Tommy dorsey biography swingsation

Tommy Dorsey

American jazz the trombonist and bandleader (–)

This article is about trombonist and bandleader. For the pianist and jazz and gospel composer, see Thomas A. Dorsey.

Musical artist

Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, – November 26, )[1] was an American jazztrombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era.

He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing.[2] His theme song was "I'm Getting Emotional Over You". His technical proficiency on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians.[3] He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey.[4] After Dorsey broke with his brother in the mids, he led an extremely successful band from the late s into the s.

He is best remembered for standards such as "Opus One", "This Love of Mine" (no. 3 in ) featuring Frank Sinatra on vocals, "Song of India", "Marie", "On Treasure Island", and his biggest hit available, "I'll Never Smile Again" (no. 1 for 12 weeks in ).

Early life

Born in Mahanoy Plane, Pennsylvania, Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. was the second of four children born to Thomas Francis Dorsey Sr., a bandleader,[5] and Theresa (née Langton) Dorsey.[6] He and Jimmy, his older brother by slightly less than two years, became known as the Dorsey Brothers.

The two younger siblings were Mary and Edward, who died young.[7] Tommy Dorsey studied the trumpet with his father but later switched to trombone.[3]

At age 15, Jimmy recommended Tommy to replace Russ Morgan in the Scranton Sirens, a territory band in the s.

Tommy and Jimmy worked in bands led by Tal Henry, Rudy Vallee, Vincent Lopez, and Nathaniel Shilkret. In , Dorsey followed Jimmy to Detroit to play in Jean Goldkette's band and returned to Modern York in to play with the California Ramblers.[8] In , he joined Paul Whiteman.

In , the Dorsey Brothers had their first hit with "Coquette" for OKeh Records.[9]

In , the Dorsey Brothers band signed with Decca, having a hit with "I Believe in Miracles".[10]Glenn Miller was a member of the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra in and , composing "Annie's Cousin Fanny",[11] "Tomorrow's Another Day", "Harlem Chapel Chimes", and "Dese Dem Dose", all recorded for Decca,[12] for the band.

Acrimony between the brothers led to Tommy Dorsey walking out to form his own band in as the orchestra was having a slap with "Every Little Moment".[13] Dorsey's orchestra was known primarily for its renderings of ballads at dance tempos, frequently with singers such as Jack Leonard and Frank Sinatra.[3]

Band

In , Buddy De Franco recalled recording "Opus One" with Dorsey in the s, commenting on Dorsey's desire to be precise and exact.[14] Expanding on De Franco's opinions about Dorsey, writer Peter Levinson said, "He wanted things to be done his way."[15]

The band was popular almost from the moment it signed with RCA Victor for "On Treasure Island", the first of four hits in After his recording, however, Dorsey's manager dropped the "hot jazz" that Dorsey had mixed with his own lyrical style, and instead had Dorsey play pop and vocal tunes.

Dorsey kept his Clambake Seven as a Dixieland group that played during performances.[8] Dorsey became the co-host of The Raleigh-Kool Program on the radio with comedian Jack Pearl, then became the host.[16]

By , Dorsey was aware of criticism that his band lacked a jazz feeling.

He hired arranger Sy Oliver away from the Jimmie Lunceford band.[17][18] Sy Oliver's arrangements include "On the Sunny Side of the Street" and "T.D.'s Boogie Woogie"; Oliver also composed two of the new band's signature instrumentals, "Well, Git It" and "Opus One".[19] In , Dorsey hired singer Frank Sinatra from bandleader Harry James.[20] Sinatra made eighty recordings from to with the Dorsey band.[21] Two of those eighty songs are "In the Azure of Evening"[20] and "This Adore of Mine".[22] Sinatra achieved his first great success as a vocalist in the Dorsey band and claimed he learned breath control from watching Dorsey participate trombone.[13] Sy Oliver and Sinatra did a posthumous tribute album to Dorsey on Sinatra's Reprise records.

I Remember Tommy appeared in [23] Dorsey said his trombone style was heavily influenced by Jack Teagarden.[24]

Among Dorsey's staff of arrangers was Axel Stordahl[25][15] who arranged for Sinatra in his Columbia and Capitol years.

