Henderson, Skitch (actually, Lyle Russell Cedric)
Henderson, Skitch (actually, Lyle Russell Cedric)
Henderson, Skitch (actually, Lyle Russell Cedric), English-born American pianist, conductor, composer, and arranger; b. Birmingham, Jan. 27, 1918. He settled in the U.S. as a youth and pursued his training at the Univ. of Calif, at Los Angeles and at the Juilliard School of Music in N.Y.; among his mentors were Schoenberg (theory and harmony) and Reiner (conducting). He worked in film studios and on the radio. While in military service during World War II, he became a naturalized American citizen. In 1949 he joined the staff of NBC. He became well known as a conductor, composer, and arranger for various television programs, particularly Steve Allen’s show (1954–56) and Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” (1962–66). In subsequent years, he toured as a conductor in the U.S. and Europe, leading concerts of both classical and popular scores. After serving as music director of the Tulsa Phil. (1971–74), he founded the N.Y. Pops Orch. which gave its inaugural concert at Carnegie Hall in 1983.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire