| It's always a party when there's an accordionist in the room. And
no one knows that better than Myron Floren, spokesperson for the Search
for the Hottest Accordionist contest. As the star of the Lawrence Welk Show,
Mr. Floren and his accordion wowed weekly audiences of 32.5 million for
40 years and today continues promoting the accordion through hundreds of
bookings annually. Now, as Mr. Floren, the Welk Resort and the American
Accordionists' Association search for the hippest accordionist in the
land, they share some facts on this great instrument: |
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| · A lot of Squeezin'!
The accordion may be the most widely played instrument on earth. There
are over one million accordionists in the U.S., surpassed many-fold by
the number of aficionados. |
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| · Black Out, But Not
Bomb Out. Thanks to the accordion's
portability and ability to deliver melody, harmony and rhythm simultaneously,
accordionists are the life of any party, even if the power goes out. |
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| · Beautifully Aged.
About 6,000 parts, hundreds of hours and skilled craftsmanship bring an
accordion to life. Much of the process begins years before the accordion
is created with wood stored a minimum of three years, leather as well
as Celluloid aged for at least two years. |
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| · Pop Music.
Many popular musicians incorporate the accordion into their artistry.
You can hear it from: Sheryl Crow, Peter Catera, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon,
Benny Anderson of ABBA, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Peter Holsapple of
Hootie & the Blowfish, Krist Novoselic, formerly of Nirvana, Cindy Lauper,
Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, Charlie Gillingham of Counting Crows, Bruce
Hornsby, John Linnell of They Might Be Giants, Garth Hudson of The Band. |
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| · Wunnerful. Wunnerful.
The Lawrence Welk TV Show, which gave the accordion entertainment prominence
on TV, currently airs in reruns on PBS in 286 markets - outranking Sesame
Street and McNeil Lehrer. Now in its fifth year, The Welk Show is LIVE
in the 2,300-seat Champagne Theatre at the Welk Resort in Branson, MO.
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| · Accordion Education.
The first university Accordion Department was established in 1945 within
the University of Houston, Texas. Other college programs include the University
of Missouri -- Kansas City and the Lamont Conservatory of the University
of Denver. |
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