Tommy Newsom
Thomas Penn Newsom, known as Tommy Newsom, was born on February 25, 1929, in
Portsmouth, Virginia, and was a saxophone player. He served in the United States
Air Force during the Korean War and earned a degree from the Peabody
Conservatory of Music. Newsom began his music career touring with the Benny
Goodman Orchestra. He joined The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as a
saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra, later becoming assistant director. He
frequently substituted for Doc Severinsen and won two Emmy Awards for music
direction, in 1982 for Night of 100 Stars and in 1986 fo...
