Skinnay Ennis

Robert "Skinnay" Ennis , also Skinny Ennis (born August 13, 1909 in Salisbury , North Carolina , † June 3, 1963 in Beverly Hills ) was an American jazz and pop band leader, singer and drummer .

Ennis met the jazz musician Hal Kemp during his studies at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and in the late 1920s he played in Kemp's orchestra as a drummer; he stayed in Kemp's band until 1938 and took part in its tours to Europe. Then Ennis went into business for himself as a singer; he took over the orchestra from Gil Evans , with whom he successfully participated in Hollywood film productions. Evans remained arranger and musical director of the orchestra until 1941 ; in addition, Claude Thornhill also worked as an arranger for the band. Ennis also worked on comedy productions and had a job on Bob Hope's radio program in the 1940s . During the Second World War he played in various bands and returned to Hollywood after the war to continue working as a band leader. In the late 1950s, his career was less successful; he began playing at hotels in the Los Angeles area . He died in 1963 after suffocating a meal at a Beverly Hills restaurant .

literature

Bielefeld Catalog 1985
Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .

Web links

Footnotes

↑ In some literature, the date of birth is given as 1906.
↑ See The Great Big Band Arrangers

personal data
SURNAME	Ennis, Skinnay
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Ennis, Robert; Ennis, skinny
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American band leader
DATE OF BIRTH	August 13, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH	Salisbury, North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH	3rd June 1963
Place of death	Beverly Hills

[1] In some literature, the date of birth is given as 1906.

[2] See The Great Big Band Arrangers