Myron Floren has died. He was the accordionist for Lawrence Welk's band from 1950-1982.
When I was eight or nine I took accordion lessons while we lived in San Pedro, Ca. Every Thursday I'd be driven off to Lomita or Torrance or one of those little towns in the vast auto-heavy landscape that is Greater Los Angeles for a one-hour lesson. Then I'd drag my accordion back home to our Navy housing and practice all week. I was never very good, but it wasn't for lack of practice. I carted that accordion along on my senior class trip to New York in 1968; in fact, we still had it until about ten years ago, when we gave it to someone who answered an ad for it.
The initial music books I used were presumably endorsed by Floren, since there was a large black-and-white illustration of him on the cover.
Rest in peace, Mr. Floren. You gave polka players new hope.
Posted by Linkmeister at July 24, 2005 05:10 PM | TrackBack