Doc Severinson biography
Date of birth : 1927-07-07
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Arlington, Oregon, U.S.
Nationality : American
Category : Famous Figures
Last modified : 2011-07-11
Credited as : Jazz trumpeter, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,
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Doc Severinson spent 25 years as the colorful musical director for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Severinson played cornet and trumpet in big bands in the 1940s (touring with Benny Goodman among others), and got most of his work in the studio as a sideman and soloist. At NBC he won a job with Steve Allen and he began working for The Tonight Show in 1962, the same year that Carson began his run as the show's host. Severinsen became the show's musical director in 1967 and stayed until Carson retired in 1992. (Severinsen's outrageously flashy shirts and leisure suits were a long-running joke on the show.) Known for his brassy sound and cheerful demeanor, Severinsen has recorded dozens of albums and appeared with pop orchestras across the United States.
Severinsen got his nickname as a boy: he was called "Little Doc" because his father was a dentist.
Doc Severinsen's discography:
1957: Stormy Weather (with Lena Horne)
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