YET ANOTHER PAGE OF MUSICAL FAMILY BIOS!

Neil Levang Welk guitarist since 1959

Johnny Klein, Played drums for Welk from 1951 to 1976

BOB LIDO fiddler, vocalist and comic was born September 21, 1914 in Jersey City, NJ. Talented since he was a youngster....Bob started out locally with bands, doing solos around the area before winding up with Carmen Cavalaro's band as a featured performer. Later he moved up to Perry Como's Supper Club until he eventually joined Lawrence and the Champagne Music Makers in 1952. As the show's "speciality" man, he could play a mean violin....do tender ballads, country and jazz favorites and of course the comic skits. That would inspire Lawrence to revive his nostalgic Hotsy Totsy Band choosing Bob to be its' leader....and not suprisingly....became an instant hit with the fans! Sadly, Bob passed away from stroke complications on August 9, 2000....but still remains larger than life on Welk reruns.

NEIL LEVANG guitarist was born on January 3, 1932 in Adams, North Dakota....the son of a farmer. He got his start playing the banjo...and by the time he added guitar to his talented arsenal, began playing county fairs, peforming with several different bands by the time he was fifteen. He also served a tour of duty in the Coast Guard, as well as being an early morning disc jockey for a radio station in Seattle before joining the Welk show in 1959. Orginally as a one-week replacement for Buddy Merrill, who went off in the Army, Lawrence was so impressed that Neil was hired on a permanent basis once Buddy returned. From 1959 until Buddy left the show in 1974, they were the most dangerous, most exciting guitar twosome on television, while Neil himself remained on the show until it's end in 1982. He also was an accomplished studio musician playing for several movie soundtracks and played instrumentals for a diverse number of artists such as Elvis Presley, Frank Zappa and the Judds. Today, Neil is now happily retired and lives in Santa Clarita, CA with his wife Nancy.

JIM TURNER featured country singer from 1979 to 1982...was born September 6th in Knoxville, TN. As a youngster....he did his rounds performing in local bands across the southeastern US and also played guitar for the University of Tennessee choir. Upon college....he pursued a career in Nashville as a singer/songwriter...and also dabbled in plays such as "Jesus Christ Superstar." Joining the Welk show in 1979, Jim had the task of stepping into Clay Hart's shadow as the featured country singer but soon became popular in his own right....as his voice, guitar work and professionalism won himself legions of loyal fans. Today, he and his wife Terri makes their home in Hendersonville, TN...running their own record label....Earthtone Records. He also still performs regularly by headlining at venues such as Opryland and Knott's Berry Farm.

CHARLOTTE HARRIS featured cellist was born in Oak Park IL on April 29, 1931. As a teenager, her natural talents as a cello player had landed her gigs in symphony orchestras in Chicago and San Antonio. She also taught music and piano with one of her sisters in Park Ridge during World War II. Joining the Welk orchestra in 1961....she earned the distinction of being the only full-time female member of the Music Makers. Known as "Charlie" by her colleagues...in addition to working in the band's instrumental arrangements, also did duets with Bob Ralston on organ, and usually took part in the girls chorus numbers in several acts. Left the show in 1978 to look after her two daughters, Charlotte and Catherine. Today...she is married to Edwin Deveny, and teaches a new generation of cellists around her residence of Palos Verdes, CA.

JOHNNY KLEIN drummer was born in Strausburg, ND on June 4, 1918. He was the second cousin of Lawrence Welk so it was natural that Johnny took his career path into music. After graduating from high school, he served in the US Army, and also attended college at the University of Missouri earning both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Music Education....and all the while perfected his craft on the drums. He joined the Music Makers in 1951 anchoring the rythmn section....while also serving as band equipment manager and truck driver for the band's live performances. A bleeding ulcer forced Johnny out of the drummers seat in 1976...but stayed on with Welk as the show's music librarian, he also performed regularly in clubs, and at the Welk Resort until his death from a combination of heart failure and strokes on January 31, 1997.

HARRY HYAMS viola player was born May 24, 1917 in New York, NY. A musical prodigy from an young age, Harry attended the prestigous Julliard School and later played with the famous New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He first joined the Champagne Music Makers in 1961, when the string section consisted of six violinists, one cellist and and a viola....and was a mainstay until 1982 when the Welk show ended it's run on television. He also performed as a session musician, providing backgrounds for artists such as Frank Zappa, Harry Nilsson and Bobby Darin. Plus, as a concert musician, he was in constant demand to play in several symphony orchestras both in the United States and in Europe. Today, he and his wife Maya make their home in the Los Angeles area where he continues to perform and enjoy one of his favorite hobbies, boating.

Two of the Hotsy Totsy Boys from 1978: Bob Havens & Richard Maloof

TIME TO GO BACK HOME!!!!!

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