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Sandi Griffiths (born Sandi Jensen on August 1, 1946) is an American singer. She is best known as a performer on American television's The Lawrence Welk Show .
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Sandi Griffiths (born Sandi Jensen on August 1, 1946) is an American singer. She is best known as a performer on American television's The Lawrence Welk Show .
A native of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California; she started singing as a child and by the age of five, was a regular on TV by appearing on the Art Linkletter program, House Party . She continued to perfect her music skills all throughout school, and in college, at Brigham Young University where she teamed with and became friends with Sally Flynn. [1]
At BYU, the duo sang at the school's musical revue known as the Program Bureau, later at Disneyland and then went over to Vietnam to entertain the troops as part of a USO tour. After three weeks, she and Sally returned to the states to concentrate on their professional careers, in which their break came when they were asked to open for Jack Jones at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe.
It was here that Lawrence Welk and his music makers in the summer of 1967 played their annual three-week engagement at Harrah's.
When Sally Flynn left to pursue a solo career in 1972, Sandi wasn't sure about her future on the show since the program already had plenty of soloists. However, she found even greater popularity by being part of a new musical act, a girl group featuring fellow Welk stars Gail Farrell and Mary Lou Metzger that sang numbers made famous by The Andrews Sisters, McGuire Sisters and other famous acts.
The trio, with its blend of good looks and pretty voices, also became very popular with fans of the show. In addition, she sang a few solos, toured with the Musical Family in concerts, branched outside the organization by providing background vocals for numerous artists, and appeared in several television commercials.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sandi and her husband Brent are the parents of eight children, a foster daughter, and grandparents of sixteen children. [2]
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the television program The Lawrence Welk Show from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known to his large audience of radio, television, and live-performance fans as "champagne music".
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, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1955 to 1971, followed by 11 years in first-run syndication from 1971 to 1982. Repeat episodes are broadcast in the United States by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations. These airings incorporate an original program—usually, a color broadcast from 1965 to 1982—in its entirety. In place of the commercials, newer performance and interview clips from the original stars and/or a family member of the performers are included; these clips are occasionally updated.
The Lennon Sisters are an American vocal group initially made up of four sisters from a family that had seven sisters in all and five brothers. The original quartet consisted of Dianne, Peggy, Kathy, and Janet. All 12 Lennon children were born in Los Angeles, California.
Sally Ann Howes is an English actress and singer who holds dual British-American citizenship. Her career on stage, screen, and television has spanned over six decades. She is best known for the role of Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 1963 for her performance in Brigadoon.
Kenneth Ronald Berry was an American actor, dancer, and singer. Berry starred on the television series F Troop, The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D. and Mama's Family. He also appeared on Broadway in The Billy Barnes Revue, headlined as George M. Cohan in the musical George M! and provided comic relief for the medical drama Dr. Kildare with Richard Chamberlain in the 1960s.
Mary Lou Metzger is an American singer and dancer best known as a cast member on The Lawrence Welk Show.
Alice Lon Wyche, known as Alice Lon, was an American singer and dancer on The Lawrence Welk Show during its early years on network television.
Gail Farrell is an American singer and songwriter, best known for her work on the variety program The Lawrence Welk Show.
Sally Flynn is an American singer and musician who was a featured performer on The Lawrence Welk Show television program.
Thomas Harold Netherton Jr., was an American singer. He was known for his tenure on The Lawrence Welk Show.
"Anacani" María Consuelo Castillo-López y Cantor-Montoya is a Mexican singer best known as a featured performer on The Lawrence Welk Show television program.
Norma Zimmer was an American vocalist, best remembered for her 22-year tenure as Lawrence Welk's "Champagne Lady" on The Lawrence Welk Show.
James Louis Turner is an American singer-songwriter and actor, who has national credits from Broadway, television, and radio. Well-known from The Lawrence Welk Show as the country/pop bass baritone from 1979 until its eponymous host retired in 1982, he was earlier cast on Broadway for the original Jesus Christ Superstar, while he was in New York City on a Nashville folk rock tour. He was nominated in 2008 for a Dove Award as a country and gospel singer for his first radio release in the Christian music genre. He is the founder of The Sounds of Purpose and remains on the board of directors of this music-charged charity.
Clay Hart is an American country music singer and guitarist who was a member of The Lawrence Welk Show television program from 1969 to 1975.
Siobhan Patricia Dillon is an English actress and singer, who rose to fame when she performed in the British talent show-themed television series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? on BBC One in 2006. Since then, Dillon has performed in the West End, playing the roles of Sandy in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre, Vivienne Kensington in Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Molly in Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre, Ellen in Miss Saigon, and Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard with the English National Opera. Siobhan reprised this role at the Palace Theatre in New York City.
Steve Smith is an American singer best known from television's The Lawrence Welk Show.
Tanya Falan Welk is an American singer who appeared on The Lawrence Welk Show from 1968 to 1977.
Andra Willis is an American singer best known from television's The Lawrence Welk Show from 1967 to 1969.
Natalie Nevins was an American singer who appeared on television's The Lawrence Welk Show from 1965 to 1969.
Janie Thompson was a performer. She was a professor at Brigham Young University and the founding director of the BYU Young Ambassadors and the Living Legends (BYU) performance groups. She was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as a missionary in Wales.