Bob Havens

Bob Havens earned recognition as a capable trombonist whose technique stood out and whose tone carried warmth, appearing mostly within Dixieland environments across his career. Coming from a household filled with music, this instinctive player took up violin and piano alongside trombone during his youth. Local performances led to prominence through associations with George Girard from 1956 to 1957, and even more notably with Al Hirt between 1957 and 1960. In 1960 he joined the Lawrence Welk Orchestra on a lasting basis, remaining beyond twenty years while frequently contributing to the Dixieland portions of the Welk Show. Nevertheless, this regular engagement failed to weaken his jazz capabilities. Since the 1960s he has appeared regularly at festivals dedicated to Dixieland and mainstream jazz, maintaining peak form well into the 1990s. His leadership recordings on Southland date to both 1960 and 1964.