Gail Farrell
Encyclopedia
Gail Farrell American
singer and songwriter
who is famous as a member of the long running TV musical variety program The Lawrence Welk Show
.
, California
, she grew up in Durant, Oklahoma
as an only child on her father's cattle ranch. In her words, Gail recalled that she learned music from her mother who taught her piano
lessons while her father taught her to ride horses. She began to perform publicly at age six in church
, rodeo
s, talent shows and on pickup beds on the back of truck
s stumping for local political candidates. She also learned how to sing gospel music
from her grandmother.
While attending the University of Tulsa
, majoring in piano performance, she took part in the Miss Oklahoma Pageant and won in talent and swimsuit competitions. She also attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York
during the summer to further hone her talents as a piano player. After graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1969, she flew out to Los Angeles
originally to study the Yamaha Method for teaching pre-school children music, but decided to audition for Lawrence Welk
while he and his band performed every Saturday night at the Hollywood Palladium
. She got the maestro's attention in a tag dance, tapping him on the shoulder and asking if she can sing for him. In a matter of minutes, she did, singing Cotton Fields
in front of three thousand people at the Palladium which Welk liked, and asked her to appear on the opening broadcast the following September.
Gail officially joined the Musical Family three shows into the 1969-70 season and over the course of the next twelve years, she sang solos, played piano, sang in duets with Dick Dale
and in trios; first with Sandi Griffiths
, and Mary Lou Metzger
and later for "Gail, Ron & Michael" a mixed trio that featured her husband Ron Anderson
and Michael Redman. In addition, she also developed as a songwriter, writing vocal arrangements for both trio groups. Her exposure on The Lawrence Welk Show opened doors in her career, making notable television
appearances on Match Game
, Dinah!
, and The Mike Douglas Show
. The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma even christened "Gail Farrell Drive" in her honor in Durant.
Since regular production on the Welk show ceased in 1982, Farrell continued to pursue singing/songwriting, as her arrangements have been covered by artists such as Barbara Mandrell
and featured on the soap opera
Knots Landing
. She also has sung with numerous recording artists and her vocals have appeared in numerous commercials and television/film soundtrack
s.
She still sings in her own right, either as a solo artist or with her fellow Welk stars. In recent years, she has appeared on several Welk-related television specials for PBS such as Milestones & Memories and Lawrence Welk, Precious Memories. Farrell also joined forces with fellow Welk castmates Ava Barber
, Ralna English
and Mary Lou Metzger
for the four-woman revue, Four Wunnerful Women.
She was also a voice actor in the animated Disney
feature The Little Mermaid
.
Farrell married Ron Anderson
on December 7, 1979. They make their home in Northern California and are the parents of twin daughters, Erin and Lauren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
who is famous as a member of the long running TV musical variety program The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
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 , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
.
Biography
Born in SalinasSalinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, she grew up in Durant, Oklahoma
Durant, Oklahoma
Durant is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,877 at the 2010 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 42,416 in 2010...
as an only child on her father's cattle ranch. In her words, Gail recalled that she learned music from her mother who taught her piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons while her father taught her to ride horses. She began to perform publicly at age six in church
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
, rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
s, talent shows and on pickup beds on the back of truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s stumping for local political candidates. She also learned how to sing gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
from her grandmother.
While attending the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
, majoring in piano performance, she took part in the Miss Oklahoma Pageant and won in talent and swimsuit competitions. She also attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
during the summer to further hone her talents as a piano player. After graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1969, she flew out to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
originally to study the Yamaha Method for teaching pre-school children music, but decided to audition for Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
while he and his band performed every Saturday night at the Hollywood Palladium
Hollywood Palladium
The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an 11,200 square foot dance floor with room for up to 4,000 people.-History:...
. She got the maestro's attention in a tag dance, tapping him on the shoulder and asking if she can sing for him. In a matter of minutes, she did, singing Cotton Fields
Cotton Fields
"Cotton Fields" is a song written by blues musician Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly who made the first recording of the song in 1940.-Early versions:...
in front of three thousand people at the Palladium which Welk liked, and asked her to appear on the opening broadcast the following September.
Gail officially joined the Musical Family three shows into the 1969-70 season and over the course of the next twelve years, she sang solos, played piano, sang in duets with Dick Dale
Dick Dale (singer)
Dick Dale is an American singer and musician, best known as a featured singer and saxophone player on the TV variety show The Lawrence Welk Show....
and in trios; first with Sandi Griffiths
Sandi Griffiths
Sandi Griffiths is an American singer. She is best known as a performer on American television's The Lawrence Welk Show.-Early years:...
, and Mary Lou Metzger
Mary Lou Metzger
Mary Lou Metzger is an American singer and dancer best known as a cast member on The Lawrence Welk Show....
and later for "Gail, Ron & Michael" a mixed trio that featured her husband Ron Anderson
Ron Anderson (singer)
Ron Anderson is an American singer who appeared on The Lawrence Welk Show for the last two years of its run as a member of the singing trio of Gail, Ron & Michael....
and Michael Redman. In addition, she also developed as a songwriter, writing vocal arrangements for both trio groups. Her exposure on The Lawrence Welk Show opened doors in her career, making notable television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearances on Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
, Dinah!
Dinah!
Dinah! is a daytime talk show hosted by singer and actress Dinah Shore, which aired in American syndication markets through 20th Century Fox Television from its premiere on September 9, 1974 until the summer of 1980...
, and The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
. The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma even christened "Gail Farrell Drive" in her honor in Durant.
Since regular production on the Welk show ceased in 1982, Farrell continued to pursue singing/songwriting, as her arrangements have been covered by artists such as Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
and featured on the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Knots Landing
Knots Landing
Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
. She also has sung with numerous recording artists and her vocals have appeared in numerous commercials and television/film soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s.
She still sings in her own right, either as a solo artist or with her fellow Welk stars. In recent years, she has appeared on several Welk-related television specials for PBS such as Milestones & Memories and Lawrence Welk, Precious Memories. Farrell also joined forces with fellow Welk castmates Ava Barber
Ava Barber
Ava Barber is an American country music singer and performer. She is best remembered for having performed on The Lawrence Welk Show throughout much of the 1970s and early 1980s....
, Ralna English
Ralna English
Ralna Eve English American-born singer was born in Haskell, the seat of Haskell County, north of Abilene, Texas. She gained fame as half of the husband-and-wife singing duo of Guy & Ralna with then-husband Guy Hovis, both of whom were featured performers on The Lawrence Welk Show.English was reared...
and Mary Lou Metzger
Mary Lou Metzger
Mary Lou Metzger is an American singer and dancer best known as a cast member on The Lawrence Welk Show....
for the four-woman revue, Four Wunnerful Women.
She was also a voice actor in the animated Disney
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
feature The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid (1989 film)
The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 14, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in...
.
Farrell married Ron Anderson
Ron Anderson (singer)
Ron Anderson is an American singer who appeared on The Lawrence Welk Show for the last two years of its run as a member of the singing trio of Gail, Ron & Michael....
on December 7, 1979. They make their home in Northern California and are the parents of twin daughters, Erin and Lauren.