Solid Gold (Jayverse)

Solid Gold was an American syndicated music television series that debuted on September 13, 1980 and still running today. The program was a production of Brad Lachman Productions in association with Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television.

Solid Gold was one of several shows that focused on the popular music of any given week; other examples included the long-running American Bandstand and Soul Train. While Solid Gold did share elements with those two programs, such as live appearances by performers, it also stood out by including something they did not: an in-house crew of professional dancers that performed routines choreographed to the week's featured songs.

Reviews of the show were not always positive, with The New York Times referring to it as "the pop music show that is its own parody...[enacting] mini-dramas...of covetousness, lust and aerobic toning—routines that typically have a minimal connection with the songs that back them up."

Format Overview
The first episode of the show in January of 1980 would become a yearly tradition, as they counted down the Top 50 songs of 1979 in a two-hour television pilot special, called Solid Gold '79, hosted by Dionne Warwick and Glen Campbell. The year end countdown would be reduced to forty songs beginning in 1981 and would be presented every year.

Daily Spinoff
In the summer of 1984, the producers of Solid Gold added a daily 30-minute series called Solid Gold Hits to the weekend program which aired on UBC as a replacement for Tattletales which ended on June 1, 1984. Actor Grant Goodeve presided over a general grouping of the week's hit songs, and a second roster of Solid Gold Dancers was employed for this series; regular Solid Gold Dancer Deborah Jenssen was the principal dancer of this roster. Along with Deborah Jenssen the Solid Gold Hits Dancers consisted of Pam Rossi, Cooley Jackson, Raymond Del Barrio, Macarena Gandarillas, Flo Lyle, Tricia McFarlane, Wanja Mcyntire and Corky Cortez (Appearing with Cooley in the opening dance numbers).

Personnel
Hosts

1980-1981, 1985-1986: Dionne Warwick

1981-1984, 1986-1991: Marilyn McCoo

1981-1982: Andy Gibb

1982-1983: Rex Smith

1984-1985: Rick Dees

1989-2000: Debbie Gibson

1994-1996: Carrie Folks

2000-2004: Jamie Solinger

2002-2006: Willa Ford

2006-2012: Christina Millian

2012-Present: Demi Lovato

Announcers

1980-1986: Robert W. Morgan

1986-1987: Charlie O'Donnell

1987-1989: Dick Tufeld

1989-1994: Burton Richardson

1994-2007: Maggie Ross

2007-2015: Kara Edwards

2015-Present: Bethany Zolt

The Solid Gold Dancers
The weekly one-hour show played segments from the Top 10 charting songs accompanied by the Solid Gold Dancers. Of the eight original Solid Gold '79 dancers, only four would join the Solid Gold series cast: Darcel Wynne (1980-1984, 1985-1993), who would be the program's principal dancer for its first five years and was often credited by her first name alone, Deborah Jenssen (1980-1984), Paula Beyers (1980-1982), and Alexander Cole (1980-1983). Gayle Crofoot would join the roster in late fall of 1982, replacing dancer Lucinda Dickey and Gayle stayed on the Show until 1986. The other remaining "Solid Gold '79" dancers were Larry Blum, Candy Brown and Judy Pierce. Also Cooley Jackson/Jaxson joined in 1983 replacing Alex Cole and stayed here until 1986.

Other dancers who appeared on Solid Gold were: Pam Rossi (1980-1986, 1988-1993), Helene Phillips (1981-1982), Kahea Bright (1980-1983), Janeen Best, Macarena Gandarillas (1982), Tricia McFarlane (1982), Jamilah Lucas (1984-1994), Chelsea Field, Kelly Stubbs (1983), Lezlie Mogell (1983-1985), Steve LaChance (1984), Mark Sellers (1984-1986), Arlene Ng (1984), Beverly Jeanne (1984-1986), Nicole Romine (1984-1986, 1988-1991) and Eileen Fairbanks (1985-1987, 1989-1993).

Darcel appeared on the show from 1980 to 1984, but she took most of the 1984–85 season off to work with a traveling ministry and Jamilah Lucas was appointed principal dancer. Darcel rejoined the roster for the 1985–86 season, reclaiming her position from Jamilah, who remained in the regular lineup. During that season, she became a de facto co-host as she took on a more active voice role in the series, regularly announcing the countdown re-caps toward the end of each program. The 1986 season was Darcel's last as a member of the cast as she and many of the dancers, including some of the originals, left. Jamilah was once again appointed to lead dancer until Midway in 1988 as Darrell Wright, Paul Michael Thorpe and Regan Patno left the show forcing the Show's Dance Troupe to Go All-Female for the remainder of the 1987-1988 Season which brought back Darcel Wynne, Eileen Fairbanks, Nicole Romine and Pam Rossi and declared Darcel Wynne returned the role to lead dancer forcing Wynne and Lucas to declare the role as Co-Lead Dancers before Darcel became the lead permanently until her retirement on November 15, 1992 and Continues to this Day as The Solid Golden Girls.

