Doc Severinsen
Encyclopedia
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
.
, the son of Minnie Mae (1897–1998) and Carl Severinsen (1898–1972), a dentist
. Nicknamed "Little Doc" after his father, he originally wanted to play the trombone
, which he discovered at neighbor Art Fletcher's home, but the senior Severinsen, a gifted amateur violinist, urged him to study that instrument instead. 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 good enough to be invited to join the high school band.
At the age of twelve, Little Doc won the Music Educator's National Contest. While still in high school
he was hired to go on the road with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra. However, his stay with the group was cut short by the World War II
draft
. After serving in the army he made his broadcasting debut playing live popular music on KODL
in The Dalles, Oregon
.
's tenure as host of NBC-TV's Tonight, Doc Severinsen played first trumpet in the band 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 The Tonight Show
NBC Orchestra became the most visible big band
in America. In addition to playing incidental music
for sketch comedy
, guest introductions, and intermission music during station breaks, Severinsen took the opportunity to update many well known swing and jazz standards for it, often introducing new listeners to classics by Cole Porter
, Dizzy Gillespie
, and others.
Adept at comic interplay, Severinsen occasionally substituted for Ed McMahon
as Allen successor Johnny Carson
's announcer
and sidekick
. Still, he took his role as band leader seriously. Severinsen campaigned for the band to get featured slots during the show in addition to occasional "Stump the Band" segments where audience members would challenge the band with obscure song titles and Severinsen and his crew would attempt to play something appropriate in return.
Severinsen often cried "key of E," his signal for the band to strike up a western theme, whereupon 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.
/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.
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 were received with 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
(1974).
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.
in 1983. 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.
Severinsen retired from active conducting in 2007, and was named Pops Conductor Emeritus
in Milwaukee and Pops Conductor Laureate in Minnesota. 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. He has also conducted the New York Pops at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City.
As of 2011 he is still performing on a regular basis with the group Doc Severinsen & the San Migeul 5 (formerly known as El Ritmo De La Vida). The group plays an eclectic variety of styles, including classical Spanish, gypsy jazz, and Latin and American ballads.
to Tonight Show producer Fred de Cordova.
Doc owned Severinsen Custom Trumpets, manufacturer of custom-made horns, including the Destino line of trumpets he personally tests. Severinsen now helps design new Destino trumpets for the S.E. Shires Company. Severinsen also enjoys cooking
and collecting American art
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
.
Early life
Severinsen was born in Arlington, OregonArlington, Oregon
Arlington is a city in Gilliam County, Oregon, United States. The account of how this city received its name varies: one tradition claims it was named after the lawyer Nathan Arlington Cornish; another tradition claims that the Southern inhabitants of this city had enough clout to rename the city...
, the son of Minnie Mae (1897–1998) and Carl Severinsen (1898–1972), a dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
. Nicknamed "Little Doc" after his father, he originally wanted to play the trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, which he discovered at neighbor Art Fletcher's home, but the senior Severinsen, a gifted amateur violinist, urged him to study that instrument instead. The younger Severinsen insisted on the trombone, but had to settle for the only horn available in Arlington's small music store, a trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
. A week later, with the help of his father and a manual of instructions, the seven-year-old was good enough to be invited to join the high school band.
At the age of twelve, Little Doc won the Music Educator's National Contest. While still in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
he was hired to go on the road with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra. However, his stay with the group was cut short by the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
draft
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
. After serving in the army he made his broadcasting debut playing live popular music on KODL
KODL
KODL is a radio station licensed to serve The Dalles, Oregon, USA. The station, which began broadcasting in October 1940, is currently owned by Larson-Wynn, Inc....
in The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
.
The Tonight Show
Starting in 1952 during Steve AllenSteve Allen
Steve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen , American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3...
's tenure as host of NBC-TV's Tonight, Doc Severinsen played first trumpet in the band directed by Skitch Henderson
Skitch Henderson
Lyle Russell Cedric “Skitch” Henderson was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname reportedly derived from his ability to quickly "re-sketch" a song in a different key.- Biography :...
