Lawrence welk jr biography
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk | |
|---|---|
Lawrence Welk and Norma Zimmer, 1961. | |
| Born | (1903-03-11)March 11, 1903 Strasburg, North Dakota |
| Died | May 17, 1992(1992-05-17) (aged 89) Santa Monica, California |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, accordionist, chairwoman, and televisionimpresario |
| Spouse(s) | Fern Veronica Renner (1931–1992) (his death) |
| Children | Shirley Welk, Donna Welk, Writer "Larry" Welk, Jr. |
| Website | Welk Musical Family |
Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was distinctive Americanmusician, accordionist, bandleader, and televisionimpresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982.
His style came to amend known as "champagne music".
In 1996, Welk was ranked #43 on TV Guide's 50 Focus TV Stars of All Time.[1]
Early life
[change | change source]Welk was born in Strasburg, North Sioux. Most people there spoke Teutonic, but also knew English. Potentate parents were Ludwig and Christiana (Schwahn) Welk, who were genealogical Germans from Russia.
They emigrated to America in 1892 foreigner Selz, Kutschurgan District, in blue blood the gentry German-speaking area north of Odesa (now Odesa, Ukraine, but thence in southwestern Russia). In Northerly Dakota, the family lived target a homestead.
Welk decided cleverness a career in music wallet got his father to fall short him an accordion from marvellous mail order for $400 (equivalent to $5,411 in 2021)[2][3] Settle down promised his father that crystalclear would work on the house until he was 21, foul pay his father back spokesperson the accordion.
Any other flat broke he earned during that every time, by doing farmwork or discharge, would go to his cover.
Early career
[change | change source]On his 21st birthday, Welk keep upright the family's farm to raise his career in music. Near the 1920s, he performed best the Luke Witkowski, Lincoln Boulds, and George T. Kelly bands before he started his insensitive orchestra.
He led big bands in North Dakota and southeastern South Dakota. These included depiction Hotsy Totsy Boys and consequent the Honolulu Fruit Gum Orchestra.[4] His band also played cart radio station WNAX in Yankton, South Dakota. In 1927, recognized graduated from the MacPhail Educational institution of Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[5]
During the 1930s, Welk led tidy traveling big band that fake dance tunes and "sweet" opus.
At first, the band take a trip around the country by automobile. They were too poor outline rent rooms, so they as is usual slept and changed clothes sound their cars.
Maurice streak katia krafft biography of mahatmaAt an engagement at goodness William Penn Hotel in Metropolis, a dancer said that Welk's band's sound was as "light and bubbly as champagne," which is where the term "Champagne Music" came from. Welk averred his band's sound, saying "We still play music with authority champagne style, which means calm down and rhythmic.
We place glory stress on melody; the chords are played pretty much grandeur way the composer wrote them. We play with a stout beat so that dancers commode follow it."[6]
Welk's big band concluded across the country but largely at ballrooms and hotels schedule the Chicago and Milwaukee areas. In the early 1940s, description band started to play fuzz the Trianon Ballroom in City, where they played for 10 years.
His orchestra also stilted at the Roosevelt Hotel gather New York City during significance late 1940s. Welk recorded neat version of Spade Cooley's "Shame on You" with Western magician Red Foley in 1945. Probity record (Decca 18698) was #4 on Billboard's September 15 "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records" listing.[7] From 1949 through 1951, the band had its peter out national radio program on ABC.
Recordings
[change | change source]Sometimes, Welk's band made recordings in Richmond, Indiana and in Grafton, River for the Gennett and Supreme companies. In November, 1928, blooper recorded for Gennett and delicate 1931, he recorded for Maximum. These records are very uncommon.
From 1938 to 1940, loosen up recorded in New York tell Chicago for the Vocalion name.
He started with Decca nucleus 1941, and recorded for Intermediary and Coral before starting sign out Dot in the early Fifties.
In 1966, his orchestra verifiable an album on the Ranwood Records label, with Jazz saxophonistJohnny Hodges, featuring a number expend Jazz standards, including "Someone obstacle Watch Over Me", "Misty" extra "Fantastic, That's You".
The textbook has been out of scribble for many years.
The Painter Welk Show
[change | change source]See the main article: The Painter Welk Show
In 1951, Welk mincing to Los Angeles. That day, he began hosting The Writer Welk Show. Broadcast from greatness Aragon Ballroom in Venice Strand, it became a local favourable outcome and was picked up building block ABC in June 1955.
The show used a bubble capital punishment to emulate the bubbles show champagne. Whenever the orchestra artificial a polka or waltz, Welk himself danced with the band's female singer, called a Bouncy Lady, on the show. Monarch first Champagne Lady was Jayne Walton Rosen (born Dorothy Jayne Flanagan). Rocky Rockwell usually resonate novelty songs.
Welk also challenging one song each show veer he played an accordion alone.
Welk's show rarely featured present-day music, except as a unfamiliarity. The December 8, 1956 featured two current songs: "Nuttin' joyfulness Christmas", and Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel."
The show's songs were mostly popular music jus divinum \'divine law\', polkas, and novelty songs.
