Buddy Morrow

Buddy Morrow
Buddy Morrow, ca. May 1947. Photograph by William P. Gottlieb
Background information
Birth name	Muni Zudekoff
Also known as	Moe Zudekoff Buddy Morrow
Born	February 8, 1919(1919-02-08)
Died	September 27, 2010(2010-09-27) (aged 91)
Genres	Swing music Big band
Occupations	Bandleader, Musician, Arranger, Composer
Instruments	Trombone
Years active	1933-2010
Labels	RCA (1950s)
Associated acts	Sharkey Bonano, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Paul Whiteman, Bob Crosby, Buddy Morrow, The Tonight Show Band

Buddy Morrow (born Muni Zudekoff, aka Moe Zudekoff; February 8, 1919, New Haven, Connecticut – September 27, 2010)^[1] was an American trombonist and bandleader. He is known for his mastery of the upper range which is evident on records such as "The Golden Trombone," as well as his ballad playing.

His life

Morrow was once a member of The Tonight Show Band. His early 1950s records such as "Rose, Rose, I Love You" and "Night Train" appeared in the US Billboard charts. "Night Train" reached #23 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1953.^[2] In 1959 and 1960 Morrow's Orchestra released two albums of American television theme songs; Impact and Double Impact respectively.

In 2009, Morrow was awarded the International Trombone Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, an award that is given to a person who has significantly changed trombone playing around the world.

He was most recently the leader of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, through September 24, 2010.^[3] Morrow died in the morning on September 27, 2010.^[4][5]

Early days

On a scholarship, at age 16, Morrow studied trombone with Ernest Horatio Clarke (1865–1947) at Juilliard (known then as the Institute of Musical Art) from October to December 1936.^[6] At age 17, he began playing trombone with Sharkey Bonano's Sharks Of Rhythm, an Eddie Condon group, recording compositions:

1. Mudhole Blues by Sharkey Bonano and Irving Fazola, Vocalion Records, 3353 (Oct 7, 1936)
2. Swing In Swing Out, by David Winstein, Vocalion Records, 3353 (Oct 7, 1936)
3. I'm Satisfied Withi My Gal, by Sharkey Bonano, Vocalion Records, 3380 (Oct 7, 1936)
4. High Society, by A.J. Piron, Clarence Williams, Porter Steele, Vocalion Records, 3380 (Oct 7, 1936)
5. When You're Smiling, by Fisher, Joe Goodwin, & Larry Shay, Vocalion Records, 3400 (Dec 4, 1936)
6. Mr. Brown Goes to Town, by David Winstein, Vocalion Records, 3400 (Dec 4, 1936)
7. Was It Clean?, by Sharkey Bonano, Vocalion Records, 3410 (Dec 4, 1936)
8. Blowing Off Steam, by David Winstein, Vocalion Records, 3410 (Dec 4, 1936)
9. Big Boy Blue, by Peter Tincturin, Jack Lawrence, Dan Howell, Vocalion Records, 3450 (Jan 29, 1937)
10. Old Fashioned Swing, by Winston Tharp & Joe Bishop, Vocalion Records, 3450 (Jan 29, 1937)
11. Swing Like a Rusty Gate, by David Winstein, Vocalion Records, 3470 (Jan 29, 1937)
12. Swingin' On The Swanee Shore, by Dave Cavanaugh, Don Redman, David, Vocalion Records, 3470 (Jan 29, 1937)

He then moved on to big bands, first Eddie Duchin, then Vincent Lopez. He eventually graduated to swing bands, first with Artie Shaw. He first became Muni Morrow, then Buddy Morrow, when he joined the Tommy Dorsey trombone section in 1938. In 1939, he performed with Paul Whiteman's Concert Orchestra for their Decca/Brunswick recording of Gershwin's Concerto in F.

In 1940, Morrow joined his former Shaw band-mate Tony Pastor and his band for a little while, but this was only a short detour on his way to replacing Ray Conniff in the Bob Crosby band. Shortly after, he joined the US Navy, during which, we recorded with Billy Butterfield leading a 10-piece band with three trombones — all accompanying Red McKenzie singing four arrangements, including "Sweet Lorraine" and "It's the talk of the Town."

After demobilization, Morrow joined Jimmy Dorsey's band, then went into radio freelancing as a studio musician. He began conducting odd sessions, which introduced him to bandleadlng. RCA Victor sponsored him as director of his own band in 1951. The band's first hit — "Night Train" by Jimmy Forrest — was a cross-over into rhythm and blues.^[7]

Selected compositions

• Big Beat, music by Buddy Morrow, (©1953)
• Boogie Woogie March, words & music by Buddy Morrow & Herbert Hendler (1918–2007) (©1951)
• Corrine Corina, w Herbert Hendler (1918–2007), music by Buddy Morrow (©1953)
• Dear Mary, words by Herbert Hendler (1918–2007), music by Buddy Morrow (©1951)
• Diggin', words by Herbert Hendler (1918–2007), music by Buddy Morrow (©1953)
• Memphis Drag, music by Buddy Morrow (©1953)
• Midnight March, music by Bill Allen & Buddy Morrow (©1957)
• Old Potato Farm, words & music by Herbert Hendler (1918–2007), Tommie McLeston Hendler & Buddy Morrow (©1951)
• Scrub-a-dub-dub, music by Howard Biggs & Buddy Morrow (©1955)
• Solo; A Fox-Trot Bolero Based on Chopin's Waltz in C-sharp minor, words by Herbert Hendler (1918–2007), music by Buddy Morrow (©1951)
• Teen Polka, arranged by Buddy Morrow & Walter Stuart (©1956)

