Mike Starr (1933-2009) Mike was born in 1933 in Redwood Falls, Minnesota into a musical family. His father ("Twink") played (and still occasionally plays) piano, trombone, and sang. His mother played the church organ and taught piano. His first instrument was piano, taught to him by his mother, of course. Then in grammer school, on one cold day in the middle of a long Minnesota winter, he discovered his dad's trombone in the closet, took it out, and started making "noise" with it, and has been playing trombone ever since. Mike's family moved a number of times, first to Missouri, then to Iowa. During high school he was introduced to Dixieland when his dad took him to a minstrel show backed by a Dixieland band. He was instantly hooked on the music. Mike played with many local groups, including a long regular stint with Jimmy Diamond's band at the Hyatt Regency. He has played with the Golden Gate Rhythm Machine for 10 years. His wonderful fluid melodic trombone and his great sense of humor are a real asset to the band. Mike passed away August 6, 2009. You can read his obituary here

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