Myron Floren
Encyclopedia
Myron Floren was an American
musician
best known as the accordion
ist on The Lawrence Welk Show
between 1950 and 1982. Myron Floren came to prominence primarily from his regular appearances on the weekly Lawrence Welk Show, where Lawrence often referred to him as the happy Norwegian.
He was highly regarded by bandleader Lawrence Welk
, who was an accomplished accordion player in his own right. Floren functioned as Welk's principal assistant and second-in-command. In Floren's autobiography Accordion Man, written with his daughter Randee Floren, he recalled handling road manager duties when the band traveled, including hotel arrangements and other logistics. He has been seen in a hosting role of repeats of The Lawrence Welk Show on PBS
.
, South Dakota
. Floren took up playing the accordion
at age 6 when his father bought him a $10 mail-order squeezebox. He taught himself how to play the instrument
, often spending several hours a day using his own methods of study. Soon he was performing solo around the community, often at fair
s and social events.
He worked his way through Augustana College
in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
by working at radio station
KSOO as The Melody Man and teaching accordion all over the area. He tried to enlist in the Army
when the United States
entered World War II
, but was turned down for active duty due to a damaged heart caused by a bout of rheumatic fever
he suffered as a child. However, he insisted on serving his country by joining the USO
, performing in Europe with notable stars such as Lily Pons
and Marlene Dietrich
. After the war, he returned home to South Dakota
, where he married Berdyne Koerner in 1945. The couple eventually had five daughters and gained three sons-in-law and seven grandchildren.
, where the Lawrence Welk Orchestra was playing. When the maestro recognized the accordion virtuoso
in the audience, he invited him to play a number with his band. The number turned out to be Lady of Spain
, and from the overwhelming positive response from the audience, Lawrence hired Myron to be a permanent member of his band. Lady of Spain also became Floren's trademark song and he played it countless times on the Welk show.
Although Floren's musical technique made him a much better accordion player than Welk, the two men developed a close working relationship, and Welk never hesitated to allow Floren to display his virtuosity; occasionally the two would even play duets.
Over the next 32 years, Floren became one of the most popular members of the band and the organization itself. It began with the band's migration to California
, along with concert dates on the road, and exposure to television
, first on local broadcasts from the Aragon Ballroom in Santa Monica, California
and later on the ABC
network in 1955
. During the time The Lawrence Welk Show was on television, Floren was a featured solo performer and an assistant conductor
. He also took over some of the maestro's announcing duties.
, the Myron Floren Orchestra played during the Welk show's off-season and during holiday breaks, becoming a regional favorite.
After the show went off the air in the early 1980s, Floren continued to perform on the road, as many as 200 days a year, either as a solo artist, with his orchestra, or with other members of the Welk Show cast. Among the annual events where he headlined were Wurstfest in New Braunfels, Texas
; German Fest
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
; Norsk Høstfest
in Minot, North Dakota
; the Strawberry Festival
in Plant City, Florida
and PolkaFest at the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri
.
Hall of Fame in 1986 and the International Polka Music Hall of Fame in 1990
. In 1992 at a General Assembly in Trossingen
, Germany
, the Confédération International des Accordéonistes awarded Myron Floren their Merit Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the international accordion movement. In July 1996, the American Accordionists' Association honored Floren for his achievements.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
best known as the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist on The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
between 1950 and 1982. Myron Floren came to prominence primarily from his regular appearances on the weekly Lawrence Welk Show, where Lawrence often referred to him as the happy Norwegian.
He was highly regarded by bandleader Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
, who was an accomplished accordion player in his own right. Floren functioned as Welk's principal assistant and second-in-command. In Floren's autobiography Accordion Man, written with his daughter Randee Floren, he recalled handling road manager duties when the band traveled, including hotel arrangements and other logistics. He has been seen in a hosting role of repeats of The Lawrence Welk Show on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
.
Early years
A first-generation American of Norwegian immigrant parentage, Floren grew up on a farm near RoslynRoslyn, South Dakota
Roslyn is a town in Day County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 183 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Roslyn is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. Floren took up playing the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
at age 6 when his father bought him a $10 mail-order squeezebox. He taught himself how to play the instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
, often spending several hours a day using his own methods of study. Soon he was performing solo around the community, often at fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
s and social events.
He worked his way through Augustana College
Augustana College (South Dakota)
Augustana College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The campus makes the school the largest private university in South Dakota...
in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
by working at radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
KSOO as The Melody Man and teaching accordion all over the area. He tried to enlist in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
when the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but was turned down for active duty due to a damaged heart caused by a bout of rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
he suffered as a child. However, he insisted on serving his country by joining the USO
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...
