Tommy Dorsey (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) 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. Although he was not known for being a notable soloist, his technical skill on the trombone gave him renown amongst other musicians. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey. After Dorsey broke with his brother in the mid-1930s, he led an extremely popular and highly successful band from the late 1930s into the 1950s. He is best remembered for standards such as “Opus One”, “Song of India”, “Marie”, “On Treasure Island”, and his biggest hit single I’ll Never Smile Again. Tommy Dorsey’s first band was formed out of the remains of the Joe Haymes band, and so began Dorsey’s long-running practice of raiding other bands for talent. If he admired a vocalist, musician or arranger, he would think nothing of taking over their contracts and careers.
Tommy Dorsey
