Champagne Music: The Lawrence Welk Show

This tribute to the Lawrence Welk Show and its troupe of Champagne Music-makers (so called because of their bubbly rhythmic style) will be welcomed by viewers of the show during its 30-oddyear run from the '50s to 1982. Welk, one of eight children born to poor German immigrant farmers in North Dakota, began playing the accordion as a teenager, and left home at the age of 21 to become a professional musician. His orchestra soon became a television phenomenon, and the Lawrence Welk Show was the longest-running music program on TV. The authors spoke with many of those who worked with Welk: the Lennon Sisters, pianist Larry ""Hoopy'' Hooper, cameraman Mike Freedman, etc. All voice their respect for their boss, reminiscing about their experiences good and bad as members of the extended Welk family. Photos. October 29