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A legend of the “swing era” Tommy Dorsey was renown as trombone player who also played the trumpet. He was born November 19th 1905 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania; his brother Jimmy was a year older. Their father was a music teacher who also led a brass band. Both boys were members of the band; Jimmy played clarinet and Tommy the trumpet.
On completion of their education the brothers embarked on musical careers, Tommy quickly established a name for himself as a session musician and he worked with several popular bands such as Jean Goldkette and Paul Whiteman. Towards the end of the 1920’s Tommy and Jimmy sometimes got together and fronted their own band, by 1933 the “Dorsey Brother’s Orchestra was formed. This band included other musicians who would go on to make it big in their own right, Glen Miller perhaps the best known.
This collaboration between the brother’s was to be short lived, it ended in 1935 after a disagreement during a stint at the Glenn Island Casino. Tommy immediately formed his own band with some of the musicians from the defunct Joe Haymes Orchestra. The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra became very popular over the next few years and many of the era’s music stars spent some time with Tommy’s group. In 1940 the young male vocalist Frank Sinatra signed up as an adjunct to the “Pied Pipers” it soon became clear that he was a “star”. Dorsey made full use of Sinatra’s talent, giving him plenty of solo spots and making a large number of recordings. The orchestra also appeared in Hollywood movies such as “Las Vegas Nights” and Ship’s Ahoy” in the two years he spent as part of the band.
Once again the Dorsey brothers united in 1953, this time Tommy was usually leading the band while Jimmy featured on the clarinet. This arrangement turned out to be successful, the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra were much in demand and even had a national television show in 1955 titled Stage Show.
Sadly this second Dorsey Brothers Orchestra also had a short life; Tommy died suddenly on 26th November 1956, apparently after choking on some food. Jimmy continued with the band but he too died the following year. The orchestra carried on under the Dorsey name until 1961 under the leadership of trombonist Warren Covington, but no longer enjoyed the same success.
On a happier note the Tommy Dorsey legend lives on in the many recordings made at the height of his success.
| Title |
Arranger/Composer |
| (If I Had) Rhyhm In My Nursury Rhymes |
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| A High Hat, A Picolo And A Cane |
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| A Little Rendezvous In Honolulu |
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| After You’ve Gone |
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| Alone |
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| Another Perfect Night Is Ending |
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| At A Little Church Affair |
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| At Sundown |
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| At The Codfish Ball |
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| At The Fat Man's |
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| Baby, Baby, All The Time |
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| Back Stage At The Ballet |
Oliver |
| Bingo, Bango, Boffo |
Finegan |
| Blue Skies |
Berlin, Oliver |
| Boogie Woogie |
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| Broad Jump |
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| Candy |
David, Whitney, Kramer, Cooper |
| Carolina Moon |
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| Close To Me |
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| Closing |
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| Come Rain Or Shine |
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| Daddy, Change Your Mind |
Wilson, Guarente |
| Davenport Blues |
|
| Dawn On The Desert |
|
| Dedicated To You |
|
| Deep River |
Traditional |
| Did I Remember |
|
| Don't Give Up The Ship |
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| Easy Does It |
Oliver,Young |
| Every Minute of The Hour |
|
| Feels So Good |
Shavers |
| For Sentimental Reasons |
|
| Funny Little Pedro |
Arden, Charles, Lowe |
| Got A Bran' New Suit |
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| Gotta Go to Work Again |
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| Hawaiian War Chant |
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| Head Over Heels In Love |
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| How Could You |
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| I Had The Craziest Dream |
Gordon, Warren |
| I Picked A Flower The Colour Of Your Eyes |
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| I"ve Got The World On A String |
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| If My Heart Could Only Talk |
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| I'll Dream My Way To Heaven |
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| I'll Dream Some More |
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| I'm Coming Virginia |
Cook, Heywood |
| I'm Getting Sentimental Over You |
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| I'm In A Dancing Mood |
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| I'm Shooting High |
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| In A Little Hula Heaven |
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| Interview |
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| Intoduction-Opus One |
Garris, Oliver |
| Introduction |
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| It's Right Here For You |
Bradford |
| It's Written In The Stars |
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| It's You I'm Talking About |
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| I've Got A Feelin' You're Foolin' |
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| I've Got A Note |
Pola |
| Ja - Da |
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| Jamboree |
Mchugh, Adamson |
| Kalamazoo |
Gordon, Warren |
| Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now |
Waller, Razaf |
| Let It Be Me |
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| Let Me Call You Sweetheart |
Friedman, Whitson, Shaper |
| Let Me Love You Tonight |
Parish |
| Long Ago And Far Away |
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| Lookin' Around Corners For You |
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| Loose Lid Special |
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| Loosers Weepers |
Oliver |
| Love Will Live On |
Taplin, Bowman |
| Lovely Lady |
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| Make Me Know It |
Oliver |
| Maple Leaf Rag |
Joplin |
| Marie |
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| Mary Had A Little Lamb |
Symes, Malneck |
| May I Have The Next Romance With You |
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| Medley: Once In A While/When My Dreamboat Comes |
Green, Edwards/Friend, Franklin |
| Melody In F |
Rubinstein |
| Mr. Ghost Goes To Town |
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| Music Maestro Please |
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| No Regrets |
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| Non Drastic |
Shavers |
| Now You've Got Me Doin' It |
Spina, Burks |
| On A Little Bamboo Bridge |
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| On The Beach At Bali-Bali |
Sherman, Meskill, Silver |
| On The House |
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| On The Sunny Side Of The Street |
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| On Treasure Island |
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| One Night In Monte Carlo |
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| One Umbrella For Two |
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| Opus No 3 |
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| Opus One |
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| Our Love Affair |
Freed, Edens |
| Pagan Star |
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| Please Believe Me |
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| Pussy Willow |
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| Quiet Please |
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| Remember Me |
Dubin, Warren |
| Rhythm Saved The World |
Cahn, Chaplin |
| Robins And Roses |
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| Rose Of The World |
Herbert |
| Royal Garden Blues |
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| San Francisco |
Kahn, Kaper, Jurmann |
| Santa Claus Is Coming To Town |
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| Shadows On The Sand |
Adams, Grozs |
| Sleep |
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| Song Of India |
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| Star In Uniform |
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| Stardust |
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| Swanee River |
Foster, Oliver |
| Sweet Is The Word For You |
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| Swing High |
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| Swing Low Sweet Chariot |
Traditional |
| Symphony In Riffs |
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| Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle |
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| Tea On The Terrace |
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| That Foolish Feeling |
Mchugh, Adamson |
| That Lovely Night In Budapest |
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| That Old Black Magic |
Arlen, Mercer |
| That's A Plenty |
Pollack |
| That's How It Goes |
Neiburg |
| That's It |
Norman |
| That's Not Cricket |
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| The Continental |
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| The Day I Let You Get Away |
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| The Foolish Feeling |
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| The Gonna Goo |
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| The Music Goes 'Round And Around |
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| The One I Love |
Kahn, Jones |
| Then I Shan't Love You Anymore |
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| There Will Never Be Another You |
Gordon, Warren |
| There's Frost On The Moon |
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| There's Good Blues Tonight |
Oliver |
| Three Moods |
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| Tiger Rag |
Larocca, Decosta |
| Tin Roof Blues |
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| Tribute To Navy Hero |
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| Trumpet Contest From Matinee At Meadowbrook Show |
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| Two Beats On A Bat |
Finegan |
| Two Hearts Carved On A Lonesome Pine Tree |
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| Until |
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| Weary |
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| Weary Blues |
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| Well Git It |
Oliver |
| What A Wonderful World |
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| Where Are You? |
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| Where Is My Heart |
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| Who? |
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| Who'll Buy My Violets? |
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| Will I Ever Know It? |
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| Yes, Indeed! |
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| You |
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| You Are My Lucky Star |
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| You Can't Cheat A Cheater |
Napoleon, Dorsey, Signorelli |
| You Know What The Trouble Is |
Oliver, Bartley |
| You Never Looked So Beautiful |
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| You Started Me Dreaming |
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| You’ve Gotta Eat Your Spinach Baby |
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| You're Here, You're There, You're Everywhere |
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