In the remote, agricultural community, Mr. In 1892 they came to this country to farm in Strasburg, N.D. His parents were born in Alsace, now part of France but once part of Germany. The accented English that he spoke throughout his career came to Mr. The last of the original Lawrence Welk shows went on the air April 18, 1982, giving him 27 years as a first-run performer. Welk became a prosperous businessman who syndicated his show after the network dropped it.
When the network canceled the show, it was not because his audience had become any less devoted to his 27-piece band, but because they were older and considered less desirable to advertisers.Ī home-taught musician who worked to overcome shyness in his early career, Mr. The "a-one, a-two, a-three" cue line for which he was known helped to spread his fame even beyond the millions who tuned in to his weekly shows that appeared on ABC from 1955 through 1971. Welk's easy-listening, easy-to-watch style, but for many Americans it was, in the artlessly enthusiastic phrase he made popular, "wunnerful, wunnerful." Sophisticates might have found corniness in Mr. He had been suffering from pneumonia, the spokeswoman said.Ī man who got his start at North Dakota barn dances and spent years on ballroom bandstands across the country, he was known for a friendly demeanor, simple melodies and unswerving dedication to giving large and admiring family audiences the kind of entertainment they wanted and understood. Welk, whose shows have been television fixtures since 1955, died at home May 17 in Santa Monica, Calif., with family members gathered around. See all the Dakota Datebooks at Lawrence Welk, the North Dakota-born accordion player whose bubbly "champagne music" and indefatigably wholesome style made his long-running television program an American cultural landmark, has died at age 89.Ī spokeswoman told the Associated Press that Mr.
THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW SERIES
“Dakota Datebook” is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from the North Dakota Humanities Council.
THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW PROFESSIONAL
However, the entertainer who made his professional start here in North Dakota will always be best remembered as the talented, handsome baritone on the Lawrence Welk Show. Fluent in French, he is also one of the few Americans to perform on the “La Chance Aux Chansons,” a popular French variety program. Tom also found success with theater, performing in “Carousel” and “Oklahoma,” and has been featured on television commercials for Nabisco’s Triscuits and Rosemilk Skincare Lotion. Tom immediately became a fan favorite, and continued with the show for a total of eight years.Īfter Lawrence Welk retired in 1982, Tom moved on to a successful solo career, performing at opera houses, civic centers, college campuses and state fairs across the nation.
Tom’s first appearance as a regular was on the 1973 Christmas special. Tom’s “audition” before a live audience of 19,000 was so successful that Lawrence Welk offered him a chance to join his show on a more permanent basis. Lawrence Welk immediately saw potential in Tom and invited him to perform on his show at the St. When the Schafers learned that Lawrence Welk would be traveling through the state, they arranged a meeting between young Tom and Mr. During the summer season Tom greatly impressed the Schafers with his musical and entertainment abilities.
During his time in the service, Netherton decided his career would not be in the Armed Forces, but rather in the entertainment business.Īfter First Lieutenant Netherton left the Army, he joined Harold and Shelia Schafer’s Medora Musical Company in 1973. Tom followed in his father’s footsteps and became an Army officer. Tom Netherton was born on this date in 1947 in Munich, Germany, to an Army family stationed in the country following the Second World War. What we may not remember is that Tom Netherton started his professional musical career not with Lawrence Welk, but with another famous North Dakotan, Harold Shafer at the Medora Musical. One member of this family, Tom Netherton, was a regular on the show starting in 1973, and was featured on the show until Mr. Welk, we also remember the Welk Musical Family. An integral part of Americana, the show is still on air in a syndicated format some 50 years after first being televised.
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