US EditionMinnesota Musician Still Rockin’ and Twanging at Age 82
At 82, Kling performs weekly as a one-man band across west central Minnesota, playing up to three shows with eight hours of backing music without repeating songs.
- Verlyn Kling, 82, of Granite Falls continues to perform music as Verlyn’s Four Wheel Drive 1 Man Band.
- Long ago, Kling started performing with The 7 Teens shortly after the Jan. 7, 1959 Winter Dance at Montevideo High School.
- Recording eight hours of backing music, he usually performs twice and sometimes three times a week at nursing homes and assisted living centers.
- Booked through the coming year and into 2027, Verlyn Kling remains well-known throughout the region and continues to get booking calls.
- Nearly missing a $700,000 windfall from a 1959 Gibson Les Paul sale, Kling is placed alongside Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney, and Mick Jagger, though a 1961 breakup may have limited wider fame.
10 Articles
10 Articles
Pine Journal
Minnesota musician still rockin’ and twanging at age 82
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — He may not be quite as well-known, but Verlyn Kling deservedly belongs in the company of musical performers including Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger. At age 82, Kling continues to perform as a musician, just like Nelson, age 92, and McCartney, age 83, and Jagger, age 82. “I tell audiences once in a while Willie and I are still out there. He’s got me beat,” said Kling with a smile. Kling, of Granite Falls, be…
Granite Falls, Minnesota, musician still rockin’ and twanging at age 82
GRANITE FALLS — He may not be quite as well-known, but Verlyn Kling deservedly belongs in the company of musical performers including Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger. At age 82, Kling continues to perform as a musician, just like Nelson, age 92, and McCartney, age 83, and Jagger, age 82. “I tell audiences once in a while Willie and I are still out there. He’s got me beat,” said Kling with a smile. Kling, of Granite Falls, began per…
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