OUR MEMBERS

OUR MEMBERS ARCHIVE

Vern and Avis Nelson

Vern and Avis were born in Farmington, Michigan, they met and go married shortly after WWII. They have been playing and singing together for 59 years.

Vern played guitar from about six years of age, when he turned 13 he was on WEXL radio, singing his heart out, but then............as so often happens to adolecent males, HIS VOICE CHANGED !!

Well Vern had to quit playing and singing on the radioand finally quit music. After taking a rather long hiatus ( about 30 or so years) from music, he decided to pick up the banjo. Thus the musical history of Vern and Avis resumes.

Within 6 months of playing the banjo he was playing in a Polka band every Friday and Saturday night for 4 1/2 years. During his first year with the Polka Band, he met 4 other banjo players and started the "Banjo's of Michigan" a band that is now in it's 40th year. Out of the four guys that formed the band, Vern is the only one left. Which means that Avis has taken quite good care of him.

In 1980 Vern retired, after teaching electronics, computers, and robotics at a Tech school in Oakland County Michigan. During his long and successful life Vern has obtained a Masters degree in education, a B.A. in applied management, and a B.S. in Trade and Industrial Technology. Avis retired from AT&T a year later. Vern decided that it was time to hang up his banjo and start traveling. Avis wouldn't hear of it. She said" Not on your life, I'm going 'Gigging' with you." So since 1981 they have played and sang from Alaska to the Panama Canal, including California, Canada, Florida and all points in between. Avis is often asked if she ever sang with any of the big bands. Her response is" I have sung with all of them, well at least till my stereo broke".

In 1988 Vern started Great Lakes International Banjos, and ran it for a few years till AVis decided she wanted to spend more times with her family, who all live in or near Port Charlotte, Florida. So Vern pakced everything up and turned over GLIB to Bill Jackson who has kept it going ever since.

Vern is a member of the Gulf Coast Banjo Society, GLIB committee, Banjos of Michigan, Flint Banjos, and has played with the Garter Snappers, a 10 piece band with 4 singers and dancers. They played all around michigan, Canada, Ohio, and Illinois. Also listed among his activities was tjhe Dixier Cats, The Music Makers, The Melody Makers, Amos Shephard's Country All Stars, Country Sunshine, Just dixie, Ray Greens Dixie Cats, and the Starlighters to mention a few. Vern and AVis perform weekly with the Gulf Coast Banjo Society as well as the Cultural Center in Port Charlotte, and Englewood Methodist Church.

Although Vern and AVis have had more than one disagreement during these 59 years of marriage, they both agree on one thing. The best thing to come out of all their musical activities is the many hundreds of friends they have madeincluding the Gulf Coast Banjo society gang.