Al as a guest on the Lawrence Welk Show in 1958 with Pete Fountain. Live Video

A couple of years before Al signed on with RCA Victor and catapulted to stardom.
Al's about 35 years old here.

[@user-uj3rh5nr8p]

Pierre and Alois are still making music together in Heaven

[@doc1554]

When you get kissed by Pete Fountain, you don't need to say anything! That says it all!!

[@thehaughtcorner]

The story of these two great talents, lifelong friends and each other's biggest fans, is fantastic. All four of the main players in this video are fantastic players, as are the bass and drum guys too. You can see from the reactions of the other guys in the band how much they liked this -- especially Hirt's playing.

[@arise2945]

@@thehaughtcorner Absolutely right. The bass man is really getting with it. The band members are truly loving it - their reactions are very likely due to being briefly unshackled from the syrupy norm of Welk's music. This actually has a beat and some energy, which is quite unusual for Welk.

[@thehaughtcorner]

@@arise2945 Welk himself is really geeked up in this clip -- totally out of character for him. He kept crowding the shot and had to be pulled back out of frame a couple times. Tremendous playing by all. They were just sailing along, and you could tell that the other band members really appreciated what was happening here. And early on, Pete said something to Al, and *almost* got him to break during his solo -- you can see his eyes are laughing as he tries to stay with it.

[@arise2945]

@@thehaughtcorner Yes, sir! Welk himself must have been affected by the energetic playing. I never saw him bouncing around like that in the 1970s when I was exposed to this show while visiting my grandparents. I also do not remember anything remotely like this kind of music on the show - just easy listening arrangements of old standards or the pop hits of the day. Too bad, really. Naturally, most bands won't have a talent like Hirt on the payroll, but Welk's musicians were very, very skilled. They were just shackled.

[@vaughnnark1733]

Magnificent! JUMBO was a Treasure to enjoy!..Vaughn 🎺 😊

[@donnaluke4103]

I first started listening to Al in 1958 as an 8 year old and taking trumpet lessons. I always preferred his albums with big orchestras because this allowed us to hear the gorgeous tone quality and power. My 3 favorites include “they’re playing our song, honey in the horn, trumpet and strings”. Truly awe inspiring.

[@dept2]

Those are 3 great Hirt albums. I was trying to get that clip for 30 years - finally did from the Welk office. I'm glad it's now on a bunch of KZbin pages. There's a LIVE version of Easy To Love (from the Strings album you like) that AL played on The Lively Ones (with Vic Damone) TV show - with the entire Marty Paich Orch. in 1963 - I watched it then on NBC - Al played like a "wild man" - it's on film at UCLA Archives in LA - but they won't make copies - the film is deteriorating & no one will probably ever see & hear it.

[@chasefreak]

nobody could play Dixieland like Jumbo! Note, Al had JUST switched to what would become the Al Hirt model Jet-Tone MPC and he's playing the Martin-Committee here just before he signed on w Holton/Leblanc. I'm such a geek LOL

[@wwrunk5551]

No no. The back story on equipment and when and where something went down makes it better !

[@setharenstein8497]

Exactly!

[@GroversCorner]

True masters of their art!

[@jamesdaviddupre99]

Thanks for posting this. I grew up in New Orleans, and these guys were always cookin' some hot jazz. You could see them for free when they played in Mardi Gras parades. Welk was even groovin' along in this video.

[@twistedtrails8128]

YW!

[@Dorodigital]

speechless!

[@CharlesAdams-b5y]

This was not a guest appearance! They were briefly band members! Fountain sard they left because “bourbon and campaign don’t mix!” Hurt said the problem was as that they weren’t into playing actual arrangements all that much!!

[@thehaughtcorner]

Hirt, not Hurt. Fountain was a band member, and the quote about "mix" was attributed to him after he left Welk.

[@CharlesAdams-b5y]

Yeah, I know! I’be been a huge HIRT fan since the mid 60s! The ‘Hurt’ was done by the damn spell checker!