Wes Schellhaas (1915-1996) was a trumpeter and arranger from Perrysville, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. He played with a variety of local bands through high school and afterwards, in the Pittsburgh area, and was well-noted as a trumpet player, ever since having played in the All-City High School Band. He had various local bands of his own, and then began playing with larger, much more well-established touring bands. He had become good friends with famed bandleader Tommy Dorsey, and at one point Wes traveled to New York City at the invitation of Tommy, and stayed at his house for about a week, while practicing with the band. The plan was for Wes to join the Tommy Dorsey Band. However, the local musicians' union required New York City residency in order to obtain standing, and Wes chose not to make the permanent move. In December, 1938 Lawrence Welk was on the rise with his orchestra, still a lesser-known touring band, and they arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where they had gotten a contract to play at the William Penn Hotel, opening on New Years Eve, 1938. Their shows were broadcast on radio station WCAE. The band traveled only with a core-band, augmenting with local musicians in each city. In Pittsburgh, Wes Schellhaas was selected as the trumpet player. It was during this brief three-week series of radio broadcasts that announcer Phil David noted that Lawrence Welk's band had a rather light, bubbly sound, and he made a popping sound with his mouth and finger, and dubbed it "Champagne Music." He also used a bubble-making fan to blow bubbles across the dance-floor as the band was introduced. These effects quickly became the band's trademark. Several years later, realizing financial demands and the irregular income of being a musician, Wes joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as a morse-code communications relay specialist and bugler. He then enlisted with the Army as a communications specialist as World War II broke out. When an opening became available he was transferred to the new Army Air Corps as a musician and played trumpet with the 17th and 18th Army Air Corps Bands at the Officers' Candidate School in Miami Beach, Florida (one of the more famous persons to pass through this school around this same time was actor "Major" Clark Gable). While stationed there he married Bette Smiley who then relocated to Miami to work at WKAT radio. After the War the couple relocated back to Pittsburgh where Wes continued to play with local Pittsburgh bands. He later became Band Instruments director at Volkwein Brothers Music in Pittsburgh, as well as a private trumpet teacher. He passed away September 6, 1996.

Bette Smiley on WCAE radio Pittsburgh PA promo photo	Bette Smiley and Bill Hinds on KDKA radio, Pittsburgh PA, about 1949	Bette Smiley on Miami's WKAT about 1941
Bette Smiley helps sell War Bonds in Uniontown PA	Bette Smiley portrait circa 1940	Bette Smiley on the beach in Miami 1941
Bette Smiley portrait circa 1930's

Wes Schellhaas (trumpet) with Fran Eichler Orchestra at WJAS radio, Pittsburgh PA about 1934 (third from right)

Wes Schellhaas, Paul Coumas & Vance Boughner July 11, 1935

Wes Schellhaas playing trumpet during radio broadcast 1939

Fran Eichler Orchestra, circa 1934 WJAS radio studio, Chamber of Commerce Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Left to right-- Fran Eichler, ? Eichler (Fran's uncle) seated, [unknown], Buddy Quick, Jimmy Brown, Bill Eichler, Vance Boughner, Wes Schellhaas, Paul Coumas, Ollie Stang

17th and 18th Army Air Corps Bands at the Officers' Candidate School

Miami Beach, Florida 1943

Wes is 5th-back in the left row, just in front of the first drummer.

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