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At Age 95, This Piano Man Can

Les Burns performs for charity three times a week at the Nightingale Supper Club, Sturgeon Bay. Photo by Len Villano.

Les and Lucille Berns had been married almost 64 years when Lucille passed away on Feb. 11, 2011. Devastated and lonely, Les turned to his piano as a distraction, spending hours at the keyboard to help take his mind off his loss. A deeply committed Christian, Les says, “I finally thought, ‘I should be doing some good with this.’”

Les grew up in Sister Bay, where his mother played the pump organ at the old St. Rosalia’s Catholic Church, now the Mission Grille. His parents encouraged him to study piano when he was 10 or so, and he rode his bicycle to Mrs. Carlson’s house for lessons. Later, he completed a correspondence course in music that cost $27.50. After high school at Gibraltar (where he took up the clarinet because he loved the music of the swing era), he had just one course in harmony with Father Sromsky at St. Norbert’s College. Since then, Les’s music education has been self-taught. He still has at least a dozen instruction books and claims that, at age 95, he has a lot to learn.

A friend suggested that Lucille Deutsch of Sturgeon Bay write to Les while he was serving in World War II. She sent not only letters, but pictures. When Les returned, he and his brother Bob took over the lumber business in Sister Bay from their uncle, Adoph Roeser, and Les married the pretty, musically talented young woman who had written all those letters. They raised four children in Sister Bay before moving to Sturgeon Bay when Berns Brothers Lumber Company expanded to a second location (the forerunner of Lampert Lumber).

There wasn’t much time for playing the piano while Les was working 60 hours a week, but he did play and direct the choir for liturgical settings at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, and he and Lucille, who had a lovely alto voice, sometimes sang duets. In all those years, Les performed outside church only a few times, for friends’ weddings and a memorial service.

Exactly a month after Lucille’s death, Les began a project in her memory, playing at Andre’s Restaurant, then owned by the youngest of his three sons, Les Jr. After three months there, he moved on to Cherry Hills for a seven-month stint, and in April 2012 he began his present engagement at the Nightingale Restaurant and Lounge on Egg Harbor Road in Sturgeon Bay. Sporting a natty black vest and a bowler hat, Les plays in the bar from 4:30 to 7:30 on Monday, Thursday and Friday nights, year-round. (Every Friday night is Veterans Night – a special interest of Nightingale owner David Ripp – and on those evenings Les’ vest is red.)

Les is deeply grateful to Ripp for allowing him to perform there, making space for him in his busy restaurant and paying the dues to ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) that allow him to work.

Les has never taken a salary for his playing, but has a tip jar on the keyboard. “Through the years, tips have ranged from $1 to $100,” he says. “They usually average about $30 a night, and every penny goes to the Christian Service Fund at St. Joe’s in Lucille’s memory.”

Through late October 2013, he had played 270 nights and contributed more than $8,100 to the fund that helps people in the community. “It bothers me just a little,” Les says, “that the word ‘Christian’ is in the title, because I’d help anyone in need, Jew, Hindu or whatever.”

Les started his music “career” with about 1,600 pieces of sheet music, sorted by category in 30 file folders. Two shoeboxes hold alphabetized index cards with the names of the songs and the number of the folder each is in, enabling Les to locate them quickly for requests. He also has a number of tunes he plays from memory.

“I don’t read music like a professional,” he says. “Mostly I read the chords and go from there. I started with one portable keyboard, but have added another that allows so much variety with sounds and rhythm. I can sound like an orchestra, a jazz group or a polka band.”

Most requests from diners, Les says, are for sentimental, romantic songs from the 1930s through the ’60s, like “Moon River” and “As Time Goes By.” He leaves pads of request forms on tables at the restaurant and encourages diners to let him know when they have a special occasion.

On the keyboard at every performance is a picture of Les’ inspiration, his cousin, Ray Wencil, a stand-up comic, pianist and tap dancer who entertained GIs during WWII as a member of Special Services. He also served as the master of ceremonies at a huge end-of-the-war celebration in New York that was attended by General Eisenhower.

In an interesting twist of fate, a gentleman from Chicago approached Les one night and said he had been a professional musician, but was ready to retire. They chatted about what Les was doing, and the fellow asked if he could take Les’ picture at the keyboard. A few days later, Les received a package containing a copy of the photo and a note saying the man had decided he wasn’t quite ready for retirement after all.

And Les’ photo is the inspiration on his piano!