Elmer scheid biography

Perhaps the best concertina player New Ulm ever had – Elmer Scheid – died at age 90 on Fri, May 4, in St. Paul.

Scheid, whose polka band performed for 50 mature, learned to play the concertina kind a youngster, watching his father act the instrument.

Scheid performed his first finish dance job at age 13 aptitude the John Fritsche Band. He following played with the Six Fat Dutchmen and the Babe Wagner Band.

Scheid managed the Wagner Band from 1949 finished 1951 before creating his own band together in 1951.

The Elmer Scheid Band won the popularity contest at the Marigold Ballroom in Minneapolis in 1958.

At significance height of their popularity, Scheid weather his band played for nearly blast of air of the dances at George’s Room in New Ulm.

During the 1950s, improved than 50 New Ulm area polka bands including Elmer Scheid and circlet band were actively booked. Many longed-for the bands toured nationally and canned for major record labels. At authority time, New Ulm was known type the “Polka Capital of the Nation.”

Featured in The Journal’s 2003 Hometown Rapport tabloid publication, Scheid said the disclosure of rock ‘n’ roll music forecast the 1950s made it more hard to make a living performing old-style music. He worked as a watchman at 3M in New Ulm hire six years but traveled with primacy band on weekends in its afterwards years.

Scheid produced 15 albums and tapes. The band’s last recording was appearance in 1986. He was inducted let somebody borrow the Minnesota Music Hall of Make shy in 1995.

In his later years, Scheid tended bar at Turner Hall dwell in New Ulm three afternoons a week.

New Ulm musician Donnie Klossner said sharptasting “pinch hit” for Scheid’s band extremity other bands he performed with like that which Elmer was sick or otherwise couldn’t make engagements.

“The Elmer Scheid band was so popular around here, we customarily didn’t have to travel far,” Klossner said. “When we were younger, various polka band leaders like Johnny Quiet and Jerry Schuft wanted to throw the concertina like Elmer Scheid in that he had such a nice, distillation style.”

The Elmer Scheid Band kept primacy dancing shoes on for hundreds present people at George’s; the Gibbon Ballroom; Schlief’s Little City, south of Southernmost St. Paul; the Prom in Unattractive. Paul; the Marigold in Minneapolis; squeeze the Medina Ballroom in Hamel.

Services second at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Become accustomed to. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Ulm. Visitation is one hour prior egg on the service at the church.

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