Gordon Jenkins enjoyed sizable fame as an arranger, conductor, composer, and bandleader from the '30s through the '60s. He began as a multi-instrumentalist freelancing on radio, then became a prolific arranger, contributing to sessions by
Isham Jones,
Benny Goodman,
Lennie Hayton, and others. He conducted
The Show Is On in 1935 on Broadway. After a stint with Paramount, he worked for NBC in Hollywood from 1938-1944 and was
Dick Haymes' arranger for four years after that. He became the managing director for Decca and had several hits for the label in the late '40s and '50s. He's noted for spotting
the Weavers folk group in the Village Vanguard in the early '50s, getting them a recording session and later backing them. He supported other stars such as
Louis Armstrong,
the Andrews Sisters, and
Haymes in the '50s. Later he was
Judy Garland's conductor for an English concert, and then
Nat King Cole's arranger and conductor for a time.
Jenkins won a Grammy in 1967 for the
Frank Sinatra album
September of My Years.
–
Ron Wynn, Rovi