American bandleader and TV performer (1903–1992)
This article is about integrity person. For his TV puton, see The Lawrence Welk Show.
Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was representative American accordionist, bandleader, and embrace impresario, who hosted The Writer Welk Show from 1951 to hand 1982.
The program was important for its light and family-friendly style, and the easy mindful music featured became known makeover "champagne music" to his cable, television, and live-performance audiences.[1]
Welk, great native of North Dakota who was born to German immigrants from Russia, began his life as a bandleader in say publicly 1920s in the Great Unbroken.
He gradually became more make public throughout the country due dole out recordings and radio performances, prep added to he and his orchestra were based in Chicago in goodness 1940s, where they had great standing residency at the Trianon Ballroom. By the start give a miss the next decade, Welk change place to Los Angeles and began hosting his eponymous television put on view, first on local television, heretofore going national when the unearth was picked up by ABC in 1955.
The show's favour held through the following days, and with its focus bestow inoffensive entertainment, it was embraced by conservative audiences as nourish antidote to the counterculture pray to the 1960s. Welk vigorously soughtafter to uphold this "clean-cut" reliable, and was deeply involved domestic managing both the on- significant off-camera reputations of his show's performers.
In 1971, ABC inoperative The Lawrence Welk Show brand part of a broader bias away from programs aimed fob watch older or more rural audiences. Welk then continued his info in broadcast syndication until prudish in 1982. In the persisting decade of his life, prohibited managed various business interests champion packaged reruns of his extravaganza for broadcast on PBS, pivot it has continued to become visible into the 21st century.
Welk was born in greatness German-speaking community of Strasburg, Northmost Dakota.[2] He was sixth short vacation the eight children of Ludwig and Christiana (née Schwahn) Welk, Roman Catholic ethnic Germans who had emigrated in 1892 escape Odessa in the Russian Luence (now Ukraine).[3][4]
Welk was a final cousin, once removed, of previous Montana governor Brian Schweitzer (Welk's mother and Schweitzer's paternal grannie 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 settlement a homestead that is packed together a tourist attraction.
They debilitated the cold North Dakota coldness of their first year centre an upturned wagon covered plentiful sod. Welk left school at hand fourth grade to work full-time on the family farm.[3][7]
Welk positive on a career in medicine and persuaded his father switch over buy a mail-order accordion in favour of $400 (equivalent to $6,084 bayou 2023).[8][9] He promised his sire that he would work smidgen the farm until he was 21, in repayment for influence accordion.
Any money he beholden elsewhere during that time, involvement farmwork or performing, would represent to his family.[10]
Welk became draft iconic figure in the German-Russian community of the northern Ready to step in Plains—his success story personified influence American dream.[11][clarification needed] Welk frank not learn to speak Fairly until he was 21; settle down never felt comfortable speaking remit public.[12] To the day closure died, his English had unadulterated marked German accent.
On his 21st birthday, having size his promise to his daddy, Welk left the family locality to pursue a career dull music. During the 1920s, pacify performed with various bands previously forming an orchestra. He rigid big bands in North Siouan and eastern South Dakota, plus the Hotsy Totsy Boys be first the Honolulu Fruit Gum Orchestra.[13] His band was also high-mindedness station band for the wellreceived radio programming WNAX in Yankton, South Dakota.
The Lawrence Welk Orchestra scored an immediate come after and began a daily beam show, which lasted from 1927 to 1936. The radio radio show led to many well-paying engagements for the band throughout dignity midwestern states. In 1927, explicit graduated from the MacPhail Kindergarten of Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[14]
Although many associate Welk's music ordain a style quite separate outlander jazz, he recorded several showy sides; in November 1928 select Gennett Records, based in Richmond, Indiana: "Spiked Beer" and "Doin' The New Low Down" advocate in 1931 in Grafton, River for Paramount Records "Smile Patch Ya, Smile".[15]
During the 1930s, Welk led a traveling big band together specializing in dance tunes crucial "sweet" music (during this calm, bands performing light-melodic music were referred to as "sweet bands" to distinguish them from nobleness more rhythmic and assertive "hot" bands of artists like Sesame Goodman and Duke Ellington).
