There are certain things that just hold up over time, and one particularly
memorable singing performance from "The Lawrence Welk Show" is one such.
This iconic performance of their classic song, "Tonight, You Belong To Me,"
has been cherished for years. The Lennon Singers, a quartet consisting of
four siblings, made their television debut on this program on December 24,
1955. Since it was published on YouTube in 2010, it has really gotten more
than 3 million views.
Even though only three of the original four members remain, the Lennon
Sisters still play today. When the group was formed in 1955, the members
were Dianne, sixteen, Peggy, fourteen, Kathy, twelve, and Janet, nine. As
previously reported by WBFO News, Mimi, who was only two months old when
this ensemble made their debut on "The Lawrence Welk Show," took Peggy's
position later on and eventually retired herself. As a consequence, Dianne,
Kathy, and Janet—three of the original four members—are still in the lineup.
These days, their most well-known performance is a yearly visit to a
Branson, Missouri, Christmas show.
This quartet was a classmate of Lawrence Welk's son, Larry, who found this
gifted group of four with beautiful vocals. Larry had taken the girls home
to perform for Lawrence, who was so taken aback that he called right away to
reserve their spot on the show that was to be taped later that week. Before
long, their voices had captured the attention of the whole nation, just as
they had.
More than one or two appearances on "The Lawrence Welk Show" were made by
the Lennon Sisters. From 1955 to 1968, they were regulars on the show; their
tenure only ended when they decided they wanted to establish themselves
outside of the program.
One of the Lennon Sisters' greatest songs, "Tonight, You Belong to Me,"
continued to climb the charts, peaking at the 15th position in early 1956.
Being the sole song to chart, it turned out to be their biggest hit.
After airing exclusively in the Los Angeles market from 1951 to 1955 and
then going nationwide through national syndication from 1971 to 1982, "The
Lawrence Welk Show" was shown on ABC from 1955 to 1971. It was among the top
30 TV series during its peak popularity years, 1964–1969.
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