Laura Leary

While a member of the violin section of the Jacksonville Symphony she played pops concerts with Arthur Fiedler, Beverly Sills and Benny Goodman. While studying violin in Switzerland she joined an Irish band which performed at the country's major folk festivals.

Upon her return to the US Laura started her own group. The 5-piece band played a mix of bluegrass, folk and rock and performed at Busch Gardens Tampa and at major clubs in the Tampa area.

Hired for the band on the Nashville Network TV series "Strictly Bluegrass," she moved to Nashville, and was then hired to play in a band at Opryland USA as the fiddler in the bluegrass show. She later toured North America with this band.

Her Opyryland show was seen by a Las Vegas producer who then hired her for the Mickey Finn Show, which appeared on the "Merv Griffin Show," "The John Davidson Show" and the "Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon." When Finn created his next two shows Laura was always a prominent cast member playing multiple instruments, singing, dancing, acting and serving as MC.

Later, she toured the western US with The New Christy Minstrels revival band as violinist and singer. She was then hired to work at the Orlando, Florida entertainment complex Church Street Station.

Laura has recorded with several jazz artists, among them LA saxophonist Rick Fay, New Jersey clarinetist Allan Vaché and the Black Dog Jazz Band out of Orlando. She is married to guitarist/banjoist/vocalist Bob Leary, and the couple make their home in Naples on Florida's Southwest coast. Source: Laura Leary

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