Famous Like Me > Composer > D > Tommy Dorsey
Profile of Tommy Dorsey
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| Name: |
Tommy Dorsey |
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| Date of Birth: |
19th November 1905 |
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| Place of Birth: |
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA |
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| Profession: |
Composer |
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From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
- Trombonist and band leader Tommy Dorsey should not be confused with pianist and jazz and gospel composer Thomas A. Dorsey.
Tommy Dorsey (November 19, 1905–November 26, 1956) was a jazz trombonist in the Big Band era.
Thomas Dorsey was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania and is the younger brother of Jimmy Dorsey.
He worked with many bands in the New York City area starting in the 1920s, including the bands of Rudy Vallee, Vincent Lopez, and Paul Whiteman. With brother Jimmy, he led the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra until they split up (with some acrimony) in 1935. The brothers also appeared as session musicians on many jazz recordings.
Tommy Dorsey formed his own band, which was very successful. The band featured trumpeters Bunny Berigan and Charlie Shavers, arranger Sy Oliver, and singers Jo Stafford, Dick Haymes and Frank Sinatra. Sinatra achieved his first great success as a vocalist in the Dorsey band and claimed he learned breath control from watching Dorsey play trombone. Dorsey said his trombone style was heavily influenced by that of Jack Teagarden.
Tommy married Jane Dorsey (1924?-August 24, 2003) in 1947 and she remained his wife until his death. She had been a dancer at the world-renowned Copacabana. In 1956 Tommy Dorsey died at age 51 in his Greenwich, Connecticut home in his sleep, choking on food. Dorsey was interred in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. Jane died of natural causes at age 79.
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