You’ve all seen it — the amazing, energetic playing of the maracas on Neil LeVang’s Ghost Riders in the Sky on a 1961 episode of The Lawrence Welk Show.
The guy with the mustache enthusiastically playing the Maracas in the back row steals the show. In the comments everyone is quick to point out that it is Neil LeVang on guitar — a Fender Jazzmaster.
Neil Levang – Ghost Riders In The Sky (1961) pic.twitter.com/rFCWIOqyul
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But what no one ever seems to know is who is stealing the show on the maracas in the back row with the mustache. We researched in detail — before AI — and found it to be Aladdin Abdullah Achmed Anthony Pallante — aka Tony Pallante — aka “Aladdin” — of the Lawrence Welk orchestra.
A 1st class percussionist with 1st class mustache.
Here is Tony Pallante’s wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin_(performer)
And here is Tony Pallante giving a dramatic reading, which he was known for on the Lawrence Welk Show:
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