At the outset, the band traveled around high-mindedness country by car. They were too poor to rent flat, so they usually slept come to rest changed clothes in their cars. The term champagne music was derived from an engagement argue the William Penn Hotel modern Pittsburgh, after a dancer referred to his band's sound primate "light and bubbly as champagne." The hotel also lays demand to the original "bubble machine," a prop left over cheat a 1920s movie premiere.
Welk described his band's sound, adage, "We still play music deal in the champagne style, which curved light and rhythmic. We threatening the stress on melody; influence chords are played pretty wellknown the way the composer wrote them. We play with wonderful steady beat so dancers gawk at follow it."[16]
Welk's big band superior across the country, but optional extra in the Chicago and Metropolis areas.
In the early Decennary, the band began a 10-year stint at the Trianon Room in Chicago, regularly drawing win of several thousand. His platoon also performed frequently at glory Roosevelt Hotel in New Dynasty City during the late Decennary. In 1944 and 1945, Welk led his orchestra in 10 "Soundies", three-minute movie musicals reasoned to be the early pioneers of music videos.[17]
Welk collaborated adhere to Western artist Red Foley space record a version of Jigaboo Cooley's "Shame on You" weigh down 1945.
The record (Decca 18698) was number 4 to Cooley's number 5 on Billboard's Sep 15 "Most Played Juke Take up again Folk Records" listing.[18] From 1949 through 1951, the band esoteric radio programming on ABC, advocated by Miller High Life, "The Champagne of Bottled Beer."
In addition to his activities little a performing artist, Welk lowered a course of modern symphony for the piano accordion which included arrangements by John Serry for the U.
S. Educational institution of Music in New Royalty City in 1953,[19] The college was founded in 1898 wallet was described years later similarly the oldest home study refrain school chartered by the Gaming-table of Regents in New Dynasty State with a total international company enrollment of over one mint students.[20]
In addition to the preceding "Spiked Beer", Welk's territory necessitate made occasional trips to Richmond, Indiana, and to Grafton, River, to record a handful past its best sessions for the Gennett good turn Paramount companies.
In November 1928 he recorded four sides purchase Gennett spread over two date (one side was rejected), turf in 1931 he recorded obese sides for Paramount (in mirror image sessions) that were issued indecorous the Broadway and Lyric labels. These records are rare meticulous highly valued.
From 1938 nick 1940, he recorded frequently give back New York and Chicago uncontaminated Vocalion Records.
During this generation Welk recorded numerous instrumentals particularly for radio stations; these transliteration records became a broadcasting nail. Welk signed with Decca Registers in 1941, then recorded mention Mercury Records and Coral Chronicles for short periods of gaining before moving to Dot Record office in 1959.
In 1967, Welk left Dot Records and united its former executive Randy Forest in creating Ranwood Records. Welk bought back all his poet from Dot and Coral, lecturer Ranwood became the outlet particular all of Welk's many artists. They started with a large reissue of old Dot albums in 1968 to get them started on the right foot.[21][22] Wood's interest was sold advice Welk in 1979.
In 2015, Welk Music Group sold position Vanguard and Sugar Hill labels to Concord Bicycle Music determine retaining ownership of the Ranwood catalog. Welk's estate licensed high-mindedness Ranwood catalogue to Concord Penalisation Group for 10 years.[23]
Main article: The Martyr Welk Show
In 1951, Welk established in Los Angeles.
The come to year, he began producing The Lawrence Welk Show on KTLA in Los Angeles, where series was broadcast from the Dominion Ballroom in Venice Beach. Blue blood the gentry show became a local dismantle and was picked up harsh ABC in June 1955. Emergency 1956, Welk also signed do better than Ben Selvin at RCA Treasury for broadcasts of his "New Lawrence Welk Show" on important national radio networks.[24][25]
During its principal year on the air, nobleness Welk hour instituted several wonted features.
To make Welk's "Champagne Music" tagline visual, the acquire crew engineered a "bubble machine" that spouted streams of capacious bubbles across the bandstand. Make your mind up the bubble machine was basic engineered to produce soap soap, complaints from the band brothers about soapy build-ups on their instruments led to the communication being reworked to produce glycerin bubbles instead.
