He also starred in and produced a pair of Christmas specials in 1984 and 1985. Whenever the orchestra played a polka or waltz, Welk himself would dance with the band's female vocalist, the "Champagne Lady". Welk was a first cousin, twice removed, of former Montana governor Welk decided on a career in music and persuaded his father to buy a mail-order Welk did not learn to speak English until he was twenty-one and never felt comfortable speaking it in public.On his 21st birthday, having fulfilled his promise to his father, Welk left the family farm to pursue a career in music.

On December 8, 1956, two examples on the same broadcast were "Nuttin' for Christmas," which became a vehicle for Rocky Rockwell dressed in a child's outfit, and Welk had a number of instrumental hits, including a cover of the song "Welk's insistence on wholesome entertainment led him to be a somewhat stern taskmaster at times. Lawrence Welk was previously married to Fern Renner (1931 - 1992). The same year, he began producing During its first year on the air, the Welk hour instituted several regular features. Welk was married for 61 years, until his death in 1992, to Fern Renner (August 26, 1903 – February 13, 2002), with whom he had three children. A few months later in the summer of 1968, she also became a member of Lawrence Welk 's own family when she married his son Larry, Jr. Its shape creates a landscaped plaza on the corner, and the result is a landmark.Welk enjoyed playing golf, which he first took up in the late 1950s, and was often a regular at many celebrity pro-am tournaments, such as the After retiring from his show and from the road in 1982, Welk continued to air reruns of his shows, which were repackaged first for syndication and, starting in 1986, for public television. In 1980 she married former world champion motorcycle racer and racing team owner, For example, he fired Reflecting the controversies about the quality of Welk's music among the cognoscenti, in 1956, musical satirist For the entire run, musical numbers were divided fairly evenly between prerecorded lip- and finger-sync performances and those recorded live on film or tape. Tanya made her Welk show debut on New Year's Eve 1967, and shortly afterwards was made a regular member of the cast. "Fern Welk, Wife of Lawrence Welk, is Eulogized as Daughter of the Prairie." His first Champagne Lady was Jayne Walton Rosen (real name: Dorothy Jayne Flanagan), who left the show after her marriage. While the bubble machine was originally engineered to produce soap bubbles, complaints from the band members about soapy build-ups on their instruments led to the machine being re-worked to produce glycerine bubbles instead. One of his sons, Lawrence Welk Jr., married fellow Known as a skillful businessman, Welk had investments in real estate and Designed to resemble a white ocean liner, it has a wedge-shaped "bow" edge, receding "decks" with railings, and air conditioner covers that look like smokestacks. One of his sons, Lawrence Welk Jr., married fellow Lawrence Welk Show performer Tanya Falan; they later divorced. He died of * "Shame On You" also made the US Country charts (#1) as well as its flip side, "At Mail Call Today" (#3)In 1961, Welk was inducted as a charter member of the In 1994, Welk was inducted into the International Polka Music Hall of Fame.Welk's band continues to appear in a dedicated theater in A resort community developed by Welk and promoted heavily by him on the show is named for him. To make Welk's "Champagne Music" tagline visual, the production crew engineered a "bubble machine" that spouted streams of large bubbles across the bandstand. Tanya made her Welk show debut on New Year's Eve 1967, and shortly afterwards was made a regular member of the cast. Generally, the big production numbers featuring dancing and singing performances were recorded earlier in the day or the day before, often at famous recording studios in and around nearby Hollywood, while the more intimate numbers were recorded live on tape or film.

The couple would have two sons, Lawrence Welk, III (born 1970) and Kevin (born 1971). For his TV show, see Melissa Vickery-Bareford, "Welk, Lawrence" American National Biography (1999)Timothy J. Kloberdanz, "Symbols of German-Russsian Ethnic Identity on the Northern Plains."