Guest
50s Hillbilly Bopper / Rockabilly - A & B-Side Coral Records 78 rpm 61649 / 45 rpm 9-61649 (1956) (1) written by Boudleaux Bryant & Jimmy Dickens (2) written by Johnny Cash. Buddy Merrill born Leslie Merrill Behunin, Jr. (July 16, 1936 - December 5, 2021) is an American guitar & steel guitar player, best known as a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show. Buddy Merrill joined The Lawrence Welk Show in 1955, the same year it first went national on ABC. He briefly left the show from 1959 to 1962 when he was drafted by the Army. On his return to the Music Makers he was joined in the band's rhythm section with fellow guitarist Neil Levang. For the next twelve years the two would performed together on television. Buddy Merrill used a Fender Stratocaster guitar for many of his TV appearances. In 1974, Buddy Merrill left the Lawrence Welk orchestra to devote more time to writing music and recording for Accent Records. He continued to perform live, either as a solo artist or with a band, until 1988 when he retired from the road. He continued to perform as a studio musician. He penned a symphonic work, “Living Sea“, as well as original compositions for tape programmers and television commercials. He latterly lived in Shingle Springs, California, with his friend and band mate, Brandy Lane. He died on December 5, 2021, at the age of 85.