Another member of the Dorsey band was trombonist Nelson Riddle, who later had a partnership as one of Sinatra's arrangers and conductors in the s and afterwards.[26][15] Another noted Dorsey arranger, who, in the s, married and was professionally linked with Dorsey veteran Jo Stafford, was Paul Weston.[27]Bill Finegan, an arranger who left Glenn Miller's civilian band, arranged for the Tommy Dorsey band from to [28]

The band featured a number of instrumentalists, singers, and arrangers in the s and '40s, including trumpeters Zeke Zarchy,[29]Bunny Berigan,[30]Ziggy Elman,[31][32]Doc Severinsen,[33] and Charlie Shavers,[34] pianists Milt Raskin, Jess Stacy,[35] clarinetists Buddy DeFranco,[36]Johnny Mince,[37] and Peanuts Hucko.[38] Others who played with Dorsey were drummers Buddy Rich,[39]Louie Bellson,[40]Dave Tough[37] saxophonist Tommy Reed, and singers Sinatra, Ken Curtis, Jack Leonard,[41]Edythe Wright,[42]Jo Stafford with the Pied Pipers, Dick Haymes,[43] and Connie Haines.[44]

In , Dorsey hired the Sentimentalists, label with which he renamed the already known vocal band The Clark Sisters asking them not to reveal their identity.

They replaced the Pied Pipers.[45] Dorsey also performed with singer Connee Boswell[37] He hired ex-bandleader and drummer Gene Krupa after Krupa's arrest for marijuana possession in [46] In , Artie Shaw broke up his band, and Dorsey hired the Shaw string section.

As George T. Simon in Metronome magazine observed at the time: "They're used in the foreground and background (note some of the lovely obbligatos) for vocal effects and for Tommy's trombone."[47]

Dorsey made further business decisions in the music industry.

He loaned money to Glenn Miller enabling him to launch his band of ,[48] but Dorsey saw the loan as an investment, entitling him to a percentage of Miller's income.

Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. November 19, — November 26, [ 1 ] was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader. He was an significant person in swing music. Dorsey died on November 26, in Greenwich, Connecticut after choking in his sleep, aged

When Miller balked at this, the mad Dorsey got even by sponsoring a new band led by Bob Chester, and hiring arrangers who deliberately copied Miller's manner and sound. Dorsey branched out in the mids and owned two music publishing companies, Light and Embassy.[49] After opening at the Los Angeles ballroom, the Hollywood Palladium on the Palladium's first night, Dorsey's relations with the ballroom soured and he opened a competing ballroom, the Casino Gardens circa [49] Dorsey also owned for a fleeting time a trade magazine called The Bandstand.[49]

Tommy Dorsey disbanded his own orchestra at the complete of Dorsey might have broken up his own band permanently following World War II, as many big bands did due to the shift in tune economics following the war, but Tommy Dorsey's album for RCA Victor, "All Time Hits" placed in the top ten records in February In addition, "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?", a single recorded by Dorsey, became a top-ten hit in March As a result, Dorsey was able to re-organize a big band in early The Dorsey brothers were also reconciling.

The biographical film The Fabulous Dorseys () describes sketchy details of how the brothers got their start from-the-bottom-up into the jazz era of one-nighters, the early days of radio in its infancy stages, and the onward march when both brothers ended up with Paul Whiteman before when The Dorsey Brothers' Orchestra split into two.

In the early s, Tommy Dorsey moved from RCA Victor assist to Decca.[50] He was promised $2, if he switched to their label. However, he was reported to have collected $2, instead.[51]

Jimmy Dorsey broke up his big band in Tommy invited him to join as a feature attraction.

In , the Dorseys focused their attention on television. On December 26, , the brothers appeared with their orchestra on Jackie Gleason's CBS television show, which was preserved on kinescope and later released on home video by Gleason. The brothers took the unit on tour and onto their own television show, Stage Show, from to In January , The Dorseys made rock melody history introducing Elvis Presley on his national television debut.

