Biography
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Born
30 November 1931
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Born In
Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, United States
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Died
27 December 2019 (aged 88)
Jack Sheldon (born November 30, 1931) is an American Jazz trumpeter, singer, and actor.
Sheldon was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He originally became known through his participation in the West Coast "Cool" Jazz movement of the 1950s, performing and recording with such figures as Art Pepper, Gerry Mulligan and Curtis Counce.
In the 1960s Sheldon starred in his own TV series, Run Buddy Run, and led the band on the Merv Griffin TV show. He also made numerous appearances on the 1967-70 version of the Jack Webb television series Dragnet.
His voice is perhaps best known from the popular Schoolhouse Rock cartoons of the early 1970s, such as "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just A Bill." Sheldon also appeared in a documentary film about the life of fellow Lazz trumpeter Chet Baker called Let's Get Lost.
Sheldon also guest voiced on The Simpsons episode "The Day the Violence Died" as a parody of Schoolhouse Rock's "I'm Just a Bill". In this he is just an "amendment to be."
As of 2007, Sheldon is still active and performing. Look for the California Cool Quartet in Glendale, Los Angeles, The Valley and all over Southern California.
(2) One of the great jokesters in jazz (whose spontaneous monologues are as hilarious as they are tasteless), Jack Sheldon's personality has sometimes overshadowed his excellent trumpet playing and effective vocals. Sheldon started playing professionally at age 13. He moved to Los Angeles in 1947, joined the Air Force and played in military bands. After his discharge, Sheldon became a popular figure on the West Coast, playing and recording with many top musicians including Jimmy Giuffre, Herb Geller, Wardell Gray, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, Curtis Counce, and Art Pepper. He worked as an actor in the 1960s (including starring in the short-lived television series Run Buddy Run), was seen nightly on The Merv Griffin Show, and in the 1970s and '80s he performed with Benny Goodman, Bill Berry's big band, in the studios, and with his own groups. He also made his mark on millions of American children by being the vocalist for both "Conjuction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill" from the Schoolhouse Rocks! series. Into the mid-'90s, Jack Sheldon (who often uses a big band arranged by Tom Kubis) remained quite active in the Los Angeles area, recording regularly for Concord and his Butterfly label. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi
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