Lehi People
Multi-generational musicians: It all started in Wines Park
In the early 60s, during the heyday of rock n roll, a group of teenagers from Lehi High School took their guitars and headed for Wines Park. The foursome would sit on the tables in the park, plug their amps into a nearby outlet and jam until sometimes the wee hours of the morning. The group was named the “Four Bits.” They recorded a much-loved song, “Moon Doggie,” which became an instant success with the local teens. The four players were Don Davis, David Featherstone, Jack Elsbury, and Ellis Lehmberg (“Cheese”). This was the beginning of a legacy that continues to this very day.
Featherstone went on to graduate from the University of Texas with a degree in guitar and is now a prominent piano tuner in the Dallas, Texas, area. A good friend, Bill Fowler, remembers picking fruit on the north bench in Lehi with Featherstone. One night, the two boys found a little house on the property, and Featherstone sat and played his guitar all night long.
Featherstone often writes music for local church choirs and often puts poetry to music.
Jack Elsbury moved from Lehi, and it has been said he was doing construction work and had one of his fingers cut off, ending his guitar-playing career. Ellis Lehmberg, the “Elvis” of the band, has since passed away, but Fowler remembers Lehmberg and his classmate, Brent Jones, playing a duet at a student assembly. Jones played the piano, and Lehmberg played the electric guitar. They played the then-popular rock n roll song “Pipeline.” When they finished, the students jumped to their feet and gave them a standing ovation. Fowler exclaimed, “It was one of the most incredible performances I have ever seen.”
Davis received his grandfather’s guitar as a child and has played music ever since. He continues to play in several groups and entertains often, but the joy in his life is the musical talents of his two grandsons, Zachary and Skyler Beck. They have been playing music since they were children. Davis said, “I started teaching the boys when they were four. I could tell they had the desire and the talent.” Today his grandsons have won innumerable fiddling and guitar contests.
“They both play guitars, fiddles, mandolin, and dobro. The music genre is bluegrass, and they have been asked to play for many kinds of audiences at many musical venues. They have played at Thanksgiving Point, Eagle Mountain, American Fork and Lehi, Concerts in the Park and the Covey Center for the Performing Arts, Gallivan Center, and many community celebrations. They have just completed the debut of their first album,” said Davis.
“Skyler was the first chair in the orchestra at American Fork Junior, American Fork High School and Skyridge High School. The boys play all kinds of music but tend to like Blue Grass. We are excited to see what is next for the Beck Brothers Band. The future looks bright for their success in the musical arena.”