Presley, then a regional country singer, made six guest appearances on Stage Show promoting his first releases for RCA Victor several months before his more familiar visits to the Milton Berle, Steve Allen, and Ed Sullivan variety programs.[52]

Personal life

Dorsey was married three times.

His first wife was year-old Mildred "Toots" Kraft, with whom he eloped in , when he was The couple had two children, Patricia and Thomas F. Dorsey III (nicknamed "Skipper"). In , they moved to "Tall Oaks", a acre (&#;ha) estate in Bernardsville, New Jersey.[53] They divorced in after Dorsey's affair with his former singer Edythe Wright.[54]

Dorsey's second wife was film actress Patricia Dane in , and they were divorced in ,[55] but not before he gained headlines for striking actor Jon Hall when Hall embraced her.

Finally, Dorsey married Jane Carl Modern on March 27, , in Atlanta, Georgia. She had been a dancer at the Copacabana nightclub in New York Town. Tommy and Jane Dorsey had two children, Catherine Susan and Steve.

Death and aftermath

Dorsey died on November 26, , at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, a week after his 51st birthday.

He had begun taking sleeping pills regularly at this time, causing him to turn into heavily sedated; he choked to death in his sleep after eating a large meal.[56] Jimmy Dorsey led his brother's band until his own death from throat cancer the following year.

At that point, trombonist Warren Covington became leader of the band with Jane Dorsey's blessing[57] as she owned the rights to her late husband's band and name. Billed as the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra Starring Warren Covington, they reached #7 on the Billboard charts and earned a gold record in the fall of with the smack single "Tea for Two Cha-Cha".[58][59] The band was also fronted by Urbie Green after Dorsey's death in

After Covington left the band, tenor saxophonist Sam Donahue led it from , continuing until [60]Frank Sinatra Jr.

made his professional singing debut with the band at Dallas Memorial Theater in Texas in Later, trombonist and bandleader Buddy Morrow led the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra from until his death on September 27, Jane Dorsey died of natural causes at the age of 79, in Miami, Florida, in Tommy and Jane Dorsey are interred together in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.[61]

Number-one hits

Tommy Dorsey had a run of Billboard chart hits.[62] The Dorsey band had seventeen number-one hits with his orchestra in the s and s including: "On Treasure Island", "The Music Goes 'Round and Around", "You", "Marie" (written by Irving Berlin), "Satan Takes a Holiday", "The Big Apple", "Once in a While", "The Dipsy Doodle", "Our Love", "All the Things You Are", "Indian Summer", and "Dolores".

He had two more number one hits in when he was a member of the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra: "Lullaby of Broadway" (written by Harry Warren), number one for two weeks, and "Chasing Shadows", number one for three weeks. His biggest hit was "I'll Never Smile Again", featuring Frank Sinatra on vocals, which was number one for twelve weeks on the Billboard pop singles chart in "RCA Victor scored with 'There Are Such Things', which had a Sinatra vocal; it hit number one in January , as did 'In the Blue of the Evening', another Dorsey record featuring Sinatra, in August, while a third Dorsey/Sinatra release, 'It's Always You,' hit the Top Five later in the year, and a fourth, 'I'll Be Seeing You', reached the Top Ten in "[63] It should be added that these and Sinatra hits were older recordings reissued because the –44 musicians' strike prevented Sinatra, now a popular singer, from recording new material.

The website "Tommy Dorsey A Songwriter's Friend" says, "the orchestra had over top twenty recordings including the No.&#;1 hits 'The Melody Goes Round and Round' (), 'Alone' () 'You' (), 'Marie' (), 'Satan Takes a Holiday' (), 'The Big Apple' (), 'Once in a While' (), 'The Dipsy Doodle' (), 'Music, Maestro, Please' (), 'Our Love' (), 'Indian Summer' (), 'All the Things You Are' (), 'I'll Never Smile Again' (), 'Dolores' (), 'There are Such Things' (), and 'In the Blue of the Evening' ()."[64]

Songs written by Tommy Dorsey

Written with Fred Norman

  • "Bunch of Beats"
  • "Mid Riff"
  • "Candied Yams"

Awards and honors

In , the Victor recording "I'll Never Smirk Again" was the first of a trio of Tommy Dorsey recordings to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[78] His theme song, "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" was inducted in , along with his recording of "Marie" written by Irving Berlin in [79] In , the U.S.

