TLDR: Sherry and Sheila Aldridge joined The Lawrence Welk Show in 1977 after four auditions and became the final great vocal act of the original Champagne Music era.
Paired with the Otwell Twins as a mixed-gender quartet, they defined the show’s last five years.
Both sisters are believed to be alive and retired as of 2025-2026.
By 1977, The Lawrence Welk Show had been in syndication for six years and was still drawing millions of viewers every Saturday night. Lawrence Welk was in his mid-seventies and running one of the most disciplined operations in American television. But he needed new blood.
The Lennon Sisters had been gone for nearly a decade. The sweet harmony slot they once owned had never been filled with the same authority. Welk was looking for a vocal act that could carry that tradition into the show’s final years without alienating the audience that had been watching since 1955.
What he found was two sisters from North Carolina, a pair of twins from Texas, and a combination that would define the last chapter of the Musical Family.
The Full Story of the Aldridge Sisters
Sherry and Sheila Aldridge grew up in North Carolina in a family where church singing and communal music were central to daily life. Before television entered the picture, both sisters had careers as flight attendants, a background that gave them the poise and professionalism Lawrence Welk valued above almost everything else in a performer.
They auditioned for Welk four times before getting the call. Their persistence paid off when Tanya Welk resigned, creating a vacancy the sisters were perfectly positioned to fill.
Their debut as guest stars drew an immediate positive audience response, and Welk signed them as regulars shortly after.
Over five years on the show, the sisters hosted episodes, performed across an unusually wide repertoire, and became two of the most recognized faces of the syndication era. They stayed through the final episode in 1982 and went on to build substantial post-Welk careers in Branson, Missouri, before retiring from public life in the 2000s.
Sherry Aldridge
Sherry Aldridge, born December 1, 1951, was the elder sister and the anchor of the duo’s vocal arrangements. Her approach carried traces of the 1960s folk revival she had grown up with, and her stage presence was steady and professional in a way that made complex harmonies look effortless.
She was the stabilizing force in the quartet, the voice that kept everything centered when the arrangements shifted.
Off screen, Sherry was the more private of the two sisters, preferring the collaborative environment of the group to individual attention. After the show ended, she remained active in Branson and on the reunion circuit before eventually returning to a quieter life in North Carolina.
She is approximately 73 years old as of 2025 and retired from performing.
Sheila Aldridge
Sheila Aldridge, born July 18, 1956, in Knoxville, Tennessee, brought a more visible energy to the act. She was frequently selected for close-up shots and the show’s comedic vignettes, a sign that producers recognized something in her that connected with individual viewers in a way that complemented rather than duplicated her sister’s strengths.
Her vocal range leaned toward the emotive, a quality that developed further in her post-Welk work. She married performer Chris Costa, and the two collaborated on musical projects well into the 2000s.
Her rendition of “To Make You Feel My Love” alongside Costa, captured years after the show ended, revealed an artistry that had grown well beyond the Champagne Music framework. She is 69 years old as of 2025.
The Otwell Twins
The story of the Aldridge Sisters cannot be told without the Otwell Twins. David and Roger Otwell were discovered through a demo tape of original songs submitted to the Welk organization and joined the cast at roughly the same time as the Aldridges.
They came from Tulia, Texas, with the same small-town, wholesome appeal that Welk had always prized.
Welk’s decision to pair the two acts was one of his shrewdest production choices of the syndication era.
Two sets of siblings, male and female, performing with the intuitive chemistry that only family acts produce: the resulting quartet was harmonically balanced across the full vocal range and visually compelling in a way that neither act could have achieved alone. T
hey performed together from 1977 through the show’s final episode in 1982 and remained connected through the Branson reunion circuit for years afterward.
How They Fit Into the Larger Musical Family
The Aldridge Sisters and the Otwell Twins joined a cast that already included some of the most recognizable names in the show’s history. Myron Floren, the show’s lead accordionist and assistant conductor, was still in the ensemble.
Bobby Burgess was in his third decade as the show’s principal dancer. Guy Hovis and Ralna English were the show’s established vocal duo.
The sisters slotted into this ecosystem without friction, earning the respect of the veterans and connecting naturally with the newer generation of cast members.
They were particularly close to the Otwell Twins and well-regarded by longtime cast members like Floren and Bob Ralston, who appreciated their work ethic and their willingness to learn the Welk style rather than impose their own preferences on it.
For the full picture of everyone who passed through the Musical Family, the Lawrence Welk Show cast guide covers the complete roster from 1955 to 1982.
What Happened After the Show
When original production ended in 1982, the sisters moved quickly into the Branson circuit, where the audience that had followed them on Saturday nights was waiting.
They performed at the Welk Resort Theatre, participated in the “Forever Blowing Bubbles” national tours, and appeared in the 2001 PBS special Milestones and Memories alongside much of the surviving Musical Family.
They also released a Christmas album, The Gift, in collaboration with musician Billy Andrusco, featuring their signature harmonies on traditional carols and contemporary holiday songs. It remains a sought-after item among Welk collectors.
By the mid-2000s, both sisters had stepped back from regular performing. They are believed to be alive and in retirement as of 2025-2026, Sherry in North Carolina and Sheila with continued occasional musical activity through her collaboration with Chris Costa.
