Murray McEachern

Murray McEachern was renowned for the beautiful tones that he had on his two instruments of choice: trombone and alto. McEachern actually started out on violin when he was five before learning several brass and woodwind instruments while in high school. He was a natural musician who developed quickly, and he was in local orchestras while still a teenager; he could also play trumpet, tenor, tuba and bass. McEachern played trombone with Benny Goodman's big band from 1936-37, and then played both trombone and alto — an unusual double — with the Casa Loma Orchestra from 1937-41. A brief stint with Paul Whiteman preceded his move to Los Angeles, where McEachern became a greatly in-demand studio musician for decades, appearing on many film soundtracks. He emerged from the studios now and then, playing with Harry James in 1943, leading his own part-time orchestra, gigging with Bob Crosby, performing on the television series Pete Kelly's Blues in the late '50s and playing with Duke Ellington in 1973. McEachern led the Tommy Dorsey ghost band from 1974-76 and, if the Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey bands had been combined, he could have filled in ably for both brothers.