Musicians - Skitch Henderson

Home > Listing Index > Musicians > Skitch Henderson

	Musicians - Skitch Henderson

Skitch Henderson (born Lyle Russell Cedric Henderson, January 27, 1918- November 1, 2005 at his home in New Milford, Connecticut) was an American pianist, conductor, and composer. "Skitch" was a nickname said to derive from his ability in his early career to quickly "re-sketch" a song in a different key.

Early life

Both of his parents, Joseph and Josephine Henderson, were of Scandinavian descent. Early details of Henderson's life are unclear. Official biographies and many obituaries described him as having been born in Birmingham, UK, to have been taught piano by his mother, and to have moved to the U.S. in the 1930s. But according to census and other sources, he was born in Halstad, Minnesota, his mother died when he was two, and he was brought up in Minnesota by his aunt, Hatty Gift.

Education

Henderson said he received classical training under Fritz Reiner, Albert Coates, Arnold Schoenberg, Ernst Toch and Arturo Toscanini, who invited him to conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra. However, there is nothing in the archives of Schoenberg, whose life was extremely well-documented, reflecting the slightest association with Henderson. In the same vein, there is no readily available documentation of any study with Coates, who moved to South Africa the 1940s and died there in 1953.

Early career

He started his professional career in the 1930s playing piano in the roadhouses of the American Midwest, his major break being as an accompanist on a 1937 MGM promotional tour featuring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.

Henderson later said that as a member of MGM’s music department, he worked with Garland to learn "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" during rehearsals for "The Wizard of Oz" and played piano for her first public performance of the song at a local nightclub before the film was finished. However this account is at odds with the memoirs of the tune's composer, Harold Arlen, who first performed the song for the 14-year-old Garland.

World War II

Although his official biography states that he joined the Royal Air Force when World War Two began and served as a fighter pilot before becoming a US citizen and joining the U.S. Army Air Corps as a bomber pilot, this cannot be confirmed in the historic record. No official biography lists the precise RAF or U.S. unit in which he claimed to have served.

The Los Angeles Times of Sept. 17, 1940, Part I, Page 19, lists Skitch Henderson and Ben Gage performing Sept. 18, 1940, at the Victor Hugo in Beverly Hills. Tickets $2.

The Los Angeles Times of Dec. 1, 1940, Part IV, Page 7, says Skitch Henderson performed at Jackie Cooper's home.

"Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood," appearing in The Los Angeles Times of Sept. 23, 1941, Part II, Page 9, says Skitch Henderson and Ann Rutherford are rumored to be on the verge of matrimony. They think each other is swell but it ain't love, he says.

Hedda Hopper, appearing in the Los Angeles Times of Jan. 1, 1943, Part II, Page 11, says Skitch Henderson was at Ciro's with Bonita Granville.

Hedda Hopper, appearing in the Los Angeles Times of Sept. 25, 1946, Part II, Page 7, says Anita Colby is doing the furnishings for Skitch Henderson's new apartment.

Edwin Schallert, appearing in the Los Angeles Times of Sept. 27, 1946, Part II, Page 3, says Skitch Henderson is coaching Jimmy Stewart on how to play the piano for "A Miracle Can Happen."

Radio

After the war, he worked for NBC Radio, where he was the musical director for Frank Sinatra's Lucky Strike Show and The Philco Hour with Bing Crosby. Henderson also played on Bob Hope’s Pepsodent Show.

The origin of his nickname is often traced to this period, with Henderson crediting the invention to Bing Crosby. However, he was using the name as early as 1940, before he met Crosby in 1946. In 1953, in an interview for the Canadian publication Saturday Night, he said he had no recollection of its origin.

His radio work included:

California Melodies debuted 1940, Mutual, KHJ (He was already using the nickname "Skitch" at this point).
Songs by Sinatra 1946
I Deal in Crime 1946, ABC
Philco Radio Time starring Bing Crosby 1946, ABC
Best of All 1954, NBC
United States Air Force Presents 1969
Skitch Henderson With the Music Makers

Television

In a career at NBC spanning 1951 to 1966, he succeeded Toscanini as music director for NBC Television and was the original conductor of the orchestras for The Tonight Show and The Today Show.

Match Game 1962-1963

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Skitch Henderson ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Skitch Henderson; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.