Lennons reflect on Utah ties

When the Lennon Sisters toured, Salt Lake City was a popular stop. "We loved coming to Salt Lake City," said Kathy. She remembers one time, however, when things turned out a bit differently than planned.

"We were coming to play at the State Fair, and they told us not to worry, that they had a big band lined up to play for us. This was about 1959 or '60. We got to the fair, and they sent us over to a big tent to rehearse. We saw a lot of music stands set up, and we thought, 'Wow, this will be a big band."'

As they started to practice, the band came marching in — marching, being the operative word. "It was a marching band, with all these trumpets and drums and trombones and tubas. We couldn't sing to a marching band."

The Lennon Sisters were playing the fair for several nights, and they ended up doing their shows a cappella. "The band came on and did a couple of numbers, and then we did our show."

ANOTHER UTAH CONNECTION they remember fondly is their friendship with the Osmonds. "They were the sweetest boys. Just so much like our family," said Janet.

She remembers being in high school and coming home one day, and her dad told her, "a fabulous family from Utah knocked on our door. You have to hear them."

"They had just showed up at our door," she said. "Their father asked Dad if he would listen to them and maybe give them a name or two of people to contact. They sang for Dad, and blew him away. He made them wait until we all got home so they could sing for us. Dad took them all over to introduce them to people. They had nowhere to stay, and we had a beach house in Malibu, so we told them they were welcome to stay there. We became very close as families, and that connection has meant so much to us."