DON STAPLES trombonist was born in Billings, MT on July 9, 1939. Before joing the Chapagne Music Makers in 1965, Don played with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and with the Roger Wagner Chorale. Married to wife Betty since they were students at UCLA, they are the parents of two daughters, and they make their home in South Florida. In recent years, Don has kept busy in freelance gigs, teaching trombone at his alma mater, did his share of studio recording and has conducted shows for Amway.
BOB DAVIS flutist, saxophonist and clarinet player hails from Brawley, CA where he was born on April 26th. First taking up the saxophone at age 12, and by 14 he was performing in his first band. After gigs with S. Zentner and Les Brown, he joined the music makers in the woodwind section in 1965...peforming with Dave Edwards, Russ Klein, Orie Amadeo, Peanuts Hucko and Henry Cuesta. Bob, who was perviously married to Sherry Aldridge, is the father of three children, and has done session work in Nashville. He also has done night clubs and had his own seventeen piece orchestra, "Bob Davis and the Prime Time Orcehstra." Today, he makes his home in Fort Pierce, Florida with his wife Ellen, who is also a big band vocalist with his orchestra..
PAUL HUMPHREY drummer from 1976 to 1982 was born in Detroit, MI on October 10, 1935. Performing mostly in studio sessions around Los Angeles, he had his own band "Paul Humphrey and his Cool Aid Chemists" which tasted success with a Top 20 R&B hit, "Cool Aid" in 1971. He joined the Music Makers in 1976, when Johnny Klein fell ill, and dazzled audiences with his workmanship at the sticks. Since the show ended its regular run, Paul continued his studio work, and has performed at numerous jazz festivals and worked with many numerous big band singers. He is married to Joan, and has two children, Pier and Damien.
JOE LIVOTI violinist was born in Cambridge, MA on Sept 24, 1912. A musical prodigy from birth, Joe won a music scholarship to the Boston Conservatory of Music at age twelve, and again at age fourteen! After years of hard work in studio recording with NBC's staff orchestra and at Warner Brothers. He joined the Welk Family over at ABC in 1962 and remained for nearly 20 years. Among his other musical talents include the guitar, piano and was a scratch arranger. Until his death in August 1998, he was married to Erma and the father of two children.
LAROON HOLT trumpet player was born in Barnes, Kansas on October 28, 1939. He learned the trumpet from his father, who was both farmer and trumpist while his mother and two sisters also played instruments. Before joining the Maesto's orchestra in November 1973, Laroon honed his talents first with the Conservatory of Music in Kansas City, and later with the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra plus stints with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and recording sessions with musical giants such as Les Brown, Tex Beneke, Nelson Riddle and Stan Kenton. Today, he and his wife Claudine make their home in South Pasadena, CA where he continues
to play his trumpet. He's also the father of two children, Tim and Heidi.
ELAINE BALDEN dancer formerly known as Elaine Niverson, was born in Dallas, TX on September 22nd. She first started dancing since she was five, and had a penchant for entertaining as a young girl who would stage shows on her front porch for her neighborhood. After attending Sam Houston State University, she teached dance and did some ballroom dancing on the side. When Bobby Burgess was looking for a new dance partner, she auditioned with several other contenders and eventually won the role of a lifetime! She and Bobby have been dancing since 1979, all over the country in concerts and television and have even released a how-to-dance video, called Easydance. Elaine has been married to Welk cameraman Jim Balden and the two make their home in Altadena, CA with their two daughters Alana and Skyla.
GEORGE CATES arranger and music supervisor was born October 19, 1911 in New York , NY. After attending New York University, he went on to a pursue a career in music, first as an arranger for the comedy team of Olsen and Johnson, and later with bands by Henry Busse and Russ Morgan. Even after joining Welk in 1951, he continued to arrange for other artists such as Teresa Brewer, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and the Andrews Sisters. He also was a record producer for Coral and Dot Records in the 1950s and 60s, putting together many of Lawrence Welk's albums for those labels. Since 1972, he began to be seen on camera conducting the Music Makers in a number or two, and wrote many of the show's songs, including the closing theme "Adios, Au Revior, Aufweidershen". Married twice, first to Ruth Rubin who died in 1973, and later Miram Bergman, the father of three died from cancer on May 12, 2002 at the ripe age of 90.
