Jimmy Henderson (musician)

Jimmy Henderson (May 20, 1921 in Wichita Falls, Texas – June 10, 1998 in New York City) was an American jazz trombonist and bandleader.

Henderson began playing piano at age six and picked up trombone a few years later. By age 13 he had joined a musicians' union and was first chair at the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. He won several trombone competitions by age fourteen and started his own orchestra while still in his teens, in addition to studying at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Soon after he toured with the big bands of Hal McIntyre, Jimmy Dorsey, and Tommy Dorsey.

In 1954 he moved to Los Angeles, where he did copious work as a session musician for some 20 years. Among his credits in the studios was the soundtrack for Bonanza. From 1957 to 1960, he was also a member of Lawrence Welk's orchestra in which he appeared weekly on the Maestro's television show. Concomitantly he led his own orchestra for fifteen years, including on television programs such as the Emmy Awards. In the 1970s he led the Glenn Miller Orchestra ghost band before retiring in 1980.