Hunter Fuerste got his start playing with Dick Jurgens in 1972. He worked with Dick for a couple of years and then began his university work where he studied music theory and arranging. In 1976 at the age of 22 he became the lead trombonist with Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians. It was at this time that he met his inspiration -- Guy Lombardo's chief arranger, Dewey Bergman. He traveled all over the country and into parts of Canada as a Royal Canadian and worked with such talent as Billy Eckstine and Carol Lawrence. He also appeared on Guy Lombardo's last New Year's Eve. Television Show. He left the orchestra after a year to go back to school and become an opthalmologist.
In the early 1980's he fronted his own dance band in and around the Dubuque, Iowa area. Arrangements for this band were penned by Hunter and Dewey Bergman. The orchestra made one recording that was never released. He had graduated and was also a professional doctor working at his family's Eye Clinic in Dubuque. He kept his band going for a while, but it soon gave way to his career as an opthalmologist.
Several years ago, Hunter got the urge to put another band together. "The American Vintage Orchestra" was born. The orchestra performs yearly at The Grand Theater where they perform a big band tribute show called "Swing Out!" The AVO also performs at such notable ballrooms and venues as The Lakeside Ballroom in Guttenberg, Iowa, The Dubuque Fairgrounds, and The Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda, Iowa. With public and private events galore, Hunter is doing better than ever. There's no time to look back. The future holds bright things for Hunter and his band, and he's embracing them with open arms.