The Lennon Sisters

The Lennon Sisters are an American vocal group that has been made up, at one time or another, of three or four sisters. The quartet originally consisted of Dianne (a.k.a. DeeDee; born Dianne Barbara, December 1, 1939), Peggy (born Margaret Anne, April 8, 1941), Kathy (born Kathleen Mary, August 2, 1943), and Janet (born Janet Elizabeth, June 15, 1946).From 1955 to 1968, the group appeared regularly on The Lawrence Welk Show (receiving union scale wages) before having their own television variety show, called Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters, with Jimmy Durante. After the show was cancelled, they partnered with Andy Williams to create a successful Las Vegas residency, which lasted a decade. In 1999, younger sister Mimi (born Miriam Theresa, October 16, 1955) replaced Peggy upon the latter's retirement. DeeDee has also since retired. The current line-up of the Lennon Sisters is a trio consisting of Kathy, Janet, and Mimi. They continue to tour around the country and, until recently, performed annually with their Christmas show at The Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri.The Lennon Sisters were members of a family of twelve children, seven girls and five boys. All of the Lennon children were born in Los Angeles, California. A younger sister, Mary Frances, died in 1954 at 16 months old after wandering into the street from the front lawn and being struck by a car. Parents William Herbert Lennon and Isabelle Emily "Sis" Denning married in early 1939. William Lennon worked as a milkman for many years before getting a job at a local golf course. Isabelle Lennon was a housewife, remaining at home to care for the needs of her family. The daughter of Reina Ysabella Alvarez Denning and Danforth Denning, Isabelle Lennon's ancestry was a mixture of Mexican, Spanish, German, and Irish. Her maternal grandfather, Pablo Alvarez, was born in Santa Ana, California, and her maternal grandmother, Margarita Camacho, hailed from Wilmington, California. Pablo Alvarez's great-great-great-grandfather, Bernardo Salgado De Oliberos, was born in San Andrés, Spain. William Lennon died in 1969; Isabelle Lennon died in 2005.During the sisters' formative years, the family, including one grandmother, lived in Venice, California. Their modest two-bedroom home was located at 1926 Penmar Avenue in Venice. The family later moved to a larger home located at 1106 Garfield Avenue, also in Venice. Devout Roman Catholics, the Lennon family attended the Church of St. Mark, part of the Los Angeles Archdiocese and the Lennon children attended Catholic school. Throughout their career, the sisters credited their religious faith as having a major influence in both their lives. Many of their songs have been either hymns or of a religious nature.The quartet made its television debut on The Lawrence Welk Show on Christmas Eve 1955. A high school classmate, Larry Welk, son of Lawrence Welk, brought them to the attention of his father. Welk was at home, sick in bed, when his son brought the sisters in to sing for him. Welk was so impressed that he immediately booked them for that week's show, where they were a mainstay until they left to start a career of their own in 1968. The quartet was a trio from 1960 to 1964 after DeeDee married and left the group; she rejoined in 1964 (although making a small handful of appearances throughout her years not on the show). Peggy sang the high harmony, Kathy the low harmony, and Janet and DeeDee sang the middle and lead harmonies. Peggy also specialized in barbershop, or counter-harmony, singing, taught to her by her father (who performed during the Big Band Era in a quartet with his own three brothers). The girls idolized Patti Page's multi-track vocal sound, feeling they achieved something close to her smooth blend in their Dot recording of "Stars Fell on Alabama". Kathy was especially fond of Connie Francis, evident in her solo recording of "Malaguena", which showcased her impressive vocal range. And also with the numerous hairstyles that Kathy would wear like her signature “swept wing look”. The sisters made no secret that they were huge fans of the innovative, intricate musical stylings of both The Andrews Sisters and The Mills Brothers.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.