Meet the Pure Gold Band

This popular band plays Wednesdays from 1-3 p.m. at The Friendship Center in Sarasota. Members include:

GENE SPRAGUE, trumpet, originally from Clark’s Summitt, PA. He attended and has degrees from both Penn State and Columbia Universities. Through the years Gene has played music professionally, notably with Fred Waring and the Will Osborne organizations, and has played in units backing Tony Randall, Bert Parks and others. In 2001 he visited Sarasota to see his son, a physician at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Gene has lived here since 2004.

CHUCK KERCHER, clarinet and sax, was born in Rawlins, Wyoming. He began flute lessons with his dad. After adding sax, clarinet and trumpet, he played club dates in Bay City to Ann Arbor to Detroit. He played Dixieland cornet with the Al Winters Six Star International Jazz Band. He also is a member of the Scottville Clown Band.

LIZ KERCHER, piano, is from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She also plays flute and bass guitar. Chuck and Liz have been music store owners and taught private music lessons. The Kerchers have lived in the Ellenton area since 1995.

HOWARD WILSON, bassist, from Springfield MO,and later Kansas City, began playing at radio station KWTO when Chet Atkins also started. He continued music along with a career in engineering at Honeywell. Howard’s local gigs include dance music with “The Notables.” Howard and Bryan shares  the bass spot with Bryan in the Pure Gold Band.

BRYAN  ZUERNER, bassist,  from Spring Terre Haute, IN, was drawn to big band music in high school In the service, Brian played with a combo that provided ‘George Shearing’ style music for military officer club venues. He and his wife, Phyllis, came to Sarasota in 1988.

AL PIERCE, from Hartford,  CT, claims 70 years as a drummer,  beginning at age 12, and playing  gigs in and around Harford. In 1950, he went on the road with an 8-piece band. After playing in Germany with the army band, he studied at Hartford School of music on the GI Bill. His wife, Barbara, is a harpist.

These versatile volunteer musicians play swing, foxtrot, waltzes and Latin rhythms for your listening and dancing pleasure at the Friendship Center in Sarasota every Wednesday from 1-3 p.m. In addition to their volunteer work, they all continue their lives as professional musicians.

We thought you’d like to know more about these musicians who give generously of their time and talent. Now that you know them better, stop by during the break to say “Hello.”