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'''Donald "Don" Ashworth''' is a well-known musician who was a member of ''The Tonight Show'' band for thirty years before retiring in 1994. Ashworth played woodwind instruments with the group starting from Johnny Carson's first week as host of ''The Tonight Show'' in 1962 (when the band was referred to generically as The NBC Orchestra) until his final show on May 22 1992. For its first 10 years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, Ashworth moved from New York City to Southern California when the show moved permanently to Burbank. He was often seen on the show when Carson played "Stump the Band", where studio audience members asked the band to try to play obscure songs given only the title.
'''Donald "Don" W. Ashworth,''' b. March 16, 1931, is a well-known musician who was a member of ''The Tonight Show'' band for thirty years before retiring in 1994. Ashworth played woodwind instruments with the group starting from Johnny Carson's first week as host of ''The Tonight Show'' in 1962 (when the band was referred to generically as ''The NBC Orchestra'') until his final show on May 22 1992. For its first 10 years, Carson's ''Tonight Show'' was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, Ashworth moved from New York City to Southern California when the show moved permanently to Burbank. He was often seen on the show when Carson played "Stump the Band", where studio audience members asked the band to try to play obscure songs given only the title.


''The Tonight Show'' had a live band for nearly all of its existence, and Ashworth played under three different band leaders: Skitch Henderson (who had previously led the band during ''Tonight Starring Steve Allen''), followed briefly by Milton DeLugg, then from 1967 to 1992 by Doc Severinsen (with Tommy Newsom filling in for him when Doc was absent). Ashworth plays flute, saxophone (bass and soprano), oboe, clarinet, and ocarina.
''The Tonight Show'' had a live band for nearly all of its existence, and Ashworth played under three different band leaders: Skitch Henderson (who had previously led the band during ''Tonight Starring Steve Allen''), followed briefly by Milton DeLugg, then from 1967 to 1992 by Doc Severinsen (with Tommy Newsom filling in for him when Doc was absent). Ashworth plays flute, saxophone (bass and soprano), oboe, clarinet, and ocarina.


Ashworth began his career in 1952 playing for the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, led by two of the best arrangers of the big band era, Eddie Sauter and Bill Finegan <ref>http://www.spaceagepop.com/sauterfi.htm</ref> which one reviewer described as a "band which had enormous popularity in the Fifties but has all but vanished from public consciousness." <ref>http://www.spaceagepop.com/sauterfi.htm</ref> The sound, which was post-Swing, was described as "too clever to be pop music, but too popular to be considered jazz, the records released between 1952 and 1958 by this band were very much a product of their time." <ref>http://www.holeintheweb.com/drp/bhd/SauterFinegan.htm</ref> Ashworth has played in numerous Broadway musicals, including Lil' Abner, Do Re Me, Goldilocks, and I Can Get It For You Wholesale. His concert work also included stints with the Benny Goodman Orchesta. His studio work includes well-known albums by artists such as Frank Sinatra <ref>http://www.discogs.com/Frank-Sinatra-Trilogy-Past-Present-Future/release/2223152,</ref>, Barbra Steisand, Tony Bennett, and George Clinton. <ref>http://www.discogs.com/George-Clinton-R-B-Skeletons-In-The-Closet/master/19594</ref>. He also contributed to albums such as The Other Side of Abbey Road by guitarist George Benson (1969), Dawg Jazz/Dawg Grass by musician David Grisman (1983), Inner City Blues by saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr., and Mysterious Traveller by the band Weather Report.
Ashworth began his career in 1952 playing for the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, led by two of the best arrangers of the big band era, Eddie Sauter and Bill Finegan <ref>http://www.spaceagepop.com/sauterfi.htm</ref> which one reviewer described as a "band which had enormous popularity in the Fifties but has all but vanished from public consciousness." <ref>http://www.spaceagepop.com/sauterfi.htm</ref> The sound, which was post-Swing, was described as "too clever to be pop music, but too popular to be considered jazz, the records released between 1952 and 1958 by this band were very much a product of their time." <ref>http://www.holeintheweb.com/drp/bhd/SauterFinegan.htm</ref> Ashworth has played in numerous Broadway musicals, including Lil' Abner, Do Re Me, Goldilocks, and I Can Get It For You Wholesale. His concert work also included stints with the Benny Goodman Orchesta. His studio work includes well-known albums by artists such as Frank Sinatra <ref>http://www.discogs.com/Frank-Sinatra-Trilogy-Past-Present-Future/release/2223152,</ref>, Barbra Steisand, Tony Bennett, and George Clinton. <ref>http://www.discogs.com/George-Clinton-R-B-Skeletons-In-The-Closet/master/19594</ref>. He also contributed to albums such as ''The Other Side of Abbey Road'' by guitarist George Benson (1969), ''Dawg Jazz/Dawg Grass'' by musician David Grisman (1983), ''Inner City Blues'' by saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr., and ''Mysterious Traveller'' by the band Weather Report.


