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
- Biography of Eugene Chadbourne in the All music Guide
- Skinnay Ennis in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Footnotes
- ↑ In some literature, the date of birth is given as 1906.
- ↑ See The Great Big Band Arrangers
personal data | |
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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 |