Wisconsin celebrity bandleader and guitarist Don Pavel died Wednesday of an apparent heart condition. Don was just sixty years old.
Don Pavel was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1947. He was a veteran who served in Vietnam for six years. Don began partnering with Warren Nelson in the mid-1970s and helped found the Lost Nation String Band and the Big Top Chautauqua Blue Canvas Orchestra. Don frequently appeared with Chequamegon Bay celebrity Ric Gillman and the two performed jointly on the popular "Nothin to It" CD, which features music that will be familiar to Big Top fans.
Fans will remember Don's broad smile, his lightning fast fingers and the music he made. A memorial service will be held Monday, February 4 at StageNorth in Washburn, Wisconsin, located at 123 Omaha Street. The service will begin at 1 p.m. and a memorial fund has been created for the Pavel family. Donations may be sent to Mason Pavel, c/o Big Top Chautauqua, P.O. Box 455, Washburn, Wisconsin 54891.
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