In 1995, Ashworth was appointed to the Board of Trustees at the Carnegie-Mellon University School of Music, from which he had graduated in 1953 with two Bachelor Degrees (BFA in Applied Music [oboe] and BFA in Music Education). He also received a Masters in Music Education from Columbia University in '58. He has two children, Jennifer and Derek, and a son-in-law, Jeff Modisett, who was elected Attorney General of Indiana in 1996.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Modisett</ref>
In 1995, Ashworth was appointed to the Board of Trustees at the Carnegie-Mellon University School of Music, from which he had graduated in 1953 with two Bachelor Degrees (BFA in Applied Music [oboe] and BFA in Music Education). He also received a Masters in Music Education from Columbia University in '58. He has two children, Jennifer and Derek, and a son-in-law, Jeff Modisett, who was elected Attorney General of Indiana in 1996.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Modisett</ref>

Revision as of 21:37, 23 May 2010


Donald "Don" W. Ashworth, b. March 16, 1931, is a well-known musician who was a member of The Tonight Show band for thirty years before retiring in 1994. Ashworth played woodwind instruments with the group starting from Johnny Carson's first week as host of The Tonight Show in 1962 (when the band was referred to generically as The NBC Orchestra) until his final show on May 22 1992. For its first 10 years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, Ashworth moved from New York City to Southern California when the show moved permanently to Burbank. He was often seen on the show when Carson played "Stump the Band", where studio audience members asked the band to try to play obscure songs given only the title.

The Tonight Show had a live band for nearly all of its existence, and Ashworth played under three different band leaders: Skitch Henderson (who had previously led the band during Tonight Starring Steve Allen), followed briefly by Milton DeLugg, then from 1967 to 1992 by Doc Severinsen (with Tommy Newsom filling in for him when Doc was absent). Ashworth plays flute, saxophone (bass and soprano), oboe, clarinet, and ocarina.

Ashworth began his career in 1952 playing for the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, led by two of the best arrangers of the big band era, Eddie Sauter and Bill Finegan [1] which one reviewer described as a "band which had enormous popularity in the Fifties but has all but vanished from public consciousness." [2] The sound, which was post-Swing, was described as "too clever to be pop music, but too popular to be considered jazz, the records released between 1952 and 1958 by this band were very much a product of their time." [3] Ashworth has played in numerous Broadway musicals, including Lil' Abner, Do Re Me, Goldilocks, and I Can Get It For You Wholesale. His concert work also included stints with the Benny Goodman Orchesta. His studio work includes well-known albums by artists such as Frank Sinatra [4], Barbra Steisand, Tony Bennett, and George Clinton. [5]. He also contributed to albums such as The Other Side of Abbey Road by guitarist George Benson (1969), Dawg Jazz/Dawg Grass by musician David Grisman (1983), Inner City Blues by saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr., and Mysterious Traveller by the band Weather Report.

In 1995, Ashworth was appointed to the Board of Trustees at the Carnegie-Mellon University School of Music, from which he had graduated in 1953 with two Bachelor Degrees (BFA in Applied Music [oboe] and BFA in Music Education). He also received a Masters in Music Education from Columbia University in '58. He has two children, Jennifer and Derek, and a son-in-law, Jeff Modisett, who was elected Attorney General of Indiana in 1996.[6]

References

  1. ^ http://www.spaceagepop.com/sauterfi.htm
  2. ^ http://www.spaceagepop.com/sauterfi.htm
  3. ^ http://www.holeintheweb.com/drp/bhd/SauterFinegan.htm
  4. ^ http://www.discogs.com/Frank-Sinatra-Trilogy-Past-Present-Future/release/2223152,
  5. ^ http://www.discogs.com/George-Clinton-R-B-Skeletons-In-The-Closet/master/19594
  6. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Modisett

== External links == "30-year gig for `Tonight Show' musician," Indianapolis Star, Author: Steve Hall, June 27, 1992 (Page: D.1; Section: Sunrise.

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