Lawrence Welk Biography

Fast Facts

• Was given the Theodore Roosevelt Roughrider Award, the State of North Dakota's highest honor, by Governor William Guy in 1961
• Learned how to play the accordion from his father and paid for his first professional accordion by playing small local gigs and working on the family farm
• Settled in Los Angeles with his orchestra in 1951, where they frequently played at the Aragon Ballroom
• Best known as a musician, bandleader, and host of the television series "The Lawrence Welk Show․"
• Created the pop style known as "Champagne Music" while leading his traveling orchestra across the country
• Hosted "The Lawrence Welk Show" for nearly 30 years, from 1955 to 1982
• Didn't learn how to speak English until his early 20s, having grown up on a farm with his German-speaking parents
• Opened a restaurant selling what he called "squeezeburgers," which were made on an accordion-shaped grill