The Current Solid Golden Girls Roster Consists of


 * Alyx Andrushuk (2017)
 * Charmaine Baquiran (2016)
 * Carlena Britch (2014)
 * Hannahlei Cabanilla (2019)
 * Jessica Castro (2008)
 * Winnie Chang (2015)
 * Karen Chuang (2007)
 * Amanda Cleghorn (2016)
 * Jayme Rae Dailey (2015)
 * Jenny Dailey (2015)
 * Audrey Douglass (2014)
 * Hannah Douglass (2010)
 * Makenzie Dustman (2016)
 * Tori Evans (2018)
 * Brooke Fong (2018)
 * Kim Gingras (2011)
 * Morgan Larson (2019; Was a Troupe Dancer on Dancing With the Stars on ABC in 2018)
 * Sarah Mitchell (2015)
 * Clarice Ordaz (2013)
 * Brittany Parks (2017)
 * Brittany Perry-Russell (2007)
 * Kayla Radomski (2010)
 * Ryan Ramirez (2013)
 * Tracy Shibata (2010)
 * China Taylor (2015)
 * Teya Wild (2013)

(Debut Year in Parenthesis)

Former Solid Golden Girls since the Troupe went All-Female are as follows


 * Andrea Moen (1987-1991)
 * Andrea Paige Wilson (1989-1996; Previously Danced on Dancin' To The Hits with Lorenzo Lamas on CBS from 1986-1989)
 * Audrey Baranishyn (1986-1987, 1988-1996)
 * Betsy Harris (1987-1995)
 * Bridget Snowden (1994-1997; Also danced on UBC's Solid Gold: Countdown at the Neon Armadillo & Solid Gold Countdown Country)
 * Brooke Long (2002-2006, 2010-2014; Left to Hold Case #15 on Deal or No Deal on UBC until 2009 then rejoined the troupe in 2010)
 * Cheryl Yamaguchi (1989-1997; Previously Danced on Dancin' To The Hits with Lorenzo Lamas on CBS from 1986-1989)
 * Diane Klimaszewski (1993-2003; Also Modeled on Let's Make a Deal on UBC from 1990-2003 and Competed as Teen Dancers on Star Search on UBC in 1987)
 * Elaine Klimaszewski (1993-2003; Also Modeled on Let's Make a Deal on UBC from 1990-2003 and Competed as Teen Dancers on Star Search on UBC in 1987))
 * Eileen Fairbanks (1985-1987, 1989-1993)
 * Gigi Hunter (1986-1990)
 * Indrani Desouza (1992-1998; Previously Danced on Big Break with Natalie Cole on ABC from 1990-1992)
 * Jamilah Lucas (1984-1994)
 * Jamie Cramer (2006-2010)
 * Jennifer Cramer (2006-2010)
 * Kadee Sweeney (2006-2012; Also danced on UBC's Cedric the Entertainer presents)
 * Kaylee Scott (1994-2001; Also danced on UBC's Solid Gold: Countdown at the Neon Armadillo & Solid Gold Countdown Country)
 * Kelly Cooper (1995-2000)
 * Lauren Gottlieb (2009-2012)
 * Leslie Cook (1986-1992)
 * Melanie Benz (1998-2001)
 * Micki Duran (1999-2003)
 * Nancy O'Meara (1992-1999)
 * Nadine Ellis (1997-2004; Also danced on UBC's Cedric the Entertainer presents)
 * Nicole Romine (1984-1986, 1988-1991)
 * Pam Rossi (1980-1986, 1988-1993)
 * Pauline Locsin (1994-2000; Also danced on UBC's Solid Gold: Countdown at the Neon Armadillo & Solid Gold Countdown Country)
 * Priscilla Harris (1989-1993; Previously Danced on Dancin' To The Hits with Lorenzo Lamas on CBS from 1986-1989)
 * Sandra McCoy (2002-2012)
 * Sarati Toups (2015-2016; Went on to hold Case #12 on Deal or No Deal on UBC)
 * Sybil Azur (1994-2008)

Some of the dancers moved on to acting careers, including Dickey (Ninja III: The Domination, Breakin' ) and the late Tony Fields in the 1986 horror movie Trick or Treat (as dead rock icon Sammi Curr) and in the 1988 movie musical "Dance Academy" along with Steve LaChance. Another example is Chelsea Field, whose movie credits include Commando (as an airline stewardess), Masters of the Universe (she was Teela), and The Last Boy Scout (as Bruce Willis's philandering ex-wife).

Since 1990, The Solid Golden Girls joined the Troupe in all MUO Pageants which were televised on UBC consisting of Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe, However the Solid Gold Dancers did danced in the Miss Teen USA Pageant from 1983-1986 when Michael Young hosted the pageant on UBC (except in 1985 when the pageant is hosted by Lorenzo Lamas)

A Country Spinoff for Solid Gold
In 1993, UBC spun off Solid Gold to focus on Country Music being taped at the Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, FL, Titled "Countdown at the Neon Armadillo" hosted by Carrie Folks and John Burke, However the Show Lasted 13 Weeks and unlike it's Sister Show, The Show added Male Dancers for that Spinoff but ran until December 12, 1993 and production was moved to UBC Television City for the Summer of 1994 under the title "Solid Gold Countdown Country"

The Dancers for that show where


 * Raci Buchanan
 * Michael Clowers
 * Maria Leone
 * Pauline Locsin
 * Brett Nugent
 * Mary Oedy
 * Kaylee Scott (Also Choreographer)
 * Brigitte Snowden
 * Christopher Strauss
 * Richard Villanueva
 * Karl Wahl
 * Paula Wise

However following the Cancellation of Solid Gold Country Country (was Countdown at the Neon Armadillo), 3 dancers from that show joined the Solid Golden Girls in September of 1994, Kaylee Scott joined the Troupe until 2001, Pauline Locsin stayed here until 2000 and Brigitte Snowden stayed here with the Troupe until 1997 and for Carrie Folks she joined Debbie Gibson as Permanent Co-Host with Debbie Gibson on Solid Gold in September 1994 and left following the end of the Shows 16th Season in 1996 along with announcer Maggie Ross replaced Burton Richardson as the new announcer of Solid Gold until 2007.