Doc Severinsen

Carl (Doc) Hilding Severinsen (born on July 7, 1927) is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. In the 1940s and 1950s he was a member of the Tommy Dorsey, Charlie Barnet, and Benny Goodman bands. From 1949 on he worked for the National Broadcasting Company, eventually becoming leader of the Tonight Show Band in 1967. He held that position till 1992. In the 1960s he also recorded with the Clarke/Boland Big Band and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis band.

Although he continues to record with jazz artists, his own recordings as a leader have consisted mainly of pop music. He is the principal pops conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Phoenix Symphony, and since 2001 Distinguished Visiting Professor of Music and Katherine K. Herberger Heritage Chair for Visiting Artists at Arizona State University School of Music.