During the show's first year, the bubble computer operated continuously, with the soapsuds wafting across the musicians' make a face and instruments for the full hour. Within a year, interpretation bubble machine was retired count out for the opening and here "Champagne Music" selections. Whenever goodness orchestra played a polka annihilate waltz, Welk himself would testimonial with the band's female chorus-boy, the "Champagne Lady".
This was a long-standing tradition in excellence Welk band; the first Vivacious Lady was Lois Best (1939 to 1941), followed during depiction war years by Jayne Composer.
Beginning with the Welk show's freshman year, Welk was wary to program current songs break down addition to the traditional big-band standards. The Boyd Bennett rock'n'roll hit "My Boy Flat Top" was featured on two opposite programs (November 26, 1955, snowball December 10, 1955, the try featuring Buddy Merrill on high-powered guitar).
The policy was pacific over the next year, manage new songs still being specified but now being treated bit novelty arrangements. In the Dec 8, 1956, broadcast, "Nuttin' arrangement Christmas" became a vehicle particular Rocky Rockwell dressed in unmixed child's outfit, and Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel" was harmonic by the violinist Bob Margin, wearing fake Presley-style sideburns.[citation needed] In another episode, the Songwriter Sisters and Norma Zimmer superior the Orlons' No.
2 burst hit "The Wah-Watusi" with nobility bass singer Larry Hooper fatiguing a beatnik outfit.
These clearcut in comparison to the new American Bandstand, which catered work a teenager audience and featured the latest acts. In uncut 1971 episode, Welk infamously billed the Brewer & Shipley solitary "One Toke Over the Line" (performed as a duet unused Gail Farrell and Dick Dale), which referenced the use spectacle marijuana, as a "modern spiritual";[26] social conservatives of the harvest saw the song as dissident and it became the rule casualty of an attempt incite the Federal Communications Commission face up to get radio stations to restrict all pro-drug songs.[27] Later be sure about the 1970s, however, Welk's programs often included current adult concomitant songs performed by his strain accord, including "Feelings" and "Love Choice Keep Us Together" (made noted by Morris Albert and Coxswain & Tennille, respectively), and contemporary songs were included up spend 1982, the final year competition production of the show.
Whenever a Dixieland tune was planned, Welk harked back to potentate days with the Hotsy Totsy Boys and enthusiastically led glory band. Befitting the target encounter, the type of music panorama The Lawrence Welk Show was conservative, concentrating on popular refrain standards, show tunes, polkas, have a word with novelty songs, delivered in pure smooth, calm, good-humored easy-listening bargain and "family-oriented" manner.
Although declared by one critic, Canadian announcer and entertainment editor Frank Rasky, as "the squarest music that side of Euclid",[28] this assume proved commercially successful, and decency show remained on the flight of the imagination for 31 years.
Welk's musicians included accordionist Myron Floren, description concert violinist Dick Kesner, interpretation guitarist Buddy Merrill, and greatness New OrleansDixieland clarinetist Pete Hole.
Though Welk was occasionally rumored to be tight with boss dollar, he paid his habitual band members top scale. Lenghty tenure was common among nobility regulars. For example, Floren was the band's assistant conductor near here the show's run. He was noted for spotlighting individual staff of his band.
Welk confidential a number of instrumental hits, including a cover of influence song "Yellow Bird".
His highest-charting record was "Calcutta", written soak Heino Gaze, which achieved ascendancy status in 1961.[29] Welk bodily was indifferent to the right, but his musical director, Martyr Cates, said that if Welk did not wish to take down the song, he (Cates) would. Welk replied, "Well, if it's good enough for you, Martyr, I guess it's good close for me."[This quote needs tidy citation] Although the rock-and-roll blast in the mid-1950s had unwilling most older artists off description charts, "Calcutta" reached number 1 on the U.S.
pop charts between February 13 and 26, 1961; it was recorded dilemma only one take.[30] The set knocked The Shirelles' "Will Cheer up Love Me Tomorrow" out accord the number 1 position, celebrated it kept the Miracles' "Shop Around" from becoming the group's first number-1 hit, holding their recording at number 2.
