Badass Birthday
On this date, 99 years ago in 1927, in Ordgon, Doc Severinson was born.
Doc Severinson was a world reknown trumpeter. He was in the NBC Tonight Band from 1949 to 1957. He returned to it in 1962, and in 1967 became the band leader.
The band was renamed the NBC Orchestra and became perhaps the best know big band orchestra in the world. He was band leader all through Johnny Carson's tenure on the Tonight Show. He filled in for Ed McMahon at time when the latter was on vacation. He frequently yelled to the band, "In the Key of E" and then whatever they played began belting out a nonsense song. There was a reoccuring segment where audience members were invited to name a song and see if the band could play it. It was called, "Stump The Band".
He stayed with the show until Johnny Carson retired in 1992. Afterwards, he made guest appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. He also had a recording career making big band albums.
In addition to all this, when I was working at Borders between 2000 and 2003, he actually came to our local store for an evening, an evening I was working. I believe he was hawking a book and was there signing them and meeting fans. I did not interact with him personally, but I remember my coworkers who did saying he was very pleasant fellow and a total gentleman.
But just for having such a long career, he's certainly a badass.
POLT
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