Postal Service issued a Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey commemorative postage mark.

Tommy Dorsey was posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a extraordinary Grammy award established in to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance".

Movie Appearances

Tommy Dorsey appeared in the following movies and film shorts[81]

  • Universal Name Band Musical Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, , film short
  • Disc Jockey,
  • A Song Is Born,
  • The Fabulous Dorseys,
  • Thrill of a Romance,
  • Broadway Rhythm,
  • Girl Crazy,
  • Swing Fever,
  • I Dood It,
  • Du Berry Was a Lady,
  • Presenting Lily Mars,
  • Ship Ahoy,
  • Birth of the Blues,
  • Las Vegas Nights,
  • A Night in a Dormitory, , film short

Discography

  • Up Swing (Victor Records, )
  • Tommy Dorsey Plays Tchaikovsky Melodies for Dancing (RCA Victor, )
  • Tommy Dorsey (RCA Victor, )
  • Tommy Dorsey Plays Cole Porter for Dancing (RCA Victor, )
  • Tommy Dorsey's Dixieland for Dancing (RCA Victor, )
  • The Later Tommy Dorsey Volume 2 (Ajaz, )
  • Ecstasy (Decca, )
  • Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey with the California Ramblers (Riverside, )
  • That Sentimental Gentleman (RCA Victor, )
  • The Golden Age of the Move Bands (Somerset, )
  • The Dorsey Touch (Riviera, )
  • Tribute to Tommy Dorsey (Broadway, )
  • The One And Only Tommy Dorsey (RCA Camden, )
  • Tommy Dorsey's Dance Party (Ace of Hearts, )
  • Dedicated to You (RCA Camden, )
  • A Man and His Trombone (Colpix, )
  • Here are Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey at Their Rare of All Rarest Act Vol.

    1 (Kings of Jazz, )

  • Tommy Dorsey On Radio/Eddie Condon's Jazz Concert (Radiola, )
  • Tommy Dorsey ( – ) (AMIGA, )
  • One Night Stand (Sandy Hook, )
  • Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey (Durium, )
  • The Dorsey/Sinatra Sessions (RCA, )
  • The Tommy Dorsey/Frank Sinatra Radio Years and the Historic Stordahl Session (RCA, )
  • The End of the Big Band Era! (Sandy Hang , )
  • Ship Ahoy/Las Vegas Nights (Hollywood Soundstage, )
  • A Tribute (Star Line Productions, )
  • All-Time Greatest Dorsey/Sinatra Hits, Vol.

    (RCA, )

  • Plays Nice & Hot (Tax, )
  • Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra/And His Clambake Seven (LaserLight, )
  • Tea for Two (Jazz Collection, )
  • Yes Indeed! (Bluebird/RCA, )
  • Music Goes Round and Round (Bluebird/RCA, )
  • Stop, Look and Listen (ASV/Living Era, )
  • Kings of Trombone (Hallmark, )
  • Dorsey-itis (Drive Archive, )
  • Saturday Afternoon at the Meadowbrook (Jazz Band, )
  • This Is Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra, Vol.

    1 (Collectables, )

  • The Early Jazz Sides – (Jazz Legends, )
  • It's D'Lovely – (Hep, )

Filmography

Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra appear in the following films for Paramount, MGM, Samuel Goldwyn, Allied Artists, and United Artists:[84]

Notes

  1. ^Levinson, Peter J.

    (March 25, ). Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Giant Way, A Biography. Hachette Books.

    Tommy Dorsey was a prominent jazz trombonist, composer, conductor, and bandleader of the big band era. Born on November 19,in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, Tommy Dorsey was the younger brother of Jimmy Dorsey, another famous bandleader of the era. The brothers began their musical careers playing in local bands before moving to New York City in the late s. There, they formed the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, which became one of the most popular bands of the time.

    p.&#; ISBN&#;. Retrieved July 26, &#; via Google Books.

