Larry Vern Erickson (February 8, 1936 – October 8, 2013) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and wit ...

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

Biography

Verne recorded two

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart hit singles in 1960, "Mister Livingston" (No. 75) and "

Mr. Custer "Mr. Custer" is a march novelty song, sung by Larry Verne, and written by Al De Lory, Fred Darian, and Joseph Van Winkle. Background It is a comical song about a soldier's plea to General Custer before the climactic Battle of the Little Bighorn ...

" (No. 1, and No. 9 R&B). "Mr. Custer" was

written Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

by Fred Darian, Al De Lory, and Joe Van Winkle. The record sold over one million copies, earning a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. In the UK, "Mr. Custer" was successfully

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

Charlie Drake Charles Edward Springall (19 June 1925 – 23 December 2006), known professionally as Charlie Drake, was an English comedian, actor, writer and singer. With his small stature (5' 1"/155 cm tall), curly red hair and liking for slapstick, h ...

. "Mr. Custer" was featured on an album of novelty songs recorded by Verne called ''Mister Larry Verne'', which was released that same year. After growing tired of the music industry, Verne quit to become a successful builder of Hollywood film sets, which he did for 35 years before retiring.

Death

Verne died on October 8, 2013, of heart failure in Sylmar, California, at the age of 77. He had long suffered from Alzheimer's disease and had suffered three strokes.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Verne, Larry American male singers 1936 births 2013 deaths Musicians from Minneapolis Era Records artists Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Singers from Minnesota