biography
| name: |
Dorsey, Tommy
|
| |
popular name of Thomas Dorsey
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pronunciation:
[daw(r)see]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1905–56)
|
| biography:
| Musician, born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a Swing Era bandleader who began with local dance bands in Scranton, PA. He moved to New York City (1925) and engaged in free-lance radio and recording work as a trombonist and trumpeter, and during 1927–8 was a sideman with Paul Whiteman. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he and his brother, Jimmy Dorsey (1904–57), a saxophonist, co-led a succession of recording bands. In 1934 they launched a full-time orchestra which played a long residency at the Glen Island Casino (New Rochelle, NY). After a dispute with Jimmy in 1935, Tommy split and took over Joe Haymes' orchestra, building it into one of the most popular and versatile swing bands. He led this orchestra, which featured Frank Sinatra (1940–2), until the early 1950s. He appeared with Jimmy in the Hollywood feature film The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) and in 1953 they formed a new band together, later co-hosting their own television programme Stage Show (1955-6) on CBS. Tommy's premature death was caused by strangulation on food particles. |
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