Doc Severinsen's "Christmas with Friends" 1984

Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Under Doc Severinsen’s direction, The Tonight Show Band, styled the NBC Orchestra, became perhaps the best-known big band in America. Severinsen became one of the most popular bandleaders, appearing almost every night on television. He led the band during commercials and while guests were introduced. He joked with Johnny Carson, the show’s host, and developed an amusing habit of wearing gaudy clothing.

The show introduced a comic “Stump the Band” segment in which audience members called out the titles of obscure songs to see if the band could play them. Severinsen often cried “key of E”, his signal for the band to strike up a western theme, and then he would enthusiastically sing a country music-flavored nonsense song.

My Substack Channel:
https://juxtaposition1.substack.com/podcast