Bobby Sherwood

Bobby Sherwood, born Robert J. Sherwood Jr. on May 30, 1914, in Indianapolis, Indiana, was an American guitarist, trumpeter, bandleader, actor, and radio host. He died on January 23, 1981, of cancer at his home in Auburn, Massachusetts.

Sherwood grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, where his father Bob operated a movie theater and his mother Gail led one of the earliest orchestras to perform popular syncopated music. He began playing banjo in that ensemble at the age of twelve. By the time he was twenty-two, he had joined Bing Crosby's organization as a guitarist, replacing Eddie Lang in 1933 and remaining with Crosby into the early 1940s. During that period he also worked as a studio musician for MGM in Hollywood.

His career expanded into radio beginning October 2, 1940, when he took over as bandleader for Eddie Cantor's program on NBC. That same year he appeared regularly on the Hillman Hour on KFWB in Los Angeles. He later hosted the Bobby Sherwood Orchestra program on the Mutual Broadcasting System in the mid-1940s, and in 1953 held a daily early morning slot on WJZ in New York City. The latter portion of his career was spent working as a disc jockey.

Sherwood married Dorothy Virginia Gumm, the sister of Judy Garland, and served as bandleader for Garland during recording sessions at Decca Records. He assembled a big band that included Dave Pell and Kitty Kallen and signed with Capitol Records. The group's debut single, "The Elk's Parade," sold one million copies. He continued leading that band throughout the 1940s, during which time he also pursued acting, including a Broadway appearance in 1946 in the play Hear That Trumpet.

His television work was extensive. In 1950 he served as master of ceremonies on Variety Quiz, a late-night program on WCBS-TV that was later retitled Midnight Snack. He was a regular performer on The Red Buttons Show in the 1950s and hosted Stars on Parade on the DuMont Television Network from 1953 to 1954. He also served as announcer for DuMont's The Morey Amsterdam Show and hosted the game show Quick as a Flash from March to May 1953. In the mid-1950s he hosted Step This Way, a dance program broadcast on Saturday evenings on WABC-TV in New York City.

Sherwood is honored with a star in the Television section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1825 Vine Street. His sons Billy and Michael are both musicians, and his nephew is trumpeter Carl Saunders.