Lawrence Welk band – high as kites?

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

At 1 pm on Sundays my TV starts spitting out some red-blooded American pro football games, but the past few years I’ve also been cultivating a dirty little addiction to “The Lawrence Welk Show” reruns over on PBS. It’s mostly good clean fun – the bouffant hairdos, the Baptist-style swaying back and forth – but oh, those musicians. I mean, it was being filmed in Southern California in the late 60’s and early 70’s and some of the boys in the band have definitely got that secret reefer smirk. I know that smirk, I used to smirk that smirk myself.

I doubt if anyone could have handled actually tripping on the Lawrence Welk bandstand, what with the costumes and all that happy, happy smiling (LSD is hard on the sightreading too, or so I’m told, ahem), but there was definitely some toking going on. Lawrence himself seems like a pretty straight-laced bandleader, so those guy’s Visine and breath mint bills must have cost more than the dope did back in those days (as I’m told too, ahem).

Chris Forbes · From: Beltsville, MD, USA

It had never even occured to me to watch that show, but now the thought of it fascinates me. Not that I ever enjoyed any of the "combustable refreshments" during my college years, ahem.

Larry Robbins · From: Fort Edward, New York

As a matter of fact...I'm smirking right now!

.........man, am I hungry!

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

That never occured to me either, but you make a good case, all the signs are there.

I was shocked when I read what LuLu wrote about tripping on LSD on the HeeHaw set. Yikes!

NA1 NA2 N

David Doggett · Posted 5 Oct 2005 10:59 am

Back in the day, my grandmothers use to watch Lawrence Welk, and I thought it was the squarest, most boring music on earth. And in those years I tried all manner of refreshments, and listened to the trendiest stuff out there. A few years ago, when my four children were small, I rediscovered the old '60s and '70s Welk reruns as a nice dinnertime TV program to watch with the kids. It educated them to some good old time American music, in a way that was so campy, even the kids laughed at it. I was sometimes amazed at the obvious musical talent that occassionally surfaced, in spite of the squareness of the music. I don't know...some of the musicians were so great, you might think they were just doing the Welk gig for the bread, and playing cooler stuff on their own time. But Welk seemed like such a tight-a**, and the show was sooo straight-laced, he may have insisted they all have appropriate life-styles, even off the job. It would be interesting to hear from insiders.

Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

I still watch the show and regularly sit at my steel and play along with them. It's a fantastic way to learn how to play that style of music. A lot of their stufff is a little tough to do with bar slants but, I am learning.

They also have some non-believably talented people on their payroll.

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

I enjoyed a good version of When Smoke Gets In Your Eyes last week.
The performers look(ed) great in those outfits!

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I've always enjoyed that show. Never found it too square - how can that caliber of musicianship be anything but hip?

You can get Buddy Merrill's album "Steel Guitar Country" reissued on CD from the Forum Catalog by the way. Item #C-002, $16.

I don't believe for a minute that the performers were on drugs.

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c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

I don't believe Neil LaVang and Buddy Merrell were on drugs. I know more about Neal and I believe he only got high while playing his instruments. CC

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

I also saw a good version of "I've Got An Ever Lasting Love For You".

"And now, Bobby and Sissy will sing..."

Andy Greatrix · From: Edmonton Alberta

One of the shows I saw saluted the big band era. They did Count Basie, Woody Herman, and Duke Ellington arrangements etc. They swung big time.

Rick McDuffie · From: Benson, North Carolina, USA

The Welk band defined "square". This is NOT to detract from the technical skill of the players.

As to the topic at hand, could be... L.A., musicians, late 60's... I'd be surprised if there wasn't some puffing going on.

[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 05 October 2005 at 06:56 PM.]

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

I have worked gigs with the Welk band playing guitar. I can tell you that you could not do drugs and hang in there with those cats. They scared the dickens out of me with their virtuosity. Henry Cuestra on the clarinet played a 15 min solo on "Sing, Sing Sing" that was spectacular. Myron Floren and Jo Ann Castle were amazing.

