The Lennon Sisters were 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. They are the eldest four in a family of 12 siblings. The quartet debuted on The Lawrence Welk Show on Christmas Eve 1955 after their school classmate, Larry Welk, son of Lawrence Welk, brought them to the attention of his father. Mr. 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. Their immediate and immense popularity was due not only to their beautiful harmonies, but to their natural charm and genuine sweetness as well. 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 got married, left the group, and then rejoined them again. Over the decades, they recorded many albums. Their first album was on Brunswick Records and they later recorded on Coral, Dot, Ranwood and Mercury. They have recently released four CD volumes of songs taken from their own ABC-TV show, as well as a DVD of the show. Their 1961 single, Sad Movies (Make Me Cry), (Dot 16255), was their highest-charting record. It provided them with the only number #1 single of their career, reaching the top of the charts in Japan. 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, by a deranged fan, Chet Young (a stalker who believed himself to be married to Peggy and that the father stood in the way and had to be eliminated.) Lying in wait, Young shot Mr. Lennon in the parking lot of the Marina Del Rey golf course and two months later used the same gun to commit suicide. The sisters discovered an unopened letter having a cutout of Bill, 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, The Lennon Sisters Hour lasted one season before it was ended by all four of the girls. In the 1970s, the sisters performed regularly on The Andy Williams Show, and toured with Williams across the country. 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. These rag dolls are replicas of the ones their maternal grandmother made for them when they were children. They still have their originals today. In addition to the dolls, the sisters have recorded cds of favorite children songs for their "Best Pals" line.
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