I admit that I've never been a particular fan of jazz or big band music. I don't ardently dislike it or anything; it just isn't a genre to which I was exposed much when growing up, and as an adult I'm really more of a soft rock kind of person. So while I knew of the existence of the Dorsey Brothers, and was aware that they were pretty big names on the circuit, the name never meant much to me beyond an occasional pop culture reference. And I definitely never knew they were from Pennsylvania.
That changed last fall, when Kevin and I went to Knoebels and I collected some markers along the way. I already told you about Victor Schertzinger, who was born in Mahanoy City; maybe twenty minutes after I photographed his marker, we were passing through the town of Shenandoah and spotted two markers standing side by side in a bank parking lot. What do you know - Shenandoah is the hometown of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.
That changed last fall, when Kevin and I went to Knoebels and I collected some markers along the way. I already told you about Victor Schertzinger, who was born in Mahanoy City; maybe twenty minutes after I photographed his marker, we were passing through the town of Shenandoah and spotted two markers standing side by side in a bank parking lot. What do you know - Shenandoah is the hometown of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.
 |
| The marker is situated in a parking lot at 5 North Main Street, just off Center Street, Shenandoah |
In 1934, Tommy and Jimmy formed the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, with Tommy as the front man. They signed a contract with Decca Records and began touring. Tommy was the front man; their lineup included three saxophones, three trombones, one trumpet, and four rhythm instruments. Among the orchestra's performers was Glenn Miller, who composed four songs for the group before leaving to pursue other opportunities. The brothers and their band toured, largely in the New England area, and recorded some of Decca's chart toppers of the time, including "Lullaby of Broadway."
Some of what I've read suggests that Jimmy, despite being the older brother, felt overshadowed by Tommy as front man. It's known that their relationship grew increasingly contentious until finally, in May of 1935, Tommy walked off the stage after they fought over - of all things - the tempo for the song "I'll Never Say Never Again Again." Tommy permanently left the orchestra later that same year; he took over running a group called the Joe Hymes Band, and renamed it Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, while Jimmy carried on with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra.
The rift wasn't permanent, though. Ten years later, the brothers reunited in order to record a V-disc. I had to look that up - V-discs were a special record label, formed in 1943, which specifically made albums for U.S. military personnel serving in World War II. (The brothers' old pal Glenn Miller recorded a number of these, having joined the Army Air Force.) On March 15, 1945, at New York City's Liederkranz Hall, Tommy and Jimmy and their combined orchestras recorded "More Than You Know" and "Brotherly Jump." Two years later, they reunited a second time to make the film The Fabulous Dorseys. Finally, in 1950, they put the past behind them for good; Jimmy disbanded the old Dorsey Brothers Orchestra and became a permanent member of Tommy's band, which was named the Fabulous Dorseys just like their movie.
For the next six years, they pursued several projects together. In 1953 the orchestra appeared on The Jackie Gleason Show, and starting the following year, they had their own show, Stage Show, produced by Jackie Gleason. Stage Show is particularly remembered for the episode in 1956 in which Elvis Presley made his national television debut. They also appeared as themselves in an October 1955 episode of the show What's My Line? - the network Buzzr shows reruns of the old black and white game shows, and I'm pretty sure I've actually seen that one. Dorothy Kilgallen correctly identified them.
Sadly, that was near the end of their joint pursuits. Tommy Dorsey died suddenly; I won't go into the specifics, but suffice it to say that he died in his sleep in November 1956. Their friend Jackie Gleason hosted A Tribute to Tommy Dorsey the following week, featuring many musicians who had worked with Tommy during the course of his career. Jimmy was also extremely ill at that point, with what eventually turned out to be lung cancer. He nevertheless continued performing with the band for a few months, with Tommy's trombone displayed onstage in his memory, until he himself died in June 1957.
