Orie Amodeo
Orie Amodeo | |
---|---|
Birth name | Orest Amodeo |
Born | March 9, 1921 Mechanicville, New York, U.S. |
Died | December 26, 1998 (aged 77) Culver City, California, U.S. |
Genres | Orchestra, pop |
Instruments | Saxophone, clarinet, flute |
Orest "Orie" J. Amodeo (March 9, 1921 – December 26, 1998) was an American musician who was a member of the Lawrence Welk orchestra from 1945 to 1970. His primary instruments were the flute, saxophone and clarinet.
Early life
[edit]Amodeo was born in Mechanicville, New York, on March 9, 1921. A self-taught musician from a young age, he learned all the woodwind instruments and the violin. He attended Mechanicville High School and graduated in 1938.
Prior to playing with the Lawrence Welk orchestra he was a member of the Amodeo City Band in Mechanicville, under his father. He also played for the band at his high school, and as part of a small band at Joyce's Log Cabin, a local tavern and music venue. He moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1951. Amodeo served in the United States Army.[1]
Career
[edit]Amodeo joined the Lawrence Welk Orchestra in San Francisco in 1945. He remained with the orchestra until 1970, when he left to form his own band.[2] On television and in movies, Amodeo was the lead reed player for the Lawrence Welk Orchestra.[3]
Amodea founded the Champagne Music Makers and spent 25 years with the band. In 1970, the same year Amodeo left the Lawrence Welk orchestra, he also became a stage technician. Although numerous attempts at success were made, the venture eventually proved to be unsuccessful. He retired from his job as a stage technician in Los Angeles in 1988.
Personal life
[edit]He married Gloria Amodeo (née Mucci; 1924 – 1999) on November 7, 1943.[4] Orie and Gloria had two daughters and two sons. They were married for 55 years, until his death in 1998. He died of a long illness at his home at the age of 77 years old.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1943-11-06). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
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has generic name (help) - ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1956-10-06). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
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has generic name (help) - ^ "Orie J. Amodeo". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ McGeehan, Lawrence Welk, Bernice (1973). Wunnerful, Wunnerful: The Autobiography of Lawrence Welk.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Orest J. "Orie" Amodeo (1921-1998) - Find a Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2022-06-25.