Wunnerful, wunnerful!

On this day in 1903, to Ludwig and Christiana (Schwahn) Welk, was born Lawrence Welk, Heartthrob to millions of blue-haired ladies, including my Nana, Welk presided over Saturday nights for years with his "Champagne Music" and such acts as Bobby and Cissy, Myron Floren and his accordion , The Lennon Sisters and Norma Zimmer on the Honky-Tonk Piano. Our house fell silent as this cavalcade of "entertainment" whirled around us with the audience dancing in the aisles and Welk waving his baton. We may think of him and his show as an anachronistic joke but at one time his show was one of the highest rated shows on television and his tour concerts were generally sold out performances. Welk died in 1992, aged 89. He will live on in public television reruns. 

Happy Birthday Maestro! And now here's Myron Floren asking the musical question "Play that funky music white boy. "