Jimmy is buried with their parents and brother Edward at the Annunciation Blessed Virgin Mary Church Cemetery in Shenandoah, not far from where they grew up and not far from their marker. He was married to Jane Porter, but they had no children and divorced some years prior to his death. Tommy is buried in the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York; his epitaph identifies him as "the Sentimental Gentleman," because his theme song was "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You." He was married three times. His first wife was Mildred; I can find no record of her maiden name or of how the marriage ended, but they had a daughter, Patricia, in 1925 and a son, Thomas III (Tom), in 1930. In 1943 he married his second wife, Patricia Dane, whom he later divorced, and his third wife was Jane New, to whom he was married when he died.
The legacy of the Dorsey Brothers lives, of course. In November 1974, The Lawrence Welk Show produced an episode called "A Tribute to the Fabulous Dorseys," featuring their music. In 1996, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp depicting the Dorseys. The entire big band era was influenced by their partnership, their performances, their falling out and their reuniting. And it all started in a little town in Schuylkill County.
Sadly, that was near the end of their joint pursuits. Tommy Dorsey died suddenly; I won't go into the specifics, but suffice it to say that he died in his sleep in November 1956. Their friend Jackie Gleason hosted A Tribute to Tommy Dorsey the following week, featuring many musicians who had worked with Tommy during the course of his career. Jimmy was also extremely ill at that point, with what eventually turned out to be lung cancer. He nevertheless continued performing with the band for a few months, with Tommy's trombone displayed onstage in his memory, until he himself died in June 1957.
Jimmy is buried with their parents and brother Edward at the Annunciation Blessed Virgin Mary Church Cemetery in Shenandoah, not far from where they grew up and not far from their marker. He was married to Jane Porter, but they had no children and divorced some years prior to his death. Tommy is buried in the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York; his epitaph identifies him as "the Sentimental Gentleman," because his theme song was "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You." He was married three times. His first wife was Mildred; I can find no record of her maiden name or of how the marriage ended, but they had a daughter, Patricia, in 1925 and a son, Thomas III (Tom), in 1930. In 1943 he married his second wife, Patricia Dane, whom he later divorced, and his third wife was Jane New, to whom he was married when he died.
The legacy of the Dorsey Brothers lives, of course. In November 1974, The Lawrence Welk Show produced an episode called "A Tribute to the Fabulous Dorseys," featuring their music. In 1996, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp depicting the Dorseys. The entire big band era was influenced by their partnership, their performances, their falling out and their reuniting. And it all started in a little town in Schuylkill County.
Update 8/10/2023: I recently had the pleasure of hearing from no less a person than Tommy Dorsey's granddaughter Joanne! Apparently my blog post made the rounds in the family, which was very exciting. Joanne is the daughter of Tommy's daughter Patricia, and she was able to clarify for me that her grandmother Mildred had the maiden name of Kraft. She also mentioned that her uncle Tom was known in the family as "Skipper." I so appreciate her information and her kind words about the post!
Sources and Further Reading:
The Dorsey Brothers at AllMusic.com
The Fabulous Dorseys at IMDb.com
"The Last Days of the Dorsey Brothers" at A Trip Down Memory Lane
Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey at FindAGrave.com
La Voie, Anna Chaikowsky. Images of America: Shenandoah. Arcadia Publishing, 2016.
The Fabulous Dorseys at IMDb.com
"The Last Days of the Dorsey Brothers" at A Trip Down Memory Lane
Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey at FindAGrave.com
La Voie, Anna Chaikowsky. Images of America: Shenandoah. Arcadia Publishing, 2016.
The Dorsey Brothers at the Historical Marker Database
If you've enjoyed this, please leave a comment!
Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.
In Pottsville we were all aware of the Dorsey brothers, local celebrities who made good and got out. In the sixties I took guitar lessons from Clair Dorwood,living in Deer Lake then, who played with Jimmy.
ReplyDeleteI also took lessons from Clair Dorward (in the early 1970s). He deserved a more-talented student. He'd clearly had some tough times, but the music was still there in his big fingers and battered guitar.
ReplyDelete--Ralph Peters
I am originally from and lived in Pottsville for 27 years. I too heard of the Dorsey brothers. I'm glad I came across this article. I always wanted to learn more about the brothers and their career as musicians. Very informative article.
ReplyDelete