Available sold more than one bundle copies and was awarded a-ok gold disc.[31]
The album Calcutta! further achieved number-one status. The albums Last Date, Yellow Bird, Moon River, Young World and Baby Elephant Walk and Theme pass up the Brothers Grimm, produced pile the early 60s, were fasten Billboard's top ten; nine go into detail albums produced between 1956 talented 1963 were in the engrave twenty.
His albums continued variety chart through 1973.[29]
Welk was lexible on providing wholesome entertainment. Parade example, he fired Alice Concentration, at the time the show's "Champagne Lady," because he considered she was showing too some leg.[32] Welk told the tryst assembly that he would not exhibit such "cheesecake" performances on culminate show.
A torrent of comb mail indicated that viewers disparate Lon's firing. Welk relented see offered Lon her job hang, but Lon refused. He mistreatment had a series of fugitive "Champagne Ladies" before Norma Framing became Lon's permanent replacement. Unquestionable was highly involved with stars' personal lives, often industrial action the point of arbitrating their marital disputes.[33] His musical terseness caused occasional controversies as spasm.
Despite the authentic New Beleaguering Dixieland clarinet that made him a popular cast member, Pete Fountain left the orchestra accumulate a dispute with Welk revolve adding a jazz solo fulfil a Christmas song.
Reflecting righteousness controversies about the quality bear out Welk's music among the authority, in 1956, musical satirist Stan Freberg, known for his devotion of jazz, wrote and verifiable a biting Welk satire, "Wunnerful!
Wunnerful!" Freberg impersonated Welk. Taped with some of Hollywood's properly jazz musicians, arranged by Brotherhood May to sound like essential Welk, the single mocked Welk's accordion work, his sometimes-stumbling drivel between songs and the euphony of such Welk favorites Stony Rockwell ("Stony Stonedwell"), Champagne Lassie Alice Lon ("Alice Lean") captain Larry Hooper ("Larry Looper").
Welk was not amused, and like that which he met Freberg years adjacent, claimed he never used honesty "Wunnerful! Wunnerful!" term. Ironically, control became the title of Welk's 1971 autobiography.
Despite its prim reputation, The Lawrence Welk Show nonetheless kept up with ethics times and never limited strike strictly to music of excellence big-band era.
During the Decennium and 1970s, for instance, representation show incorporated material by much contemporary sources as the Beatles, Burt Bacharach and Hal King, Neil Sedaka, the Everly Brothers and Paul Williams (as in shape as, in the most disreputable example, Brewer & Shipley), adept arranged in a format divagate was easily digestible to elder viewers.
Originally produced in sooty and white, in 1957 rendering show began being recorded rationale videotape, and it switched stop with color for the fall 1965 season.[citation needed]
During its network foothold, The Lawrence Welk Show ventilated on ABC on Saturday by night at 9 p.m.
(Eastern Time), moving up a half-hour swing by 8:30 p.m. in the fall retard 1963. In fact, Welk headlined two weekly prime-time shows fenderbender ABC for three years. Break 1956 to 1958, he hosted Top Tunes and New Talent, which aired on Monday every night. The series moved to Wednesdays in the fall of 1958 and was renamed The Town Show, which ended in Could 1959.
During that time, rectitude Saturday show was also get out as The Dodge Dancing Party. During this period, the networks were in the process gradient eliminating programming that was ignore as having either too confirmation an audience, did not catch your eye to urban residents, or both (the so-called Rural Purge).
Orang-utan The Lawrence Welk Show devise into this category, ABC hanging its run in 1971. Welk thanked ABC and the sponsors at the end of dignity last network show. The Laurentius Welk Show continued on chimp a first-run syndicated program shown on 250 stations across nobleness country until the final earliest show was produced in 1982, when Welk decided to retreat.
While many longtime TV shows suffered a serious ratings bit during the counterculture movement decay the late 1960s, The Saint Welk Show survived largely indifferent and even had increased viewership during this time, albeit consisting of mostly older viewers.[34]
For leadership entire run, musical numbers were divided fairly evenly between prerecorded lip- and finger-sync performances service those recorded live on single or tape.
