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Buddy Morrow was born Muni Zudekoff on February 8, 1919 in New Haven, Connecticut. Receiving a scholarship at age 16, he studied trombone with Ernest Horatio Clarke at Juilliard from October to December 1936. During the next year he began playing trombone with Sharkey Bonano’s Sharks of Rhythm, an Eddie Condon group. He then worked with Eddy Duchin, Vincent Lopez, and Artie Shaw.

In 1938 Muni became known as Buddy Morrow when he joined the Tommy Dorsey band. The following year he performed with Paul Whiteman’s Concert Orchestra for their recording of Gershwin’s Concerto in F. In 1940, Morrow joined the Tony Pastor band, but this was only a short detour on his way to replacing Ray Conniff in the Bob Crosby band. Shortly after, he joined the U.S. Navy, during which he recorded with Billy Butterfield, leading a ten-piece band with three trombones, accompanying Red McKenzie singing four arrangements, including Sweet Lorraine and It’s the Talk of the Town.

After demobilization, Morrow joined Jimmy Dorsey’s band, then went into radio freelancing as a studio musician. He began conducting sessions, which introduced him to bandleading. RCA Victor sponsored him as director of his band in 1951. The band’s first hit, Night Train by Jimmy Forrest, was a hit in rhythm and blues.

Morrow was a member of The Tonight Show Band. His early 1950s records such as Rose, Rose, I Love You and Night Train appeared on the Billboard magazine charts. Night Train reached No. 12 in the U.K. Singles Chart in 1953. In 1959 and 1960 Morrow’s Orchestra released two albums of American television theme songs: Impact and Double Impact respectively.

In 2009 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Trombone Association. He led the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra from 1977 through 2010, when he appeared with the band for the final time. Over the course of his career he recorded 18 albums as a leader and 30 as a sideman. Trombonist, arranger, composer and bandleader Buddy Moorow, who was also known as Moe Zudekoff, passed away on September 27, 2010 in Maitland, Florida.

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