Born in
Jersey City,
New Jersey, he began playing the violin as a child and later took vocal lessons. His talents led him to stints as a featured performer with
Carmen Cavallaro's band and later with
Perry Como's supper club. He joined Welk in 1952 and until the maestro's retirement in 1982, Bob was their featured violinist, and an accomplished vocalist both with tender
ballads,
jazz favorites and also
country music. He was one of the show's comics as well, featured in many humorous
novelty songs with fellow Welk stars such as
Aladdin,
Larry Hooper and
Charlie Parlato. He also led a revival of the
Hotsy Totsy Boys, one of Lawrence's early bands, which were popular features on the show during the early 1970s. They featured Lido as lead
vocalist and
fiddler, Parlato on
trumpet,
Russ Klein on
saxophone,
Richard Maloof on
tuba,
Bob Havens on
trombone,
Neil LeVang on
ukulele and
banjo,
Bob Ralston on piano and
Jack Imel playing the
drums and spoons. ==Death==