. Severinsen took over as bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
in 1967 and soon became noted for his flashy fashions.
Under the direction of Severinsen, the The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
NBC Orchestra became the most visible big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
in America. In addition to playing incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
, guest introductions, and intermission music during station breaks, Severinsen took the opportunity to update many well known swing and jazz standards for it, often introducing new listeners to classics by Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, and others.
Adept at comic interplay, Severinsen occasionally substituted for Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon
Edward Peter "Ed" McMahon, Jr. was an American comedian, game show host and announcer. He is most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's sidekick and announcer on The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. He also hosted the original version of the talent show Star Search from 1983 to 1995...
as Allen successor Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
's announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
and sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
. Still, he took his role as band leader seriously. Severinsen campaigned for the band to get featured slots during the show in addition to occasional "Stump the Band" segments where audience members would challenge the band with obscure song titles and Severinsen and his crew would attempt to play something appropriate in return.
Severinsen often cried "key of E," his signal for the band to strike up a western theme, whereupon he would enthusiastically sing a country-flavoured nonsense song.
Tommy Newsom
Tommy Newsom
Thomas Penn "Tommy" Newsom was a saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, for which he later became assistant director. Newsom was frequently the band's substitute director, whenever Doc Severinsen was away from the show or filling in for announcer Ed...
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. He served as lead trumpet on many of Enoch Light's Command Records LP's of that era. 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 ClarkeKenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke , born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming...
/Boland
Francy Boland
François Boland was a classically trained Belgian jazz composer and pianist.He first gained notice in 1949 and worked with Belgian jazz greats like Bobby Jaspar, and in 1955 he joined Chet Baker's quintet...
Big Band and the Thad Jones
Thad Jones
Thaddeus Joseph Jones was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.-Biography:Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan to a musical family of ten . Thad Jones was a self taught musician, performing professionally by the age of sixteen...
/Mel Lewis
Mel Lewis
Mel Lewis was an American drummer, jazz musician and band leader. He was born Melvin Sokoloff in Buffalo, New York to Russian immigrant parents....
band. Severinsen was also the second trumpeter whose recording of the fanfare "Abblasen
Abblasen
Abblasen is a trumpet fanfare attributed to Gottfried Reiche. In Haussmann's famous portrait of Reiche, he is seen holding a scrap of paper with two lines of melody written on it. Abblassen is a reconstruction of what appears to be on the manuscript in Haussmann's painting...
", composed by Gottfried Reiche
Gottfried Reiche
Gottfried Reiche was a German trumpet player and composer of the Baroque era. He is best known for having been Johann Sebastian Bach's chief trumpeter at Leipzig from Bach's arrival there in 1723 until Reiche's death....
, has been used as the theme for the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
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.
Severinsen also released albums that have a pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
basis, some of which include electronic instrumentation components, such as Brass Roots, Good Medicine and Facets. These albums were received with varying degrees of success by the public. He recorded two albums of standards with Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
and his orchestra in the 1970s, Brass On Ivory and Brass, Ivory And Strings.
Severinsen arranged the score for the nudist-themed cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Nude on the Moon
Nude on the Moon
Nude on the Moon is a 1961 sexploitation film co-written and co-directed by Doris Wishman and Raymond Phelan under the shared pseudonyms "O. O. Miller" and "Anthony Brooks". The film was produced in 1960 but was not released theatrically until 1961. Doris Wishman went on to become a significant ...
(1961). In addition, Severinsen co-wrote the Top 10 hit single "Stop and Smell the Roses
Stop and Smell the Roses (song)
"Stop and Smell the Roses" is the title of a 1974 song by the American singer-songwriter Mac Davis. The song was written by Davis and the noted bandleader and trumpeter Doc Severinsen....
" with singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Mac Davis
Mac Davis
Mac Davis is a country music singer, songwriter, and actor originally from Lubbock, Texas who has enjoyed much crossover success...
(1974).
