Biography
Larry Verne entered the world on February 8, 1936, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, later earning recognition as a novelty singer. During 1960 he placed twice on the pop charts, first reaching number 75 with “Mister Livingston,” a track recounting the 1871 encounter in Central Africa when explorer Henry Stanley located the missing Scottish missionary David Livingstone and spoke the famous words “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” He then ascended to the top position with “Mr. Custer,” composed by Fred Darian, Al DeLory, and Joe Van Winkle. Though his stage persona projected comedy, Verne grew disillusioned with the music business, abandoned it, and spent the following 35 years constructing sets for Hollywood films before retiring. He died on October 8, 2013, in Sylmar, California, at age 77.