Myron
Floren was a featured performer on the Lawrence Welk Show
from 1955 to 1982 and considered to be the finest accordionist of his
era. Floren was born in Roslyn, South Dakota, the eldest of seven children. When Myron was seven
years old, he talked his father into ordering a ten
dollar accordion from Sears and Roebuck, and as a
result of that investment, would later become one of
the top virtuosos in the world. He credits the
development of his strong finger and forearm
strength to milking the cows on the farm.
Myron
attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, where he
moonlighted teaching accordion for the Williams
Music Company. One of his students was Berdyne
Koerner, his future wife. When World War II began,
Myron tried to enlist in the Air Force but was
turned down for medical reasons relating to an
episode of rheumatic fever he had as a child. So,
he enlisted in the USO and entertained the troops
overseas. Upon his return from the war, he and
Berdyne lived in Sioux Falls where Myron had a radio
show.
In 1946, they moved
to St. Louis where he joined the "Buckeye Four",
a popular music group specializing in hillbilly
music. One night, they went dancing at the Casa
Loma ballroom where Welk was appearing.
Lawrence invited Myron up on stage to play a
number. Myron chose "Lady of Spain". The crowd
and Lawrence loved it and he was offered a job
with Welk that night. Welk's manager, Sam Lutz,
recommended against hiring him because he
thought that Welk would be upstaged by Myron's
superior accordion playing. When Sam told Welk
this, Welk responded "Sam, that's the only kind
of people I hire, the one's that play better
than I do!" In 1950, he joined the band and
stayed until the show's end in 1982. Nicknamed
the "Happy Norwegian", Myron continued
performing until his death in 2005. He is
survived by his wife, Berdyne, and five
daughters, including Kristie, who is married to
dancer Bobby Burgess.