Lawrence Welk

“His act may start out slow, but it tapers off.”

“Night after night I could feel the chills go up and down my spine, they played so well.”

“By 1969, when I celebrated 45 years in the music business, I also had 45 people in our musical family.”

“Sounds always fascinated me.”

“For a while we had trouble trying to get the sound of a champagne cork exploding out of the bottle. I solved the problem by sticking my finger in my mouth and popping it out.”

“When my parents first arrived there, North Dakota had just been admitted to the Union, and the country was still wild and harsh.”

“The ones the listeners loved most of all in those early years were the four Lennon girls who became the whole nation's little sisters.”

“One time I introduced my orchestra as the Shampoo Music Makers instead of the Champagne Music Makers.”

“This is the best biography by me I have ever read.”

“You know, it's a long world.”

“I expected to be a farmer like my father and brothers. Life seemed pleasant and orderly.”

“Conversation didn't seem necessary when I put the accordion down and swung some young lady around the floor.”

“Dreams do come true, even for someone who couldn't speak English and never had a music lesson or much of an education.”

“If you put all your strength and faith and vigor into a job and try to do the best you can, the money will come.”

“There are good days and there are bad days, and this is one of them.”

“One thing all stage mothers share is an overpowering ambition for their daughters.”

“My accent remained terrible. It was very hard for me to initiate any conversation with someone I didn't know.”

“Over and over I marvel at the blessings of my life: Each year has grown better than the last.”

“I just wrote a book. But don't go and buy it yet, because I don't think it's finished.”

“I was so anxious to succeed that I made a practice of appearing on all the disc jockey shows I could, in order to publicize the band.”