In this Issue Newsletter of the Mills Music Library
University of Wisconsin-Madison Edited by Steve Sundell with generous assistance from Geri Laudati, Ryan Sedgwick and David Dies Published twice yearly in the Fall and Spring Semesters Mills Music Library 728 State Street Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1494 (608) 263-1884 music.library.wisc.edu Email Mills Music Library ______________ Web Design by Nicole Saylor |
The Johnny Carson Legacy at Mills Music Library
When Johnny Carson died earlier this year, he leftbehind an enduring legacy, one that is deeply entwined with the rise of television. Part of that legacy is maintained in UW–Madison’s Mills Music Library, home to the Skitch Henderson Collection. In 1970, conductor Skitch Henderson, the first Tonight Show bandleader, donated more than 800 musical works to the University of Wisconsin. Henderson was music director and bandleader for Carson from 1962–1966, during which time he composed or arranged over 600 pieces of popular American music for The Tonight Show performances. In addition to the manuscript scores and arrangements used on Carson’s Tonight Show, the collection includes arrangements for the BBC Dance Band and other small ensembles, as well as symphonic arrangements of popular tunes, and parallels an important era in the development of popular music in America. Henderson’s career began in the 1930s when he played roadhouses throughout the Midwest. He later became closely involved in all aspects of popular music entertainment, including live, film, radio, and television performances. On television, Henderson led bands on Bob Hope’s The Pepsodent Show, Frank Sinatra’s Lucky Strike Show, Bing Crosby’s The Philco Hour, in addition to The Tonight Show. Ultimately, he found himself music director of NBC television. In addition to his success in the popular music field, Henderson was also a guest conductor throughout North America and Europe, including work with Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony and the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. In 1983, he became founder and music director of the New York Pops and received the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution in recognition of his contributions to American Culture. |