  2. ^"Dorsey, Thomas Francis Jr. ("Tommy," "The Emotional Gentleman of Swing")". Pennsylvania Center For The Book/Lisa A. Moore. n.d. [date published unknown]. Archived from the original on May 15, Retrieved October 20,
  3. ^ abc"Jazz: A Film By Ken Burns: Selected Artist Biography - Tommy Dorsey".

    PBS. Retrieved February 5,

  4. ^"Dorsey, James Francis 'Jimmy'". Pennsylvania Center For The Book/Nicole DeCicco. n.d. [date published unknown]. Archived from the original on May 15, Retrieved October 20,
  5. ^Billboard, July 25, , died July 13,
  6. ^Dorsey, Thomas Francis Jr.

    ('Tommy,' 'The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing'). The family moved to Lansford shortly after his birth.

  7. ^Levinson, Peter (). Livin' In A Great Big Way. Novel York: DaCapo. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  8. ^ ab"Dorsey, Tommy".

    Archived from the authentic on April 9, Retrieved February 5,

  9. ^"Tommy Dorsey". VH1/William Ruhlmann/All Music Guide. n.d. [date published unknown]. Archived from the authentic on December 26,
  10. ^"Tommy Dorsey".

    Billboard.

  11. ^"Tuxedo Junction Tommy Dorsey". George Spink. Archived from the unique on March 18,
  12. ^"Dorsey Brothers Orchestra". Scott Alexander.

    Swingsation by Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw released in Find album reviews, path lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.

    Archived from the original on January 26, Retrieved October 27,

  13. ^ ab"Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians, Dorsey, Tommy". Archived from the original on April 9,
  14. ^Myers, Marc (July 9, ).

    "Interview: Buddy De Franco, Opus 1 - JazzWax". . Retrieved March 18,

  15. ^ abc"Peter Levinson, author of Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Large Way". Jerry Jazz Musician.

    November 6, Retrieved March 18,

  16. ^"Tommy Dorsey". Radio Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 18,
  17. ^"Jazz Wax"
  18. ^"When I moved from the Lunceford band to Tommy Dorsey, I didn't change my writing approach.

    He made the transition.

    tommy dorsey biography swingsation4: Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, – November 26, ) [1] was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. [2]. His theme song was "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You".

    The band that Dorsey had when I joined him was Dixieland-orientated [sic], and my sort of assault was foreign to most of the fellows he had. We both knew that to be the case, but he wanted a Swing band—so he changed personnel until he got the guys that could do it." Sy Oliver.

    see "THE SY OLIVER STORY Part 1". Archived from the original on Rally 9, Retrieved October 20,

  19. ^"The Sy Oliver Story, Part 1". Les Tomkins. Archived from the original on March 9,
  20. ^ abGilliland, John ().

    Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN&#;. OCLC&#; Tape 1, side A.

  21. ^"The Kennedy Center Biography of Frank Sinatra". The Kennedy Center. Archived from the original on December 6,
  22. ^"Sinatra The Complete Guide".

    Brett Wheadon. Archived from the original on July 15,

  23. ^"I Remember Tommy Album Reviews &#; ". Billboard. November 10, Archived from the original on November 10, Retrieved July 26,
  24. ^Wilken, David.

    "The Historical Evolution of the Jazz Trombone: Part Two". . Archived from the original on August 31, Retrieved August 31,

  25. ^Simon Says p.
  26. ^"Yes, the musical discipline of Tommy Dorsey, that was such an ingredient of everything he did, was something that Nelson grabbed on to.

    As an arranger, Dorsey knew what he wanted and Nelson had to deliver a elevated standard of arranging. As Bill Finegan pointed out to me, playing all of those Sy Oliver charts gave Riddle the sense of how to note very dynamic arrangements, which he did about ten years later for Sinatra."

  27. ^"Jo Stafford Biography".

    The University of Arizona College of Fine Art School of Harmony.

    Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. November 19, — November 26, [ 1 ] was an American jazz trombonistcomposer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians.

    Archived from the original on April 6, Retrieved October 12,

  28. ^"Tommy Dorsey: Lonesome Road". c. Archived from the original on February 11,
  29. ^Thurber, Jon (April 17, ). "Ruben 'Zeke' Zarchy: Big Band Trumpeter".

    Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 25,

  30. ^Harvey Pekar (December 9, ).

    Independently and together with his brother Jimmy, he led some of the most widespread bands of that time, who influenced the swing and large band jazz era. In this article, we will explore the personal and creative journey of this highly respected and authoritative trombonist. He started his musical career with playing a trumpet, learning it from his father, who was a music educator and a leader of a marching band. Later, he switched to the trombone and played it even more frequently than the trumpet, although his trumpet playing was excellent.

    "Tommy Dorsey - The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing".

  31. ^"Jazzed In Cleveland Part Tommy Dorsey's Dance Caravan". Joe Mosbrook.
  32. ^Popa, Christopher. "Big Band Library: Ziggy Elman: "Fralich in Swing"".

    . Retrieved August 31,

  33. ^"Space Age Pop Doc Severinson". Spaceagepop.
  34. ^"Legends of Big Band History". – Archived from the authentic on July 24, Retrieved October 21,
  35. ^"Obituaries: Jess Stacy".

    London: Independent News and Media. January 4, Retrieved May 25,

  36. ^"Buddy's Bio". .
  37. ^ abcHarvey Pekar
  38. ^"Peanuts Hucko".

    London: Independent News and Media Limited. June 21, Archived from the original on June 24, Retrieved May 25,

  39. ^"Buddy Rich". Drummerworld. n.d.
  40. ^"Louie Bellson ". Jazzwax. Archived from the original on July 9,
  41. ^"Solid!

    Jack Leonard". Parabrisas. – Archived from the original on December 22,

  42. ^"Legends of Big Band Music History Tommy Dorsey". – Archived from the original on July 24, Retrieved October 21,
  43. ^"Solid!

    Dick Haymes". Parabrisas. – Archived from the original on February 3,

  44. ^"Connie Haines: Performer who sang with Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey Band". Independent News and Media. October 5,
  45. ^Levinson –
  46. ^"Biography [Gene Krupa]".

    Shawn C. Martin. –

  47. ^Simon, George (). Simons Says: The Sights and Sounds of the Big Band Era. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  48. ^Simon, George ().

    Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. New York: DaCapo. p.&#; ISBN&#;.[permanent dead link&#;]

  49. ^ abcDorsey, Thomas Francis Jr.
  50. ^ abcdefg"Tommy Dorsey" Billboard
  51. ^Walker, Leo ().

    The Marvelous Era of the Great Move Bands. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. pp.&#;

  52. ^"Scotty Moore - CBS Studio 50 Ed Sullivan Theater". . Retrieved August 31,
  53. ^Baratta, Amy. "Big band leader among owners of historic home in Bernardsville; Dorsey hosted Frank Sinatra, other celebrities", The Bernardsville News, April 20, Accessed June 6, "Known as 'the= sentimental gentleman of swing,' the musician purchased the acre estate for $32, in and lived there with his first wife, Mildred 'Toots' Kraft, and their two children, Patricia and Tommy, for nearly a decade."
  54. ^Levinson
  55. ^Levinson
  56. ^Levinson
  57. ^"Tommy died with no will and reportedly left only about $15,[].

    Since [Dorsey's widow] Janie Fresh continued to need money to support her family and because she legally owned the rights to Tommy's library of arrangements, she was naturally very interested when [Willard] Alexander approached her about creating a Tommy Dorsey band".

    Levinson

  58. ^Whitburn, Joel (). The Billboard Book of Foremost 40 Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  59. ^Levinson
  60. ^Levinson
  61. ^Jane Dorsey date of death and interment facts from Levinson
  62. ^Levinson
  63. ^Billboard pop singles chart in
  64. ^"Songwriters Hall of Fame - Artists - Tommy Dorsey".

    April 2, Archived from the authentic on April 2,

  65. ^Tommy Dorsey at Red Hot Jazz
  66. ^"Tommy Dorsey". .
  67. ^"Catalog of Entries: Musical compositions".

    Tommy Dorsey, American musician who, independently and with his brother Jimmy, led several of the most popular big bands of the swing era. His theme song was ‘I’m Getting Emotional over You.’ He was also a highly respected and authoritative trombonist.

