Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen
(born July 7, 1927) is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
.
|
DOC SEVERINSEN TICKETS
|
Early life
Severinsen was born in
Arlington, Oregon, the son of Minnie Mae and Carl Severinsen, who was a
dentist.
[1] He was nicknamed "Little Doc" after his father, and had originally wanted to play the
trombone. But the senior Severinsen, a gifted amateur
violinist, urged him to study the
violin. The younger Severinsen insisted on the trombone, but had to settle for the only horn available in Arlington's small music store — a
trumpet. A week later, with the help of his father and a manual of instructions, the seven-year-old was so good that he was invited to join the high school band.
At the age of twelve, Little Doc won the Music Educator's National Contest and, while still in
high school, was hired to go on the road with the
Ted Fio Rito Orchestra. However, his stay with the group was cut short by the
draft. He served in the
Army during
World War II. He made his broadcasting debut playing live popular music on
radio station KODL in
The Dalles, Oregon.
[2]
The Tonight Show
Starting in 1952, during
Steve Allen's tenure as host of NBC-TV's
Tonight
, Doc Severinsen played first trumpet in the band, which was directed by
Skitch Henderson. Severinsen took over as
bandleader in
1967 and soon became noted for his flashy
fashions.
Under the direction of Severinsen, the
Tonight Show
s NBC Orchestra was the most visible
big band in America. Severinsen took the opportunity to update many well known swing and jazz standards for the show's audiences, often introducing new listeners to classics by
Cole Porter,
Dizzy Gillespie, and others.
Severinsen would sometimes substitute for
Ed McMahon as
announcer and
sidekick. Although adept at
comic interplay, Severinsen took his role as band leader on
The Tonight Show
seriously. The band played
incidental music for
sketch comedy, guest introductions, and intermission music during station breaks.
Severinsen campaigned for the band to get featured slots during the show, but for the most part the band was seen on camera during the frequent "Stump the Band" segments: audience members would challenge the band with obscure song titles and Severinsen and his crew would attempt to play something appropriate to the titles.
Severinsen often cried "key of E" his signal for the band to strike up a western theme, and then he would enthusiastically sing a country flavoured nonsense song.
Tommy Newsom was frequently the band's substitute director, whenever Doc Severinsen was away from the show or filling in for announcer Ed McMahon.
Severinsen continued as bandleader until Carson's retirement in
1992.
Recording career
During the
1950s and
1960s, Severinsen put out a number of albums of
jazz standards, over which he performed very melodic solos. Severinsen certainly had a well-developed high-note range with an incredible amount of control and melodic sense. In the 1960s, Severinsen also recorded with the
Clarke/
Boland Big Band and the
Thad Jones/
Mel Lewis band. Severinsen was also the second trumpeter whose recording of the fanfare "
Abblasen," composed by
Gottfried Reiche, has been used as the theme for the
CBS News program
Sunday Morning
.
During the
1970s,
1980s, and early
1990s, Severinsen released several albums under the band name
The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen
, and later receiving first billing,
Doc Severinsen & The Tonight Show Band
. He has also recorded with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.
below =
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
Severinsen also released albums that have a
pop rock basis, some of which include electronic instrumentation components, such as
Brass Roots
,
Good Medicine
and
Facets
. These albums received varying degrees of
success by the public. He recorded two albums of standards with
Henry Mancini and his orchestra in the 1970s,
Brass On Ivory
and
Brass, Ivory And Strings
.
Severinsen arranged the score for the
nudist-themed
cult film Nude on the Moon
(1961). In addition, Severinsen co-wrote the Top 10 hit single "
Stop and Smell the Roses" with
singer-songwriter Mac Davis (2000).
Although Doc Severinsen can be considered one of the most prolific musicians in America, none of his singles where he plays the trumpet, has ever appeared in
Billboard's Hot 100.
Conducting and academic career
Severinsen was the principal pops conductor for several American orchestras during and after his tenure on the
Tonight Show
. His first was with the
Phoenix Symphony in 1983.
[3] He held similar positions with the
Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the
Minnesota Orchestra,the
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the
Pacific Symphony Orchestra.
He retired from active conducting in 2007, and was named Pops Conductor
Emeritus in Milwaukee
[4] and Pops Conductor Laureate in Minnesota.
[5] Severinsen was also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Music and Katherine K. Herberger Heritage Chair for Visiting Artists at
Arizona State University School of Music in 2001-2002.
[6] He has also conducted the New York Pops at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Personal life
He currently lives in
San Miguel de Allende,
Mexico with his wife, Emily. As of
2009 he is still performing on a regular basis in a local
restaurant there. He also performs with the group El Ritmo De La Vida
[7] which presents an eclectic variety of styles.
His adult children are Nancy Severinsen, Cindy Reinhard and Allen Severinsen. He has three
grandchildren in
New Jersey (Blaire, Gray, and Richard Reinhard), all of them musicians. Blaire Reinhard is a professional session singer and has composed for several television shows and films. Along with Gray, she formed the soul/funk/rock band known as "
The Blaire Reinhard Band."
Doc owns Severinsen Custom Trumpets, manufacturer of custom-made horns, including his Destino line of trumpets (and he play-tests each one).
[8] Severinsen also enjoys
cooking and collecting
American art.
References
- Doc Severinsen Biography (1927-)
- About Us
- http://www.phoenixsymphony.org/artists/artistic_staff_severinsen.html
- http://www.milwaukeesymphony.org/newspress/newsreviewsarchives/view.asp?id=30025839
- PlaybillArts: News: Doc Severinsen to Step Down as Minnesota Orchestra's Pops Conductor
- ASU HCFA SOM | e-Notes | Severinsen in concert
- http://www.opus3artists.com/artists/doc-severinsen-and-el-ritmo-de-la-vida
- Severinsen Custom Trumpets - Doc's Dream