For many older Utahns, as for millions of Americans across the country, the news of the death of bandleader Lawrence Welk this week at age 89 was like losing a member of the family. His enormously popular orchestra was a television staple in homes every week for 27 years, and reruns are still a favorite on public broadcasting stations.
Part of Welk's appeal was that he didn't seem to be a performer. His Germanic accent, his sometimes fumbling manner only made him more human and served to endear him to his audiences. He seemed more like a father figure or a favorite uncle. And his presentation of his band members as part of a "family" caused them to be viewed in the same way.The Lawrence Welk show ran counter to all the accepted approaches to show business. The shows were simple, decent, homey and modest. They ignored fads in music and stuck to old-fashioned, melodic dance tunes appealing to an older audience. The shows had an unspoiled quality to them.
While many cynics labeled the show as corny, such comments failed to dent the band's success. The Lawrence Welk Show became one of TV's all-time success stories, playing for 16 years on the ABC network and another 11 years in syndication picked up by 248 stations in the United States and Canada. The last performances took place in 1982.
Even now, more than 100 PBS stations carry Lawrence Welk reruns, often outdrawing commercial TV shows. At KBYU, the show is considered one of the top programs presented by the station and has one of the biggest PBS audience shares anyplace in the nation.
The conservative, well-scrubbed band members and soloists tended to remain with Lawrence Welk year after year, sort of getting older with the audience. The sense of audience identification with the performers was enormous. One of the most popular shows every year was a Christmas event featuring band members and their spouses and children.
Three performers with Utah ties were part of the Lawrence Welk Show. Two young women who performed with the BYU Young Ambassadors became part of the Welk show. Sandi Griffiths and Sally Flynn sang together, and Griffiths stayed with the show for 12 years. Buddy Merrill, a baby-faced guitarist who was born and reared in Utah, joined the Welk band at age 19 and was a featured soloist for many years.
Audiences everywhere owe Lawrence Welk a great debt. He showed that good taste, decency and family values could be both entertaining and successful in the music world. Those same wholesome values were reflected in his personal life. And through the magic of television, those "wunnerful, wunnerful" programs can still be seen and enjoyed today.