Neil Levang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neil LeVang (born January 3, 1932) is an American born musician who is best known from television's The Lawrence Welk Show, his instruments are the guitar and the banjo.
Born in Adams, North Dakota, a farmer's son of Swedish and Norwegian descent, he got his start playing the banjo and soon added guitar and violin. He began playing county fairs, performing with several different bands by the time he was fifteen as well as being a morning disc jockey for a Seattle radio station. In 1948, Neil was playing appearing with Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage, as well as Jimmy Wakely and several other country swing bands.
Neil joined the United States Coast Guard in 1951. He married Marian in 1954 and had five children, Coral, Mark, Sonja, Erika and Tanya. In 1959, he was hired as a temporary guitar and banjo player on the Lawrence Welk Show when Buddy Merrill left to serve in the US Army.
Welk was so pleased with his ability, that he was hired Neil on a permanent basis when Buddy completed his tour of duty in 1961. Neil stayed with the Welk Band until its final show in 1982. That same year, at the Country Music Awards he was nominated for best artist on a Speciality Instrument, the mandolin. He was also an accomplished studio musician, playing on several records for artists such as Glen Campbell, Frank Zappa, Bobby Darin, Bobbi Gentry, David Clayton Thomas, Neil Hefti's "Batman Theme", Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Neil Diamond and Noel Boggs.
Neil also performed as a studio musician on many television shows including Batman, Little House on the Prairie, Ed Sullivan Show, Brady Bunch, Highway to Heaven, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and a host of Hanna Barbera cartoons. He was the featured guitarist with Naomi and Wynonna Judd on the 1985 and 1986 Academy of Country Music Awards television broadcast.
Levang is now retired and living in the Santa Clarita Valley with his wife Nancy.
[edit] Film Credits as a musician
Neil also worked on music for several Hollywood motion pictures. His film credits include:
- All The President's Men
- Apple Dumpling Gang
- At Long Last Love
- Barefoot in the Park
- Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
- Bless the Beasts and the Children
- Blue Hawaii
- California Suite
- Charlotte's Web
- Dead Again
- Dick Tracy
- Emperor of the North
- For Pete's Sake
- Friday Foster
- Goin' South
- Good Morning Vietnam
- Hardcore
- Herbie Goes Bananas
- Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
- Hooper
- Hot Lead/Cold Feet
- Huckelberry Finn
- Hustle
- I'll Take Sweden
- Last Hard Men
- Life and Times of Judge Joe Bean
- Live a Little, Love a Little
- Man Who Loved Cat Dancing
- Nickelodeon
- Paint Your Wagon
- Pajama Party
- Pennies from Heaven
- Pete's Dragon
- Rosemary's Baby
- Smokey and the Bandit
- Sophie's Choice
- Thank God It's Friday
- Tony Rome
- True Grit
- Twice Upon a Time
- Zorro the Gay Blade
