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Obit: Skitch Henderson @ 87

C

CrankyYankee

Skitch Henderson, the Grammy-winning conductor who lent his musical expertise to Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby before founding the New York Pops and becoming the first "Tonight Show" bandleader, died Tuesday. He was 87.

Henderson died of natural causes at his New Milford, CN home.

Henderson worked with stars such as Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in the 1930s and 1940s, but he became a household name in television's infancy when NBC pegged him as the bandleader for Steve Allen's "Tonight Show" in 1954. Henderson lost the job after Jack Paar took over as host, but got it back in 1962 and was bandleader for the first four years of Johnny Carson's late-night reign.

(Read more at:)

http://www.boston.com/news/local/co...s_founder_skitch_henderson_dead_at_87?mode=PF

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"What's That?" "French Horns!"

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> Henderson died of natural causes at his New Milford, CN
> home.

That's New Milford, CT by the way (in the Danbury, CT area).
 
If my memory serves me correct, Henderson wasn't the "Tonight Show" bandleader during the Jack Paar era because he was musical director for Steve Allen's primetime variety show from it's premiere in 1956 until it left NBC in 1960.

I also thought that Henderson was Vice-President for Music at NBC between the end of Allen's primetime show and Paar's depature from "Tonight", but gave the job up to return to performing music both on TV and elsewhere.

I also thought Henderson's orchestra actually came onboard the "Tonight Show" right after Paar left, which was the start of a six-month period where various personalities guest-hosted the program for a week or two at a time while NBC waited for Johnny Carson's contract with Don Fedderson, the producer of "Who Do You Trust?", to expire.
 
> If my memory serves me correct, Henderson wasn't the
> "Tonight Show" bandleader during the Jack Paar era because
> he was musical director for Steve Allen's primetime variety
> show from it's premiere in 1956 until it left NBC in 1960.
>
> I also thought that Henderson was Vice-President for Music
> at NBC between the end of Allen's primetime show and Paar's
> depature from "Tonight", but gave the job up to return to
> performing music both on TV and elsewhere.
>
> I also thought Henderson's orchestra actually came onboard
> the "Tonight Show" right after Paar left, which was the
> start of a six-month period where various personalities
> guest-hosted the program for a week or two at a time while
> NBC waited for Johnny Carson's contract with Don Fedderson,
> the producer of "Who Do You Trust?", to expire.
>
Besides, Paar's bandleader was Jose Melis, an old Army buddy.
 
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