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Tommy Newsom Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Apr. 28, 2007.

Tommy Newsom, the former backup bandleader on "The Tonight Show" whose "Mr. Excitement" nickname was a running joke for Johnny Carson, has died. He was 78. Newsom died of cancer Saturday at his home in Portsmouth, the city of his birth, according to his nephew, Jim Newsom. Newsom, who played saxophone, joined "The Tonight Show" in 1962 and rose from band member to assistant music director. He retired along with Carson in 1992. Newsom won music direction Emmys for "Night of 100 Stars" in 1982 and "The 40th Annual Tony Awards Show" in 1986. "The Tonight Show" received five Emmy awards during Newsom's years on it. "I hope he will be remembered as a gifted musician," Jim Newsom said Monday in a telephone interview. "I'm sure he will be remembered for his wit and deadpan humor on `The Tonight Show.' And to some of us a certain age, he will always be remembered as Mr. Excitement." That was the name Carson gave Newsom to make light of his low-key personality and drab brown and blue suits -- a sharp contrast to the flashy style of bandleader Doc Severinsen. "He became a running character in Carson's monologue," Jim Newsom said. "Tommy enjoyed that." Not long after the Carson era ended in 1992, Newsom remarked that his image as an ordinary guy was "fairly accurate -- compared to Rambo." "I realize things have to end sometime," Newsom said at the time. "I felt regrets at it ending and there was a sense of relief in a way." Along with his work on "The Tonight Show," Newsom arranged and composed music for Skitch Henderson, Woody Herman, Kenny Rogers, John Denver and other performers. He also released several albums as a bandleader, including "Live From Beautiful Downtown Burbank" in 1978 and "I Remember You, Johnny" in 1996. Newsom was born in 1929 and got his first horn for Christmas at age 8. He graduated from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, then toured with a U.S. Air Force jazz ensemble during a four-year enlistment. Before landing his "Tonight" gig, he toured the Soviet Union and South America with Benny Goodman and played in "The Merv Griffin Show" orchestra. Newsom is survived by his wife of 50 years, Patricia, and their daughter, Candy Newsom.

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bob ericksn

January 31, 2017

In 1957 me & 3 other guys named The Four Saints, a vocal & instrumental quartet joined the Air force Band at Boling AFB,DC. We were not a self-contained group and needed back up players to accompany us. Now, comes the connection.....We got to travel and perform with the Airman of Note for a couple years. During that time is when we got to meet & be friends with one of the nicest persons you would ever want to meet. After our 4 years we got out and went into the BIG SHOWBIZZ for about 10 years. WE broke up & I landed in Columbus ohio. I found out that Tommy was living here but never got to meet up with him again My loss. If you're interested just look up THE FOUR SAINTS> A most refreshing new group 1964, Warner Brothers, and US Air force Band. I have great memories of back then. BOB ERICKSON [email protected]