Tommy Newsom “Mr Excitement” has passed away at the age of 78.
Tommy was Doc Severinsen’s assistant director of the Tonight Show Band for years. He was dubbed Mr Excitement due to his laid back personality and his conservative style of clothes, as compared to Doc.
Rip, Tommy.
And he was a great sax player.
And funny, in a really dry way. He was rubbing at something at his eye once, and Johnny asked him what he had in his eye. Without ever cracking a smile, Newsom immediately said “a pubic hair”. (It was bleeped, of course, but it as easy to tell what he had said.) Johnny was in stitches and I don’t think Tommy ever cracked a smile.
RIP - you made me smile many times.
Damn. Tommy Newsom and Tom Poston within a couple of days. Both genuinely nice men and huge losses to entertainment.