Tom Netherton

Thomas Harold Netherton Jr. (January 11, 1947 – January 7, 2018), was an American singer. He was known for his tenure on The Lawrence Welk Show. Netherton was born on January 11, 1947, in Munich, Germany while his father, a United States Army officer, was stationed there. The eldest of four children, Netherton and his family relocated frequently due to his father's Army career. The Nethertons permanently settled in Bloomington, Minnesota in 1961.[citation needed] After enlisting in the Army during the Vietnam War, Netherton was stationed in Panama, serving as a 2nd Lieutenant. He had also decided to pursue a singing career and sang with Army and Air Force music ensembles. Netherton became a born again Christian following a sermon he heard at a Baptist church in Panama, spending a year at the Bethany Fellowship Missionary Training Center in Bloomington after his discharge from the Army. Faced with making a choice between missionary service and a career in entertainment, Netherton chose to follow the same path taken by his idol, Pat Boone, and became a Christian singer.[citation needed] Netherton joined the Lawrence Welk show cast in 1973. His inclusion with Welk's group of entertainers came as a result of a recommendation to Welk by Harold and Sheila Schafer, owners of a North Dakota theater where Netherton had been performing. Netherton appeared regularly on the Lawrence Welk show from 1973 to 1981. In 1975 he appeared on "The Dating Game", choosing from three bachelorettes. In 1979, he wrote an autobiography titled "In The Morning of My Life". Apart from his long-time attachment to the Welk program, Netherton recorded both Christian and secular music albums while still on the program and after. His career post-Lawrence Welk included touring and performing around the United States as well as acting in stage musical productions of Oklahoma! and Carousel.[citation needed] During the 1970s and 1980s he appeared on television commercials for Rose Milk skin care lotion and Nabisco's Triscuits crackers. Netherton was a guest on television shows such as Pat Robertson's The 700 Club, Robert Schuller's The Hour of Power and would appear at Billy Graham religious crusades.[citation needed] As of late 2007, Netherton had been living in Goshen, Indiana where he performed for holiday programs and entertaining local senior citizens at Greencroft Senior Center. Netherton never married. On January 11, 2018, Netherton's younger brother, Brad Netherton, announced on his Facebook page that the singer had died from pneumonia and the flu on January 7, 2018, at age 70, just 4 days before his 71st birthday. An obituary appeared on the Nashville Funeral and Cremation web site. 1975: My Favorite Hymns 1975: What a Friend We Have in Jesus 1977: Love Songs 1978: Hem of His Garment 1979: The Lord's Prayer 1981: Reflection 1984: Scrap Book 1985: Songs of the Savior 1987: The Tom Netherton Christmas Album 1992: How Great Thou Art 1994: 22 Great Songs Of Faith 1995: Gospel Favorites 1996: Just As I Am 1979: In the Morning of My Life, autobiography, Tyndale House, 1979. Portals: Germany United States Los Angeles Music Christianity Debolt, Stephanie (November 24, 2007). "Former 'Lawrence Welk' star calls Goshen home". Goshen News. Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 – Present (7th Edition), Ballantine Books, 1999, page 568 Netherton, Tom; Chapian, Marie (1979). Amazon.com. Tyndale House Publishers. ISBN 0842345256. "Facebook". Facebook. January 11, 2018. "obituary". Chapian, Tom Netherton, with Marie (1979). In the morning of my life. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers. ISBN 0842345256.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Lawrence Welk Show Website Tom Netherton at IMDb Video biography from Welk Stars through the Years, 2009 East Coast Entertainment