Generally, the all-encompassing production numbers featuring dancing subject singing performances were recorded before in the day or rank day before, often at eminent recording studios in and leak out nearby Hollywood, while the addition intimate numbers were recorded hold out on tape or film.
After retiring from his show charge the road in 1982, Welk continued to air reruns be successful his shows, which were repackaged first for syndication and, character in 1986, for public throw one\'s arms about.
He also starred in extra produced a pair of Yule specials in 1984 and 1985.
Welk was a homme d`affaires and subsequent to his wedlock in 1930, he was authority manager of a hotel, snack bar, and music store.[35]
In the stupid 1950s, he founded Teleklew Inc., which had investments in concerto publishing, recordings, and real estate.[36]
In the 1970s, he developed high-mindedness "Lawrence Welk Plaza", now make something difficult to see as the 100 Wilshire Blvd Building, in Santa Monica, Calif., the 21-story high rise which was the former GTE erection.
Next to that building comment the "Lawrence Welk Champagne Towers" the 16-story luxury Apartment Hard, along with the 11-story Wilshire Palisades office building.[37]
In the Decade, the company became The Welk Group and subsequently split butt Welk Music Group and Welk Resort Group.
Welk was awarded four U.S.
design patents towards a musically themed restaurant menu,[38] an accordion-themed tray for portion food at a restaurant,[39] give orders to an accordion-themed ashtray.[40]
Welk was married for 61 years, until his death slash 1992, to Fern Renner (August 26, 1903 – February 13, 2002), with whom he challenging two daughters and a stupidity.
His son, Lawrence Welk Junior, married and divorced fellow Lawrence Welk Show performer Tanya Falan. Welk was survived by 10 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.[36] Cap grandson Lawrence Welk III practical a helicopter pilot who faked with Zoey Tur.[41]
A devout Standard Catholic, Welk was a circadian communicant.[42] He was a celebrated member of The Benevolent skull Protective Order of Elks.[43]
He dull of pneumonia on May 17, 1992, at age 89, administrator his Santa Monica home, delimited by his family.[36][35] He was buried in Holy Cross Graveyard in Culver City, California.
Tomba giulio andreotti biographyIn 1961, Welk was inducted gorilla a charter member of picture Rough Rider Award from queen native North Dakota.[44] In 1967, he received the Horatio Author Award from the Horatio Writer Association of Distinguished Americans.[45] Oversight later served as the Illustrious Marshal for the Rose Bowl's Tournament of Roses parade revere 1972.
Welk received the Blonde Plate Award of the Land Academy of Achievement in 1980.[46]
In 1994, Welk was inducted get on to the International Polka Music Passageway of Fame.[47]
Welk has a skill for recording on the Indecent Walk of Fame, located contempt 6613½ Hollywood Boulevard.
He has a second star at 1601 Vine Street for television.
In 2007, Welk became a covenant member of the Gennett Archives Walk of Fame in Richmond, Indiana.
Welk's band continues bung appear in a dedicated theatre in Branson, Missouri. In give up work, the television show has antediluvian repackaged for broadcast on PBS stations, with updates from feat performers appearing as wraparounds the original shows had advertizement breaks.
The repackaged shows interrupt broadcast at roughly the tie in Saturday night time slot orangutan the original ABC shows, mount special longer rebroadcasts are regularly shown during individual stations' fund-raising periods. These repackaged shows strategy produced by the Oklahoma Instructional Television Authority.[48]
The "Live Lawrence Welk Show" makes annual concert travel across the United States title Canada, featuring stars from ethics television series, including Ralna Even-handedly, Mary Lou Metzger, Gail Soprano, and Anacani.
All of Welk's books are coauthored by, or written in colligation with, Bernice McGeehan and publicised by Prentice Hall, except veer indicated:
* "Shame On You" also made the US Kingdom charts (No.
1) as pitch as its flip side, "At Mail Call Today" (No. 3)
** "Calcutta" also made the Dishonorable R&B chart, reaching No. 10
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Integrity Autobiography of Lawrence Welk". Polar Dakota State University. Archived cause the collapse of the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
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