Selected discography

• Buddy Morrow, his Trombone, and His Orchestra – A Big Band Buddy: Studio and Live Recordings, 1945–1957, Jasmine Records (2004)
• Buddy Morrow On RCA CD (recorded Sept 28, 1950 - Dec 22, 1953), digitally remastered by Dennis C. Ferrante, BMG Studios, New York (liner notes by Robert W. Rice)

1. Strangers
2. Autumn Leaves
3. Rio Rita
4. Shadow Waltz
5. The Happiest Day of My Life
6. Silver Moon
7. Rose, Rose, I Love You
8. (What Can I Say) After I Say I'm Sorry?
9. Everything I Have Is Yours
10. Shanghai
11. Good Morning Mister Echo
12. That Old Black Magic
13. Lassus Trombone
14. Night Train
15. One Mint Julep
16. Stairway to the Stars
17. Greyhound
18. I Don't Know
19. I Can't Get Started
20. Train, Train, Train
21. Corrine, Corrina
22. Dragnet
23. Re-Enlistment Blues
24. A Hundred Years from Today
25. Tara's Theme

• Buddy Morrow — A Salute To The Fabulous Dorseys Universal Recorders, Chicago (1955)
• Buddy Morrow — Music For Dancing Feet (recorded in New York City, Dec. 20, 1955) Universal Recorders, Chicago (1955)
• Buddy Morrow and His Golden Trombone, Universal Recorders, Chicago (1956)
• Big Band Beatlemania (the big hits of 1964) (LP), Epic (196-?)
• Big band guitar (LP), RCA Victor (1959)
• Poe For Moderns (LP), RCA Victor (1960)
• Swingin’ Through the Night, Bluebird Records, distributed by BMG Music (2002)
• Buddy Morrow and His Orchestra, Hindsight Records, Burbank, CA (1980)
• Swing the Sinatra Way, Walt Andrus, Buddy Morrow (CD) Hindsight Records (Dec 22, 1998)

External links

• Profile of Buddy Morrow at Spaceagepop.com
• Profile on the road with Buddy Morrow. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MucyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mwcGAAAAIBAJ&pg=4392,1703880&dq=leslie-dreyfous+buddy-morrow+tommy-dorsey&hl=en

Obituaries

• Steve Voce, Buddy Morrow: Trombonist and bandleader who shot to fame with the Fifties hit "Night Train", The Independent, Sept. 30, 2010
• Daniel E. Slotnik, Buddy Morrow, Trombonist and Bandleader, Dies at 91, The New York Times, Oct 2, 2010
• Eloísa Ruano González, Buddy Morrow, Big-Band Leader, Dies at 91, Orlando Sentinel, Oct. 2, 2010

References

• ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, Fourth edition, Compiled for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers by Jaques Cattell Press, R.R. Bowker, New York (1980)
• The Big Bands, revised edition, by George T. Simon, Macmillan Publishers, New York; Collier Books (1974)
• Biographical Dictionary of Jazz, by Charles Eugene Claghorn (1911–2005), Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs (1982)
• Biography Index, A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines, Volume 2: August, 1949-August, 1952, H. W. Wilson Company, New York (1953)
• Biography Index, A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines, Volume 18: September, 1992-August, 1993, H. W. Wilson Company, New York (1993)
• The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz, 1900-1950, three volumes, by Roger Davis Kinkle (1916–2000), Arlington House Publishers, New Rochelle (1974) (bios located in vols. 2 and 3)
• Dictionary of Pseudonyms, third edition, by Adrian Richard West Room (1933- ), McFarland & Co., Jefferson, NC (1998)
• The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, third edition, eight volumes, ed. by Colin Larkin, Grove's Dictionaries, New York (1998)
• The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, first edition, two volumes, ed. by Barry Kernfeld, Macmillan Press, London (1988)
• The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, ed. by Barry Kernfeld, St. Martin's Press, New York (1994)
• The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, second ed., three volumes, ed. by Barry Kernfeld, Macmillan Press, London (2002)
• The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music, ed. by Donald Clarke, Viking Press, New York (1989)
• Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street, by John Chilton, Chilton Book Co., Philadelphia (1972)

Inline citations

1. ^ Steve Voce, Buddy Morrow: Trombonist and bandleader who shot to fame with the Fifties hit "Night Train", The Independent, Sept. 30, 2010
2. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 380. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
3. ^ "Meet Buddy Morrow". Official Web Site of The One and Only Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. http://www.buddymorrow.com/. Retrieved 2008-01-15. 
4. ^ Steve Voce, Obituary: Buddy Morrow: Trombonist and bandleader who shot to fame with the Fifties hit "Night Train", The Independent, Sept. 30, 2010
5. ^ Deaths in Central Florida: Muni B. Morrow, Orlando Sentinel, Sept 30, 2010
6. ^ Alumni Records, The Juilliard School
7. ^ Arthur Jackson, The Last of the Big Bands of the 1950s: Buddy Morrow & Ralph Marterie, In Tune Magazine, Issue 109 (Feb. 2001)

Persondata
Name	Morrow, Buddy
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 8, 1919
Place of birth	New Haven, Conneticut, USA
Date of death	September 27, 2010
Place of death	Maitland, Florida, USA