If you’re from the Baby Boomer generation no doubt you grew up on Saturday nights watching Lawrence Welk with your parents. Regardless of your views on his music and his show, he was arguably the greatest band director who ever lived.
The Lawrence Welk show was extremely successful and after more than 50 years it’s still airing. If you haven’t watched his show lately it still comes on every Saturday night at 8 PM on the local PBS station.
I’ll have to admit I watch the old reruns often. I’m not certain how I picked up a fetish for Lawrence Welk except that it makes me feel good and in a world where bad news is medium of exchange, a good dose of feeling good helps heal the soul.
I know every Welk musician in detail. I’ve researched their lives and backgrounds. From Arthur Duncan to the fabulous Champaign Lady (Norma Zimmer), I know them all and every one of them is a winner in life. Moreover Lawrence Welk knew how to pick the winners. When he found one he found a way to get them on his team.
The success that Lawrence Welk achieved doesn’t happen by accident. So the question is, what was it about Lawrence Welk that produced such results? As a ardent student of the man I’ve drawn some conclusions about the man.
Foremost Lawrence Welk strikes me as being genuine – to the core. He was what he seemed to be. There was no deception in the man, no facades. He was honest with himself and with others and something about the man attracted winners to follow him. I believe this was his genuiness.
Secondly I believe Lawrence loved what he did. There was no disguising it. His smile was infectious as were the smiles of his musicians. That’s something that can’t be disguised. Either you love what you do or you don’t. It can’t be faked.
Thirdly he worked hard. He was the first person to arrive at the studio every morning and the last to leave. He gave it everything he had. There is no substitute for hard work.
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