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, academic career, and after
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 SymphonyPhoenix Symphony
The Phoenix Symphony is a major United States symphony orchestra based in Phoenix, Arizona.Founded in 1947 when Phoenix had a population of less than 100,000, the orchestra began as an occasional group of musicians performing a handful of concerts each year...
in 1983. He held similar positions with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Colorado’s only full-time professional orchestra, the Colorado Symphony embraces a tradition of musical excellence by presenting a diverse array of symphonic performances throughout the year...
, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its primary performing venue is the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts...
, the Minnesota Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Emil Oberhoffer founded the orchestra as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, and it gave its first performance on November 5 of that year. In 1968 the orchestra changed to its name to the Minnesota Orchestra...
,the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Its regular concert season features gala concerts, classics programming of core repertoire, Pops...
and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.
Severinsen retired from active conducting in 2007, and was named Pops Conductor Emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
in Milwaukee and Pops Conductor Laureate in Minnesota. Severinsen was also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Music and Katherine K. Herberger Heritage Chair for Visiting Artists at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
School of Music in 2001-2002. He has also conducted the New York Pops at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City.
As of 2011 he is still performing on a regular basis with the group Doc Severinsen & the San Migeul 5 (formerly known as El Ritmo De La Vida). The group plays an eclectic variety of styles, including classical Spanish, gypsy jazz, and Latin and American ballads.
Personal life
Severinsen's children are Nancy, Cindy, Allen, Robin and Judy. He also has 8 grandchildren: Blaire, Gray and Richard (Blaire and Gray write and perform roots rock music together as the Blaire Reinhard Band). He has been married at least three times. Television writer and producer Emily Marshall was his third wife. They met when she was working as a secretarySecretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
to Tonight Show producer Fred de Cordova.
Doc owned Severinsen Custom Trumpets, manufacturer of custom-made horns, including the Destino line of trumpets he personally tests. Severinsen now helps design new Destino trumpets for the S.E. Shires Company. Severinsen also enjoys cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
and collecting American art
American Art
American Art is the debut album of the band Weatherbox. It was released on May 8, 2007 on Doghouse Records. The album received critical acclaim from several sources including underground music distribution company Smartpunk, who lauded the band's style:...
.
Discography
- 1957: Stormy WeatherStormy Weather (Lena Horne album)Stormy Weather is a 1957 studio album by Lena Horne, released by RCA Victor in monoaural. Recording took place between March 1956 and March 1957, at Webster Hall, New York.-Track listing:#"Tomorrow Mountain" - 2.55...
(with Lena HorneLena HorneLena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
) - 1961: Tempestuous Trumpet
- 1962: The Big Band's Back in Town
- 1965: High, Wide & Wonderful
- 1966: Command Performances
- 1967: New Sound of Today's Big Band
- 1967: Live!: The Doc Severinsen Sextet
- 1968: The Great Arrival
- 1970: Doc Severinsen's Closet
- 1971: Brass Roots
- 1972: Brass on Ivory
- 1972: Doc
- 1973: Rhapsody for Now!
- 1973: Doc [Command Double Pack]
- 1973: Trumpets & Crumpets & Things
- 1976: Night Journey
- 1977: Brand New Thing
- 1978: Tempestuous Trumpet
- 1978: Torch Songs for Trumpet
- 1980: Seductive Strings Featuring Doc Severinsen
- 1982: The Best of Doc Severinsen
- 1985: Doc Severinsen & Xebron
- 1986: The Tonight Show Band, Vol. 1
- 1986: Episodes
- 1988: Facets
- 1988: The Tonight Show Band, Vol. 2
- 1989: The Big Band Hit Parade
- 1991: Once More...With Feeling!
- 1991: Merry Christmas from Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Orchestra
- 1992: Unforgettably Doc
- 1992: Good Medicine
- 1992: Doc Severinsen and Friends
- 1992: Lullabies and Goodnight
- 1992: Ja-Da
- 1993: Two Sides of Doc Severinsen
- 1997: The Very Best of Doc Severinsen [Amherst]
- 1999: Swingin' the Blues
- 2009: El Ritmo De La Vida
- 2010: En Mi Corazon (with Gil Gutierrez and Pedro Cartas)
- 2010: Stardust