, performing in Europe with notable stars such as Lily Pons
Lily Pons
Lily Pons was a French-American operatic soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an opera singer she specialized in the coloratura soprano repertoire and was particularly associated with the title roles in Léo Delibes' Lakmé and Gaetano...
and Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
. After the war, he returned home to South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, where he married Berdyne Koerner in 1945. The couple eventually had five daughters and gained three sons-in-law and seven grandchildren.
Years with the Musical Family
In 1950, Floren, who was performing with the music group known as the Buckeye Four, went to a dance at the Casa Loma Ballroom in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, where the Lawrence Welk Orchestra was playing. When the maestro recognized the accordion virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
in the audience, he invited him to play a number with his band. The number turned out to be Lady of Spain
Lady of Spain (song)
"Lady Of Spain" is a popular song, written in 1931 by Robert Hargreaves, Tolchard Evans, Stanley J. Damerell, and Henry Tilsley.-Performance:...
, and from the overwhelming positive response from the audience, Lawrence hired Myron to be a permanent member of his band. Lady of Spain also became Floren's trademark song and he played it countless times on the Welk show.
Although Floren's musical technique made him a much better accordion player than Welk, the two men developed a close working relationship, and Welk never hesitated to allow Floren to display his virtuosity; occasionally the two would even play duets.
Over the next 32 years, Floren became one of the most popular members of the band and the organization itself. It began with the band's migration to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, along with concert dates on the road, and exposure to television
Television in the United States
Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. Ninety-nine percent of American households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one...
, first on local broadcasts from the Aragon Ballroom in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
and later on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network in 1955
1955 in television
The year 1955 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1955.-Events:*March 5 – Elvis Presley appears on television for the first time...
. During the time The Lawrence Welk Show was on television, Floren was a featured solo performer and an assistant conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. He also took over some of the maestro's announcing duties.
Later years
In the mid-1970s, Floren formed an orchestra of his own while still employed by the Welk organization. Headquartered in Fargo, North DakotaFargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, the Myron Floren Orchestra played during the Welk show's off-season and during holiday breaks, becoming a regional favorite.
After the show went off the air in the early 1980s, Floren continued to perform on the road, as many as 200 days a year, either as a solo artist, with his orchestra, or with other members of the Welk Show cast. Among the annual events where he headlined were Wurstfest in New Braunfels, Texas
New Braunfels, Texas
New Braunfels is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is a principal city of the metropolitan area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was 57,740 as of the 2010 census, up 58% from the 2000...
; German Fest
German Fest
German Fest is an ethnic festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Henry Maier Festival Park, on the Lake Michigan lakefront. The genesis of German Fest occurred when Mayor Henry Maier challenged the local German-American community during a speech on May 20th, 1980, at the 20th Anniversary of the...
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
; Norsk Høstfest
Norsk Høstfest
Norsk Høstfest is an annual festival held each Fall in Minot, North Dakota. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival. The event is conducted in the All Seasons Arena on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair in Minot, North Dakota...
in Minot, North Dakota
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...
; the Strawberry Festival
Strawberry Festival
A Strawberry Festival is an event and celebration in many towns in North America. In most instances, areas around these towns are, or have been, deeply involved in the production and marketing of strawberries, and the festivals are usually held in late spring around the time of the strawberry...
in Plant City, Florida
Plant City, Florida
Plant City is a city in Hillsborough County, Florida, in the United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 34,721 at the 2010 census....
and PolkaFest at the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
.
Recognition
Floren was inducted into the Norsk HøstfestNorsk Høstfest
Norsk Høstfest is an annual festival held each Fall in Minot, North Dakota. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival. The event is conducted in the All Seasons Arena on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair in Minot, North Dakota...
Hall of Fame in 1986 and the International Polka Music Hall of Fame in 1990
1990 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1990.-Events:*January 21 – MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with British band Squeeze...
. In 1992 at a General Assembly in Trossingen
Trossingen
Trossingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in a region called Baar, between the Swabian Alb and the Black Forest. Stuttgart is about an hour away, Lake Constance about half an hour, and the source of the river Danube can be reached in about twenty minutes by car.Trossingen...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Confédération International des Accordéonistes awarded Myron Floren their Merit Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the international accordion movement. In July 1996, the American Accordionists' Association honored Floren for his achievements.
Selected compositions
- Skating Waltz in Swing
- Swingin' in Vienna
- Kavallo's Kapers
- Windy River
- Dakota Polka
- Long Long Ago in Swing
- Minute Waltz in Swing
- Accordion Man Polka