Time For A Viennese Waltz, Boys and Girls!

From the ABC Network premiere of The Lawrence Welk Show, which aired on July 2, 1955, here is the meistro and his Champagne Music Makers performing "Tres Jolie."





Yes, that's Lawrence dancing with Champagne Lady Alice Lon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UMA!!!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is the birthday of America's Sweetheart, Fox News Channel anchorwoman Uma Pemmaraju.

Happy 29th Birthday, Uma!!!

It's Rock 'N' Roll, Champagne Style!

Several weeks back, I embeded a YouTube video of a 1955 ABC telecast of the Lawrence Welk Show that originated from Chicago. Here's another clip from this episode as the Champagne Music Makers perform Chuck Berry's "Maybelline."



Key Personnel:

Buddy Merrill, electric guitar (Let's see him try Chuck's duck walk!)

Myron Floren, accordion

Johnny Klein, drums

Buddy Hayes, bass

Pete Lofthouse, trombone

Bill Page, clarinet

George Aubry, saxophone

Rocky Rockwell, trumpet

Oh Boy! Redux

Here is the only other reported surviving episode of the British TV series Oh Boy!

This is the series finale from May 30, 1959.

Segment One:

Compered by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall

-- TV Hop (Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Bill Forbes & Dickie Pride)
Rip It Up (2 Vernons Girls)
Lonesome Traveller (4 of Lord Rockingham's XI + Cliff et al)

-- Rah Rah Rockingham (Lord Rockingham's XI)

-- Let's Rock While the Rockin's Good (Cuddly Dudley)

-- Don't Knock Upon My Door (Billy Fury)

-- Looby Doo (Cherry Wainer)

-- All American Boy (Marty Wilde)



Segment Two:

Compered by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall

-- Slippin 'n' Slidin' (Dickie Pride)

-- When I Grow Too Old To Dream (Peter Elliott)

-- When the Saints Go Marching In (Complete cast for close of first half)

-- I Had A Dream (Start of 2nd half with Vernons Girls & Dallas Boys)

-- Woman From Liberia (Bill Forbes)

-- Dirty Old Town (Mike Preston)





Segment Three:

Compered by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall

-- Turn Me Loose (Cliff Richard)

-- Good Cat (Neville Taylor & The Cutters)

-- Percy Green (Don Lang)

-- Three Cool Cats (Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Dickie Pride)

-- Early in the Morning (Marty Wilde, Cliff Richard)

Oh, Boy!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear.  Those of you in Great Britain (or who lived there during the late 1950s)  who are old enough to remember, may remember a show entitled Oh, Boy! that aired on ITV, a commercial television network during 1958 and 1959.  Kinescopes of eight episodes aired here in the US on ABC during the summer of 1959.  Here is the episode from April 4. 1959.

Segment One:

Compered by Tony Hall (a Jazz critic)

1. It's Late (Dean Webb) 
He's My Own (2 Vernons Girls) 
Good Rockin' Tonight (The Cutters & Entire Cast.) 

2. Long Gone (Lord Rockingham's XI) 

3. Charlie Brown (Neville Taylor & The Cutters)

4. Oh Wait For It Baby (Cherry Wainer) 

Segment Two:

Compered by Tony Hall

1. I Like Love (Tony Sheridan and his Wreckers) 

2. Don't Look Now (The Vernons Girls) 

3. Red Planet Rock (Don Lang - with Red Price on sax solo)

4. Slippin' n' Slidin' (Dickie Pride) 

5. This is Our First Anniversary (Lorie Mann)

Segment Three:

Compered by Tony Hall

1. Move It! (Chris Andrews) 

2. Dirty Old Town (Mike Preston) 

Tony Hall introduces Brenda Lee's first UK TV appearance;

3. Humming The Blues Over You (Brenda Lee) 

4. Wont You Come Home Bill Bailey (Brenda Lee & Lord Rockingham's XI)

This series was produced by Jack Good, who formerly produced 6:5 Special for the BBC,  and who also produced Shindig! here in the States on ABC  from 1964 to 1966.  38 episodes of this show were produced, but only two of them are reported to be still in existance.

It's Music Time, Again, Boys and Girls!

Here is a 1950 recording by Mel Cox and his Flying X Ranchboys on the King Records label, which was based at the time in Cincinnati.  It's a good jumpin' instrumental titled "Guitar Jump."  

Mel and the boys were in rare top form  in this one.

Other Country and Western artists who recorded for King Records at the time included Cowboy Copas, Moon Mullican, Grandpa Jones, and the York Brothers.

Enjoy!