Alice Lon

Vocation

American singer and dancer on The Lawrence Welk Show during its early years on network television. Throughout the big-band era and the years that followed, each of Lawrence Welk's female vocalists was always nicknamed "The Champagne Lady." Lon assumed the title in 1955, during the TV program's first season. Her alto singing voice graced Welk's show weekly until 1959, when she left the show over musical and money issues, although a popular legend developed that she was fired for showing too much leg. Viewers missed the popular Alice Lon, and Welk received many messages demanding that she be rehired. Welk tried to bring her back, but she refused and was ultimately replaced in 1960 by Norma Zimmer. Lawrence and Lon eventually reconciled personally, but never worked together professionally again. On Welk's show, Lon was known for wearing particularly full skirts with colorful petticoats designed by her mother, Lois Wyche, as she told TV Guide. She gave instructions in the article on how viewers might make their own petticoats. She recorded an album for Coral Records titled It's Alice with orchestra directed by George Cates. Alice Lon died of scleroderma, an autoimmune disease, on 24 April 1981 in Dallas, aged 54. Link to Wikipedia biography