November 19: Happy Birthday Tommy Dorsey!
Tommy Dorsey was a hero of the Swing Era. The trumpeter and bandleader was also a radio host and, with his orchestra, a regular guest or performer on countless radio programs.
He and his orchestra were regulars on Jack Pearl's "Raleigh-Kool Program" and "Fame and Fortune." Dorsey hosted his own program, "The Tommy Dorsey Show," in the Summer of 1946, while also hosting a few Summer replacements, "Tommy Dorsey's Playshop," and "Endorsed By Dorsey." His orchestra's signature tune was "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You."
Dorsey was born in Shendendoah, PA in 1905, the younger brother of Jimmy, with whom he would begin his music career. He first married at age 17, and embarked on his third and final marriage in 1948, at the age of 43.
Sadly, "the sentimental gentleman of swing," died at 46, choking to death in his sleep while sedated by sleeping pills.
