Lawrence Welk
I am not a fan of Lawrence Welk. His music is not my taste. But I must give credit where credit is due.
There are several reasons for Welk’s success.
Welk ran his operation like a well-oiled machine. He hired the best musicians and knew how to be a good bandleader. In 1979 (I think) I did a few wedding gigs with a bass player who used to be in Welk’s band, and he said Welk really knew what he was doing.
He was also a pioneer in television programming. His show started when TV was in its infancy. He utilized the then new technology to preserve and promote an older form of music and sell it to his market.
Finally, he understood his audience. He knew what they liked and delivered it better and more consistently than anyone. Some musicians would never compromise their own individual artistic vision. Someone like Miles Davis would never play, say, “Tea For Two” because it isn’t cool (hell, I probably wouldn’t play it either). Welk, on the other hand, would not only take a request for Tea For Two, but he’d also dance a waltz with the septuagenarian woman who requested the tune. He made his audiences feel special and catered to them at a time when the music, and its accompanying culture, that they loved was being replaced by music and a culture that was alien to them.
This was the key to his success. He was a smart businessman, he gave his people what they wanted, and he genuinely loved what he was doing.