Here's saxophone player Skeets Herfurt, a member of the Welk orchestra from 1979 to 1982.He's played with a Whos Who of musical greats such as Frank DeVol, Nelson Riddle plus Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey just to name a few. But how about this for irony....in 1939 he and his University of Denver student band were booked at the Broadmoor Country Club in Denver for an engagement when at the last minute, were replaced at the last minute by another popular band from North Dakota!
Who's that band....Lawrence Welk and his Champagne Music Makers!
Forty years later, the Maestro hires him as it's star saxophone player in the reeds section....funny how things work out.
2 comments:
Most interesting story about "Skeets" . . . however the date was 1933 when the Vic Schilling Orch [with Skeets on the reeds] was bounced by Lawrence Welk. The venue was Eddie Ott's Broadmoor Country Club just off of Colfax in Denver.
Hello this is Skeets son, Kim. Dad always said it was Eddie Ott's. He went to NYC immediately afterward in his 37 Chevy with Rock Hillman and Glen Miller in a blinding winter snow storm. That's when all three started their careers. He was a great sax man and a loving dad.
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