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He also continued to perform as a studio musician. Buddy continued to perform live, either as a solo artist or with a band, until 1988 when he retired from the road.
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He had signed with the latter in 1964, creating a lasting partnership with owner Scott Seely on both a personal and professional level. In 1974, Buddy left the Welk orchestra to devote more time to writing music and recording for Accent Records. For the next twelve years the two would be television's most dynamic guitar duo, attracting a whole legion of fans and admirers. On his return to the Music Makers he was joined in the band's rhythm section with fellow guitarist Neil Levang. He briefly left the show from 1959 to 1962 when he was drafted by the Army. At nineteen his youth and energy made him very popular with the ladies and his artistry with the guitar made him highly-sought after as a live performer, studio musician and also garnered him respect within the music industry. Merrill joined the Lawrence Welk Show in 1955, the same year it first went national on ABC. He also continued to perform live throughout high school in dances, social functions and at clubs. He also began to do home recordings of himself playing rhythm guitar to a song, which was how the legendary Les Paul did in the recording studios. When the family moved out to Los Angeles, California in the early 1950s, Buddy continued to perfect his musical skills, playing both the acoustic guitar and the steel guitar. When he was eleven, he even appeared with his dad live on local television station KYDL in Salt Lake City. At age eight, he got his first guitar and soon enough, began performing live with his father's band, The Fremont River Rangers. The oldest of four children whose father was also a musician, he was born in Torrey, Utah. His style of guitar playing is known as multi-tracking. Buddy Merrill (born Jas Leslie Merrill Behunin, Jr.) is an American guitar player and musician who was best known as a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show.