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Re: Pete Fountain

Author: Wisco99
Date: 2015-01-30 21:52

Great to see some people here remember Chuck Hedges. Chuck was my repairman for several decades, and he would always invite me to sit in on sax when I walked into a club where he was playing. He was an amazing clarinet player, but could not read music to save his life. Chuck was one of the top Dixieland clarinet players in the country, but I doubt he would have been hired on Welk's band. Pete was not only a great player with that big warm sound, but he had a certain charisma which came across to people, and that is part of his success. I worked with the Stars Of Lawrence Welk twice as the orchestra contractor in Milwaukee, and I have to tell you that those people worshiped Welk even though he was gone. I never saw anything like it. Welk took care of his people. His son is the one who "discovered" Pete in New Orleans, and talked Lawrence into hiring him. After that the success was purely up to Pete.
For those fans of Chuck Hedges, or those who have not heard him, here is a TV broadcast from 1963. Judge for yourself. Chuck was a great player.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di0RQ3nXEdY

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