Lyle Russel “Skitch” Henderson (January 27, 1918 – November 1, 2005) was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname ("Skitch") reportedly derived from his ability to quickly "re-sketch" a song in a different key.
Lyle Russell Cedric Henderson was born on a farm near
Halstad, Minnesota, to Joseph and Josephine Henderson, both of Norwegian
descent. His mother died shortly after his birth, and he was then sent to live
with his aunt Hattie Henderson Gift and uncle Frank Gift, who raised him. She
taught him piano, starting at the age of four.
Although he didn't receive formal conservatory education
in music, Henderson received classical training under Fritz Reiner, Albert
Coates, Arnold Schoenberg, Ernst Toch and Arturo Toscanini, who invited him to
conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Henderson would later recount his learning
the ropes by playing in taverns with popular singers of the day.
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 "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 said he first
performed the song for the 14-year-old Garland.
After the war, he worked for NBC Radio, where he was the
musical director for Frank Sinatra's Lucky Strike Show. He was also accompanist
on Philco Radio Time with Bing Crosby on the new ABC network. 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 who said he
(Henderson) should have a nickname. Crosby settled on "Skitch", which
came from "The Sketch Kid", referring to Henderson's ability to
quickly transcribe music to a written score. Other reports, however, claim that
the name came from something that a young Skitch and his buddies would say to
act cool and hip, "skitchadudawawa", long before he met Crosby.
Between 1947 and 1949, he toured with his own dance band,
and from 1961 was the musical director for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny
Carson (1962) and a guest conductor for a number of symphony orchestras
including the New York Philharmonic and the London Philharmonic. He was also
music director for the New York opera "Street Scene" and made many
recordings. Joining ASCAP in 1958, his instrumental compositions include "Skitch's
Blues," "Minuet on the Rocks," "Skitch in Time,"
"Come Thursday," and "Curacao."
Here's "In a Sentimental Mood" from above 1957 album
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 "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 said he first
performed the song for the 14-year-old Garland.After the war, he worked for NBC Radio, where he was the
musical director for Frank Sinatra's Lucky Strike Show. He was also accompanist
on Philco Radio Time with Bing Crosby on the new ABC network. Henderson also
played on Bob Hope's Pepsodent Show.Between 1947 and 1949, he toured with his own dance band,
and from 1961 was the musical director for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny
Carson (1962) and a guest conductor for a number of symphony orchestras
including the New York Philharmonic and the London Philharmonic. He was also
music director for the New York opera "Street Scene" and made many
recordings. Joining ASCAP in 1958, his instrumental compositions include "Skitch's
Blues," "Minuet on the Rocks," "Skitch in Time,"
"Come Thursday," and "Curacao."Here's "In a Sentimental Mood" from above 1957 album
He was indicted on July 2, 1974, on charges of tax
evasion for the years of 1969 and 1970 for claims about the value (allegedly
$350,000) of a music library he donated to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
He further claimed that he had consulted on the value of his collection with
Leonard Bernstein and Henry Mancini, both of whom denied the claims. A
signature on an acceptance letter from the library director was also deemed a
forgery.
Henderson was sentenced on January 17, 1975 to 6 months
in prison and fined $10,000. He began serving his sentence at a
minimum-security Federal prison on April 9, 1975 and was released after four
months, on August 4, 1975.
In 1983, he founded The New York Pops orchestra, which makes its home at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He served as the music director and conductor of the orchestra until his death in 2005. Henderson also conducted numerous symphonic orchestras throughout the world.
Among his hundreds of recordings, spanning the era of 78s to DVDs, were two recent releases as pianist for Arbors Records. The two albums were Swinging With Strings and Legends (with Bucky Pizzarelli). He also served as conductor of The New York Pops with Maureen McGovern on With a Song in My Heart: The Great Songs of Richard Rodgers for Reader's Digest and Centaur Records. (Info from Wikipedia)
Henderson was sentenced on January 17, 1975 to 6 months
in prison and fined $10,000. He began serving his sentence at a
minimum-security Federal prison on April 9, 1975 and was released after four
months, on August 4, 1975.In 1983, he founded The New York Pops orchestra, which makes its home at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He served as the music director and conductor of the orchestra until his death in 2005. Henderson also conducted numerous symphonic orchestras throughout the world.
Among his hundreds of recordings, spanning the era of 78s to DVDs, were two recent releases as pianist for Arbors Records. The two albums were Swinging With Strings and Legends (with Bucky Pizzarelli). He also served as conductor of The New York Pops with Maureen McGovern on With a Song in My Heart: The Great Songs of Richard Rodgers for Reader's Digest and Centaur Records. (Info from Wikipedia)