If Welk even had a miniscule hint of anyone doing any drugs or drinking they would be out on the street so fast you would not believe it.

Behind all that so called "squareness"--some bad cats! Listen to the Dixieland segments with Fountain and the rest. I remember one night Buddy Merrill played a six string Fender bass solo backing up a vocalist that brought a standing ovation from all those blue hairs--incredible.

Who was that drummer who worked with them in the later years--black guy who also played with Coltrane or Miles--maybe Paul Humphries.

Jay Dee Maness · From: North Hills, CA

I think it was Paul Humphries.

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

Neil LeVang plays lead guitar on Noel Bogggs' Magic Steel Guitar album, very cool guitar player!

Mike Gross · From: Manchester, Connecticut, USA

Yes Jussi,

Neil LeVang was definitely rooted in Western Swing and played some fantasic guitar along with steel great Noel Boggs and fiddle legend Bobby Bruce with the Jimmy Wakely band before joining the Welk band. I have also played some wonderful fiddle work by him on my "Swingin' West" radio show. Speaking of which, I also enjoy playing your material with Hal Peters on the show.

Mike www.swinginwest.com

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

Hey Mike, Thanks really appreciate that!!

( sorry David, not trying to hijack your topic! )

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I don't think any of the musicians were into drugs. They had to leave the air because of too much sax and violins.

Erv

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I actually would be interested to know what those guys did do the rest of the time. The Welk band and Doc Severinson's band most certainly must have attracted the cream of the crop of L.A session players, but the Tonight Show band was a 5 day a week job. I don't know if Welk's guys had to supplement their income with TV and movie work? The session work for big band, strings-and-horns kind of guys must have been taking a beating as rock was taking over record sales. That whole transitional period moving from professional musicians playing other people's music towards self-powered bands and singer/songwriters fascinates me.

[This message was edited by David Mason on 06 October 2005 at 09:26 AM.]

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

I was present at a session that my buddy David Cohen (LA studio guitar guy in the late 60's early 70's) was doing at RCA, and Neil LaVang was also on the date.

Neil knew Dave was a folkie, so he picked up a flat-top and said "hey Dave,... Doc Watson!" Then he flat-picked some fiddle tune worthy of any bluegrass guitar player on the planet, after which he started laughing, as did everyone else on the date (including Dave). Neil is a great musician, period.

So was Billy Strange, for that matter. But that's another thread.

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Mike Gross · From: Manchester, Connecticut, USA

Herb,

Lawrence Welk also had another wonderful guitar player, Kenny Baker. Kenny along with former Bob Wills, Tex Williams and Spade Cooley vocalist Jimmie Widener, Former Sons of the Pioneers fiddle great Hugh Farr and Pat Patterson formed the Country Gentlemen in the early 60s and had a wonderful radio show that featured some super material that I like to play on my show now and then. Kenny Baker was just another dynamite Welk alumnus.

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Mike

Rick Garrett · From: Tyler, Texas

Very cool thread! When I was a kid I remember watching the Laurence Welk show with my great grandmother. Your thread took me back a few years. Thanks

Rick

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Lawrence did all right for a North Dakota farm kid. BTW, his part of North Dakota is just about shut down with a couple of feet of new snow. The interstate was closed from Bismarck, ND to Montana!

Rick McDuffie · From: Benson, North Carolina, USA

I think the "squareness" was a style, among other styles, that those guys could play. They certainly were/are virtuosos. Lawrence W. demanded a certain kind of sound, and they were savvy enough to understand what he wanted and to deliver it on cue.

I'm sure that in another band, like Basie's or Woody Herman's Thundering Herd, those same guys would've swung like crazy.

I tell you now that my Mama Suggs wouldn't have dug Welk the way she did if they had sounded like Basie!

Wanner-fall, Wanner-fall!

Rick

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