ACCORDION MAN

For Lawrence Welk regulars only: the autobiography of the Welk show's ""accordion man,"" who tells his mostly undramatic story with good will, lots of exclamation points, and affirmations of spiritual fervor. Growing up on a South Dakota farm, young Myron got his first accordion from the Sears Roebuck catalogue (""$9.95--a fortune then!""), survived severe rheumatic fever, and, since he was forbidden athletics, ""the damage to my heart opened the door I needed to walk through if nothing were to interfere with my life's work."" College playing and smalltime radio followed, USO tours during World War II, marriage to Berndyne (playing accordion even on his wedding night), St. Louis radio with the Buckeye Four, and then the Big Break: Myron and Berndyne went to dance to the Lawrence Welk band, Myron did a couple of guest numbers, and was promptly part of the band. The rest of the book, then, chats about the Welk TV show, about Lawrence himself (""Love that man!!""), about Myron's typical day (""Back in the kitchen, I measure, out coffee for ten cups in our Mr. Coffee maker""), about a serious illness he survived, about the deaths of family members, and about his philosophy: ""In a nutshell, love is the essence of life."" Saccharine but sincere, with a limited but devoted built-in audience.