee Dee's husband was seriously handsome? Seriously.









And just because, here's one of my favorite pictures of Kathy, with Mahlon in 1969. Don't they look glamorous?