    Library of Congress, Office. March 19, Retrieved March 19, &#; via Google Books.

  68. ^Chris and his gang. March 19, OCLC&#;
  69. ^"A Selection of Big Band Stock Arrangements (Performing Arts Reading Room, Music Division, Library of Congress)".

    . Retrieved March 19,

  70. ^"To You" appears as part of a medley by Glenn Miller, paired with "Stairway to the Stars" both sung by Ray Eberle for the Glenn Miller Orchestra's performance at Carnegie Hall on October 6, See "Solid!

    – The Glenn Miller Carnegie Hall Concert" at "Solid! -- Glenn Miller: The Carnegie Hall Concert". Archived from the imaginative on February 19, Retrieved October 21,

  71. ^Glenn Miller recorded "To You" for Bluebird Records on May 9, , released as Bluebird B, with the "A" side, "Stairway to the Stars" both sung by Ray Eberle.

    See Moonlight Serenade: A Bio-discography, John Flower, Arlington House, Brand-new Rochelle, , p. 63 ISBN&#;

  72. ^"The Sarah Vaughan Discography". . Retrieved March 19,
  73. ^Brown, Denis ().

    Sarah Vaughan A Discography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.

  74. ^"Catalog of Entries: Musical compositions". Library of Congress, Office. March 19, Retrieved March 19,
  75. ^According to the database
    • "This Is No Dream" reached No.

      9 on the Billboard singles chart in , while "To You" reached No. 10 on the matching chart, both staying on the chart for seven weeks. "In the Middle of a Dream" reached No. 7 on the Billboard chart in , staying on the charts for ten weeks.

  76. ^"Catalog of Entries: Musical compositions".

    Library of Congress, Office. Rally 19, Retrieved March 19,

  77. ^Levinson Levinson refers to the recording of Dorsey's composition as the band's "one important recording of that year." "Trombonology" was recorded July 1, , and was released on an RCA Victor.

    Information taken from the liner notes to the compact disc The Post-War Era, Bluebird/RCA written by Loren Schoenberg.

  78. ^"I'll Never Smirk Again" was recorded February 17, , with vocals by Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers.

    see the liner notes to the compact disc The Finest of Tommy Dorsey by Mort Goode, Bluebird/RCA According to Peter Levinson in Livin In A Great Big Way, "I'll Never Smile Again" was recorded May 23, "I'll Never Smirk Again" had the catalogue number for its initial 78rpm emit as Victor Tommy Dorsey and/or RCA Victor also released the song as a V-Disc, V-Disc See the website "Songs By Sinatra" at March 9, , at the Wayback Machine for discographical information about that V-Disc.

  79. ^"Grammy Hall of Fame Award".

    The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on January 22,

  80. ^"Grammy Hall of Fame Database". Archived from the original on January 22,
  81. ^Tommy Dorsey. Actor. Filmography. Retrieved 18 September
  82. ^"SEGER ELLIS AND HIS EMBASSY CLUB ORCHESTRA".

    Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. USA. Retrieved September 9,

  83. ^In the "Filmography" portion of the website "Thomas (Tommy) Dorsey "[1], two movies are listed for that suggest that Tommy Dorsey appears in them. They are Segar Ellis and His Embassy Club Orchestra and Alice Boulden and Her Orchestra.

    Dorsey biographer Peter Levinson confirms that Tommy Dorsey appears in Alice Bolden and Her Orchestra and considers it to be mediocre. View Levinson 34

  84. ^see individual films and their references for the studio that produced which movie
  85. ^"Tommy Dorsey" IMDb
  86. ^"Presenting Lily Mars".

    Scott Brogan.

  87. ^"Tommy Dorsey IMDb" uncredited role according to source.
  88. ^"The Fabulous Dorseys ()". Turner Classic Movies. n.d. [date published unknown].

References

  • Peter J.

    Levinson, Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way: a Biography (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Squeeze, ) ISBN&#;

  • Robert L. Stockdale, Tommy Dorsey: On the Side (Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, ) ISBN&#;

External links

STEREO FILM RECORDINGS (–44):

ADDITIONAL LINKS