Dick Petersen, Leader

Banjo and Guitar

Along with his wife, Carol, Dick takes care of all bookings and administrative duties. He is one of the few left-handed banjoists in the country and plays strong rhythm and creative solos.

Russ Peterson

Trumpet, Trombone, Clarinet, Flute, Sax, Bass, Vocals

Russ is truly a musician's musician — able to play all of the listed instruments at a very high level. Even though his main instruments are reeds, he is our trumpet player and can even play two instruments simultaneously. He is a member of the famous Peterson family of Minneapolis and always has a smile on his face and a kind word to say to everyone.

Steve Pikal

Bass, Trombone

Steve is the youngster in the band, but when you hear his fantastic trombone solos, he sounds like someone who has played for 30 years. Steve is truly world class, and he also plays string bass with gusto. His bass solos are exciting and the audience always responds to him.

Steve smiles all the time!

Dick Ramberg

Clarinet, Piano

Dick holds master degrees in Political Science from the U of M and Guidance and Counseling from the U of W. Professionally he served as Executive Director of the MN State Council on Disability and financial advisor with Dan Bosworth and Morgan Stanley. Dick is actively involved in community service through Rotary. He has served on the boards of Courage Center, Vision Loss Resources, Uof M Vision Foundation, and Bloomington United for Youth. He is an exciting clarinetist and commonly receives standing ovations.

Tom Andrews

Drums, Clarinet

Tom is one of the finest dixieland drummers in the nation and has played with many popular dixieland bands at jazz festivals. His time keeping is marvelous and his solos are always creative and tasteful. He also plays excellent clarinet and contributes many traditional ideas to the band.

Jim ten Bensel

Trombone, Cornet, Vocals

This trombone artist has bachelor and master degrees in music from the University of Minnesota and has taught vocal and instrumental at all levels from elementary to college. As a performer, Jim has toured with Henry Mancini, Stan Kenton, and Ralph Marterie; he has backed up folks like Bob Hope, Vicky Carr, Red Skelton, John Davidson, and many others.