In a 1957 article LIFE identified Lawrence Welk as “the most popular musician in U.S. history.” It was a bold claim in the age of Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, but the magazine backed up its assertion with stats about Welk’s record sales, his weekly television viewership and the $100,000 a week guarantees that the bandleader earned from his concerts. The magazine said Welk grossed $3.5 and $4 million a year —which would be about $40 million to $45 million today.
Those were big bucks for a genteel fellow whose primary instrument was the accordion. LIFE talked about the unlikeliness of Welk’s success in a story headlined “Some Champagne for the Folks“:
Until he was 21 he was a farmhand on his immigrant father’s 400-acre place in Strasburg, N.D. He is neither glamorous nor especially charming. He speaks, haltingly, with a German accent. He has no swimming pool and few worries. He has never in his life smoked a cigaret, drunk a drop of liquor or used profanity. A devout Catholic, he has been married for 27 years to a former nurse. They have three nonproblem children.
And it wasn’t just Welk’s background that was humble. The music that he and his band made was anything but revolutionary. Even while praising Welk, LIFE suggested that many of his TV viewers used the show as background noise. And Welk himself was very open about being a middle-of-the-road crowd-pleaser. He told LIFE, “Sure I like better music than what I play, but if I played what I like we’d still be eating hamburger instead of steak.”
Welk’s manner was as easygoing as his music. The photos by LIFE’s Allan Grant capture Welk in all his geniality, whether he is handing out cookies to the band, making his signature cork-popping sound with a finger in his mouth, or pulling out the accordion to entertain the fans.
At the time LIFE wrote about Welk, he had been in the business 32 years, but he still had a long road in front of him. The Lawrence Welk Show began as a local program in Los Angeles in 1951, and it started airing nationally on ABC in 1955. The show would broadcast on that network for 16 years, until 1971, and after that the show continued on in syndication for another 11 seasons, until 1982.
Welk died ten years later, in 1992, at the age of 89.
Lawrence Welk talked to the audience at the Aragon Ballroom in Santa Monica, California, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Lawrence Welk made his signature cork-popping sound for the radio audience, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Bandleader Lawrence Welk played his accordion on his weekly TV show, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Lawrence Welk was joined by family members, including his wife, for a rare appearance on his show, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Bandleader Lawrence Welk at a recording of his weekly television show, 1957.
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At a show Lawrence Welk handed out cookies that had been brought by fans for members of his band, 1957.
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Lawrence Welk posed with a collection of the items he gave away to audiences at his band’s performances, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Bandleader Lawrence Welk prepared for his weekly TV show, 1957.
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Bandleader Lawrence Welk prepared for an appearance, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Lawrence Welk conducted a pre-show run-through with the Lemon Sisters in the ladies’ room, 1957.
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Lawrence Welk conducted a pre-show run-through with the Lemon Sisters in the ladies’ room, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Lawrence Welk at a taping of his television show, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Lawrence Welk at a taping of his television show, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Lawrence Welk played his trademark accordion on the set of one of his weekly TV shows. 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
LIFE declared bandleader Lawrence Welk “the most popular musician in U.S. history” based on TV viewership, record sales and the fees he earned for appearances with his band, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
Bandleader Lawrence Welk, 1957.
Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock
