Skitch henderson biography of mahatma

Born Lyle Russell Cedric Henderson on January 27, , in Birmingham, England; died on November 1, , in New Milford, CT; came to U.S. after mother's death, became U.S. citizen during World War II; married Faye Emerson (an actress), (divorced ); married Ruth Einsiedel, ; children: Hans, Heidi.

Education: Studied at London Conservatory of Music; studied music theory with composer Arnold Schoenberg in California.

As musical director for the Tonight show during its first decade of existence, bandleader and conductor Skitch Henderson became a familiar figure in American living rooms.

His career blossomed as he worked as the music director for some of the top pop vocalists of the middle twentieth century, including Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, who gave him his catchy nickname. Henderson moved easily between the pop and classical music genres.

He remained active in the classical field, especially its lighter "pops" branch, for many years after leaving NBC, working well into old age