Joe Livoti,
Violin (1962-1982) Popular Violinist On Lawrence Welk
Joe
Livoti joined the Lawrence Welk Show 1962 as first
violinist, replacing
Jimmy Getzoff. Livoti was born
in Cambridge, Massachusetts on September 24, 1912,
and first took up playing the violin after attending
a musical recital given by the legendary violinist
Mischa Elman. At the age of twelve, he earned a
scholarship to study at the Boston Conservatory of
Music and, at the age of 13, won an Italian Violin
which he continued to play throughout his career.
While on the Lawrence Welk Show, one of his more
popular numbers is "Wild Dog", in which he performed
along with
Neil Levang at guitar as well as duets
with another talented violinist on the Welk Show,
Bob Lido.
Personal Life
Livoti and his wife Erma, were the parents of
two kids. One of them, daughter Sylvia, appeared
as a guest several times on the show in the
early 1960s as a singer. Livoti died in 1998.