Lawrence Welk

American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario

What is Lawrence Welk known for?

Lawrence Welk was a notable alumni of Valley Center High School in California, born in Strasburg, North Dakota, on March 11, 1903. Welk was the sixth of eight children in a family of Roman Catholic ethnic Germans who had emigrated from Odessa, Russian Empire, in 1892. Despite these humble beginnings, Welk would become an iconic figure in the German-Russian community of the northern Great Plains and embody the American dream.

Welk began his musical journey early, choosing a career in music and persuading his father to buy a mail-order accordion for $400—a substantial amount at the time. He promised to repay the debt by working on the family farm until he turned 21. At this age, fulfilling his promise to his father, Welk left the family farm to pursue his career in music. Over the following decades, he became known as an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, hosting "The Lawrence Welk Show" from 1951 to 1982. This earned him a distinctive style known as "champagne music."

In the course of his career, Welk performed with various bands and eventually formed his own orchestra. He led big bands in North Dakota and eastern South Dakota, including the renowned Hotsy Totsy Boys and the Honolulu Fruit Gum Orchestra. His band's success led to a daily radio show, which lasted almost a decade (1927 to 1936), and opened up opportunities for well-paying engagements throughout the midwestern states.

Although Welk's music was usually separate from jazz, he recorded a remarkable ragtime song, "Spiked Beer," with his Novelty Orchestra in 1928. In the 1930s, Welk led a traveling big band specializing in dance tunes and "sweet" music, a contrast to the rhythmic and assertive "hot" bands of artists like Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington.

Lawrence Welk passed away on May 17, 1992, in Santa Monica, California, leaving behind a legacy of music and entertainment that spanned the better part of the 20th century.

For more information, you can visit the Lawrence Welk Show website or the Ludwig and Christina Welk Homestead website, a tourist attraction located in North Dakota where Welk was raised.