Staff photo by Fritz Busch The Leon Olsen Show performs at Bavarian Blast in the KNUJ Polka Hall Friday. From left, Loretta Gerasch and Leon Olsen. Not pictured in back, Gary Schroeder and Mike Moldan.

NEW ULM — The son of a Tyler concertina player and band leader, Leon Olsen’s first pay musical gig came at age 11.

He started playing trumpet in the fifth grade but he was also very interested in the concertina and soon learned to play bass and rhythm guitar.

Olsen performed by himself at the Checkerboard Cafe in Lake Benton and got paid with food and soda pop.

“I got paid five dollars, a hamburger, French fries and all the pop I could drink. I went back to school the next day and told the kids about that. Pretty soon a few kids told me they could play drums and other instruments, so I started a band there in Tyler. We played at area homecoming and prom dances.”

Olsen said there were many ballrooms back then in towns near Tyler including Lake Benton, Marshall, Lake Shetek, Ghent, Sherburn and Worthington.

“I really liked playing in places where people would dance. It’s more fun than a sit-down concert,” he added.

After high school graduation in 1971, Olsen moved to New Ulm when the Polka Days celebration was held downtown. He began building concertinas and teaching students to play them at Brown’s Music Store.

Olsen started a polka band in New Ulm. He recalled the KNUJ Radio Polka Contest.

“We got in the contest, played three songs and got second place. Cliff Streich of Cobden finished first,” he said.

“I was then asked if I was interested in teaching people how to play the concertina because Elmer Scheid, who had been teaching it, was ready to retire. I graduated high school in June and began giving concertina lessons in September,” Olsen said.

He built concertinas with Larry Dorschner and Bill Brown for a number of years in New Ulm.

The Leon Olsen Show has produced music on 20 compact discs and received awards from many organizations including the Minnesota Ballroom Owners Association, World Concertina Congress Hall of Fame and others. Leon Olsen was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

The band continues to play throughout the United States.

For the past few decades, they’ve played at polka fests in Mesa, Arizona, Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada; Branson, Missouri, Round Top, Texas. at “The Big Red Barn,” the world’s largest ballroom.

“Everything is big in Texas. I got a big piece of pie down there it took me several days to eat,” said Olsen.

The band has also played in Frankenmuth and Marquette, Michigan, and Shawano and Green Bay, Wisconsin, Deadwood, South Dakota and all around Minnesota, among other places.

His favorite song to play on concertina is “Twilight in Bohemia.” On guitar, his favorite is “Try a Little Kindness” by Glen Campbell.

“We’ve recorded about 250 songs. I can play most of them yet,” said Olsen.

When he isn’t playing music, you may find him restoring tractors in Klossner.

Olsen’s keyboardist and vocalist, Loretta Gerasch, said she got interested in music from her mother and father, Dodie and Joe Moldan of Hanska who played piano and concertina respectively.

“I met Red (late husband Paul) on a bus trip to the Leon Olsen Show at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota” said Gerasch.

“Leon’s two keyboardists went in different directions so I bought a keyboard and started practicing. My first paying gig was in 2002 in Laughlin. I’ve been playing with the band since. I enjoy it,” she added.

Gerasch also works at Olsen’s tractor shop and cleans houses.

“I spray grease off when they’re ready to paint tractors. I’m the gopher when they need a tool. Music is my fun job,” she added.

The Leon Olsen Band performed Friday at Bavarian Blast.