Buddy Morrow

• Born Muni "Moe" Zudekoff, 8 February 1919, New Haven, Connecticut

The "Night Train" man--or, more accurately, the white "Night Train" man. Morrow studied at Julliard in the early 1930s, then played with a number of big bands, including Paul Whiteman, Artie Shaw, and Tommy Dorsey. After serving in the Army during the war, he played with Jimmy Dorsey, then formed his own band, which quickly folded. He spent the next few years working in studio ensembles on radio and movie soundtracks. His second attempt at forming a band, in 1951, was considerably more successful. Morrow was able to keep a steady flow of engagements at a time when many other big bands were folding. He also won a recording contract with Mercury that produced a Top 10 hit in early 1952 with "Night Train," a cover of a popular R&B hit by Jimmy Forrest. He switched labels to RCA in 1957, and participated in a few genre-stretching experiments, including a collaboration with Tito Puente's band and a guitar album. He folded the band around 1960, and returned to studio work, this time in television. He worked with Skitch Henderson and Doc Severinsen on the "Tonight Show" band, then in the early 1970s, formed a jazz quartet that played in Vegas and the LA area.