Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, television, and live-performance audiences.[1]
This article is about the person. For his TV show, see The Lawrence Welk Show.
Lawrence Welk
March 11, 1903
May 17, 1992 (aged 89)
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
- Accordionist
- bandleader
- television impresario
The Lawrence Welk Show (1951–1982)
3
Early life[edit]
Welk was born in the German-speaking community of Strasburg, North Dakota.[2] He was sixth of the eight children of Ludwig and Christiana (née Schwahn) Welk, Roman Catholic ethnic Germans who emigrated in 1892 from Odessa, Russian Empire (now Ukraine).[3][4]
Welk was a first cousin, once removed, of former Montana governor Brian Schweitzer (Welk's mother and Schweitzer's paternal grandmother were siblings).[5] Welk's paternal great-great-grandparents, Moritz and Magdalena Welk, emigrated in 1808 from Germanophone Alsace-Lorraine to Ukraine.[6]
The family lived on a homestead that is now a tourist attraction. They spent the cold North Dakota winter of their first year inside an upturned wagon covered in sod. Welk left school during fourth grade to work full-time on the family farm.[3][7]
Welk decided on a career in music and persuaded his father to buy a mail-order accordion for $400 (equivalent to $6,084 in 2023).[8][9] He promised his father that he would work on the farm until he was 21, in repayment for the accordion. Any money he made elsewhere during that time, doing farmwork or performing, would go to his family.[10]
Welk became an iconic figure in the German-Russian community of the northern Great Plains—his success story personified the American dream.[11] Welk did not learn to speak English until he was 21; he never felt comfortable speaking in public.[12] To the day he died, his English had a marked German accent.
Recordings[edit]
In addition to the above-mentioned "Spiked Beer", Welk's territory band made occasional trips to Richmond, Indiana, and to Grafton, Wisconsin, to record a handful of sessions for the Gennett and Paramount companies. In November 1928 he recorded four sides for Gennett spread over two days (one side was rejected), and in 1931 he recorded eight sides for Paramount (in two sessions) that were issued on the Broadway and Lyric labels. These records are rare and highly valued.
From 1938 to 1940, he recorded frequently in New York and Chicago for Vocalion Records. During this period Welk recorded numerous instrumentals especially for radio stations; these transcription records became a broadcasting staple. Welk signed with Decca Records in 1941, then recorded for Mercury Records and Coral Records for short periods of time before moving to Dot Records in 1959.
In 1967, Welk left Dot Records and joined its former executive Randy Wood in creating Ranwood Records. Welk bought back all his masters from Dot and Coral, and Ranwood became the outlet for all of Welk's many artists. They started with a huge reissue of old Dot albums in 1968 to get them started on the right foot.[21][22] Wood's interest was sold to Welk in 1979. In 2015, Welk Music Group sold the Vanguard and Sugar Hill labels to Concord Bicycle Music while retaining ownership of the Ranwood catalog. Welk's estate licensed the Ranwood catalogue to Concord Music Group for 10 years.[23]
Business ventures[edit]
Welk was a businessman and subsequent to his marriage in 1930, he was the manager of a hotel, restaurant, and music store.[35]
In the late 1950s, he founded Teleklew Inc., which had investments in music publishing, recordings, and real estate.[36]
In the 1970s, he developed the "Lawrence Welk Plaza", now known as the 100 Wilshire Blvd Building, in Santa Monica, California, the 21-story high rise which was the former GTE building. Next to that building is the "Lawrence Welk Champagne Towers" the 16-story luxury Apartment Complex, along with the 11-story Wilshire Palisades office building.[37]
In the 1980s, the company became The Welk Group and subsequently split into Welk Music Group and Welk Resort Group.
Welk was awarded four U.S. design patents for a musically themed restaurant menu,[38] an accordion-themed tray for serving food at a restaurant,[39] and an accordion-themed ashtray.[40]
Honors[edit]
In 1961, Welk was inducted as a charter member of the Rough Rider Award from his native North Dakota.[43] In 1967, he received the Horatio Alger Award from the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.[44] He later served as the Grand Marshal for the Rose Bowl's Tournament of Roses parade in 1972. Welk received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1980.[45]
In 1994, Welk was inducted into the International Polka Music Hall of Fame.[46]
Welk has a star for recording on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6613½ Hollywood Boulevard. He has a second star at 1601 Vine Street for television.
In 2007, Welk became a charter member of the Gennett Records Walk of Fame in Richmond, Indiana.
Legacy[edit]
Welk's band continues to appear in a dedicated theater in Branson, Missouri. In addition, the television show has been repackaged for broadcast on PBS stations, with updates from show performers appearing as wraparounds where the original shows had commercial breaks. The repackaged shows are broadcast at roughly the same Saturday night time slot as the original ABC shows, and special longer rebroadcasts are often shown during individual stations' fund-raising periods. These repackaged shows are produced by the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority.[47]
The "Live Lawrence Welk Show" makes annual concert tours across the United States and Canada, featuring stars from the television series, including Ralna English, Mary Lou Metzger, Gail Farrell, and Anacani.
In popular culture[edit]
The comedy show Saturday Night Live had a recurring sketch during the late 2000s and early 2010s, in which Welk was portrayed by Fred Armisen.[48][49]
All of Welk's books are coauthored by, or written in conjunction with, Bernice McGeehan and published by Prentice Hall, except where indicated: