When I was researching this installment of The Song of the Week I came across a clip of Neil LeVang on The Lawrence Welk Show and that led me to a bunch of great clips of Neil and his fellow Welk Show guitarist Buddy Merrill that were too good not to share with with you. The Lawrence Welk Show‘s reputation for corny music is well deserved. But even though Lawrence Welk himself took a certain amount of pride in going against the general musical trends of the times, he was a canny showman and didn’t neglect modern sounds altogether. Through most of his television career, Welk had two surprisingly rocking guitarists: Buddy Merrill and Neil LeVang. In 1955, the year his television show was first broadcast nationally, he signed the 19-year old Buddy Merrill to the band. Merrill was a bit of a teen heartthrob, which helped bring in the younger viewers, but more importantly he was equally adept on steel guitar and standard guitar and he able to play jazz, pop standards, country and a polite form of rock and roll. In 1959 Merrill left the band to serve in the army and Neil Levang stepped in as a temporary replacement. He proved to be every bit as popular as Merrill and was made a permanent member of the band. When Merrill returned from his military service, Welk rehired him, giving his band two great guitarists.
Buddy Merrill “South”
When Welk signed Merrill, he was looking for a guitarist to play music that would appeal to younger viewers, but he wasn’t really sure what that might be. Rock and roll was still in its infancy and might turn out to be nothing but a passing fad. Country was doing pretty well and crossing over to the mainstream with the help of singers like Bing Crosby, who had a huge hit with the Bob Wills song “New San Antonio Rose” in 1941 and Tony Bennett, who did well with the Hank Williams song “Cold Cold Heart.” So why not hedge your bets and hire a guy who could do both? This clip is probably from Buddy’s first year on the show because he’s introduced as a teenager. He really knows his way around that four neck Fender Stringmaster. I love the way Lawrence leans over and tells him to smile.
Buddy Merrill “Rock Around the Clock”
Buddy and the gang tastefully rock out on the classic Bill Haley number. This clip is from 1956 and I suspect that most of America was introduced to the Fender Stratocaster via Buddy’s picking.
Neil LeVang “Gallopin’ on the Guitar”
LeVang was a smart replacement for Merrill. He was a great with a flatpick and he had a nice country feel to his playing. By now, this was the early 1960s, Welk had decided he didn’t want to have much to do with rock and roll but he still wanted to have a guitarist around. LeVang does a fine job chicken picking his Fender Jazzmaster on the Chet Atkins composition “Gallopin’ on the Guitar.”
Neil LeVang “Ghost Riders In The Sky”
Neil and the band come up with nicely twanging version of “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” It’s hard to tell because the video quality isn’t that good, but it looks to me like Neil’s Strat has an anodized aluminum pickguard. This Strat was stolen fron Neil in 1974.When Fender heard about the theft in early 2013 they made a new one to replace it.
Buddy Merrill and Neil LeVang “San Antonio Rose”
After Buddy returned from the army, he and Neil both stayed in the band. Every now and them they got do a duet like this incredible version of “San Antonio Rose.” Bob Wills would be proud.
Bonus Clip
Gail Farell and Dick Dale (but not that Dick Dale) “One Toke Over The Line”
I think the accordion player introducing Gail and Dick is the only one who knows what the song is about. Lawrence Welk thinks it’s a modern spiritual.