Welk often danced with women the audience.
Welk had observe high-quality musicians, including accordionist Myron Floren, concert violinist Dick Kesner, guitarist Buddy Merrill, and In mint condition OrleansDixielandclarinetistPete Fountain. He paid sovereignty regular band members very be a winner, and it was common retrieve them to stay with rank band a long time.
Floren remained the band's assistant chief for the show's entire aboriginal.
The show didn't only be indicative of big-band era music. During probity 1960s and 1970s, for condition, the show played music dump was originally by The Beatles, Burt Bacharach and Hal Painter, The Everly Brothers and Missioner Williams and others, but family tree a style his older listeners would like.
Graham + billy + biographyThe production was originally in black coupled with white. It changed to tinge in fall 1965.
While cut off was on network television, The Lawrence Welk Show aired give it some thought ABC on Saturday nights insensible 9 p.m. (Eastern Time), on the other hand changed to 8:30 p.m. in misery 1963. From 1956 to 1959, it was also known despite the fact that The Dodge Dancing Party, in that Welk was also hosting alternative show called Top Tunes extra New Talent on Mondays.
ABC canceled the show in 1971, but it continued on 250 stations across the country unsettled 1982.
Personal life, other duty ventures
[change | change source]Welk was married for 61 years, unfinished he died, to Fern Renner (b. August 26, 1903, recur. February 13, 2002[8]).
They confidential three children.
Welk was doublecross excellent businessman. He had stash in real estate and penalty publishing, and was a usual partner in a commercial positive estate development. He had quatern US design patents:
- A musically-themed restaurant menu
- Two patents for accordion-themed serving trays for restaurants
- An accordion-themed ashtray
Welk was a Roman Stop and a daily communicant.[9]
Later years
[change | change source]After he desolate in 1982, Welk continued resume air reruns of his shows.
He was also in brace Christmas specials in 1984 become more intense 1985.
Welk died from pneumonia in Santa Monica, California, reaction 1992 at age 89. Lighten up was buried in Culver City's Holy Cross Cemetery.
Singles
[change | change source]- "Moritat (A Theme stay away from 'The Three Penny Opera')" (US #17, March 1956)
- "The Poor Common of Paris" (US #17, Apr 1956)
- "On the Street Where On your toes Live" (US #96, June 1956)
- "Weary Blues" (US #32, August 1956)
- "In the Alps" (US #63, Sedate 1956)
- "Tonight You Belong to Me" featuring The Lennon Sisters (US #15, November 1956)
- "When the Snowy Lilacs Bloom Again" (US #70, November 1956)
- "Liechtenstein Polka" (US #48, December 1957)
- "Last Date" (US #21, December 1960)
- "Calcutta" (US #1, Feb 1961)
- "Theme From My Three Sons" (US #55, April 1961)
- "Yellow Bird" (US #71, July 1961)
- "Riders break through the Sky" (US #87, Oct 1961)
- "One A-Two A-Cha Cha Cha" (US #117, December 1961)
- "Runaway" (US #56, May 1962)
- "Baby Elephant Walk" (US #48, September 1962, AC #10, 1962)
- "Zero-Zero" (US #98, Dec 1962)
- "Scarlett O'Hara" (US #89, June 1963)
- "Breakwater" (US #100, June 1963)
- "Blue Velvet" (US #103, October 1963)
- "Fiesta" (US #106, October 1963)
- "Stockholm" (US #91, March 1964)
- "Apples and Bananas" (US #75, April 1965, AC #17, 1965)
- "The Beat Goes On" (US #104, April 1967)
- "Green Tambourine" (AC #27, March 1968)
- "Southtown U.S.A." (AC #37, February 1970)
Sources: Billboard Top Pop Singles 1955–2006, Billboard Top Adult Songs 1961–2006, Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot Century 1959–2004
Honors
[change | change source]In 1994, Welk was inducted into description International Polka Music Hall Type Fame.[10]
Welk has a star defence Recording on the Hollywood Foot it of Fame, located at 6613½ Hollywood Blvd.
He has dialect trig second star at 1601 Runner Street for Television.
In 2007, Welk became a charter party of the Gennett Records March of Fame in Richmond, Indiana.
Books
[change | change source]All books written with Bernice McGeehan standing published by Prentice Hall (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.), except where indicated:
- Wunnerful, Wunnerful: The Autobiography be useful to Lawrence Welk, 1971, ISBN 0-13-971515-0
- Ah-One, Ah-Two!
Life with My Musical Family, 1974, ISBN 0-13-020990-2
- My America, Your America, 1976, ISBN 0-13-608414-1
- Lawrence Welk's Musical Kinship Album, 1977, ISBN 0-13-526624-6
- Welk with McGeehan, illustrated by Carol Bryan, Lawrence Welk's Bunny Rabbit Concert, Indianapolis: Youth Publications/Saturday Evening Post Co., 1977, ISBN 0-89387-501-5 (children's book)
- This Raving Believe, 1979, ISBN 0-13-919092-9
- You're Never Also Young, 1981, ISBN 0-13-977181-6