Shorty Sherock

An excellent swing trumpeter, Shorty Sherock was never a major name but he was a strong asset to several big bands. He worked locally in Gary, Indiana while in high school and attended the Illinois Military Academy. Sherock gigged with Charlie Pierce, Dell Coon, Ben Pollack (1936), Frankie Masters, Jacques Renard, Jack Pettis, Seger Ellis and Santo Pecora. His first major job was with Jimmy Dorsey (1937-39) where he was a key soloist and appeared in a couple of film shorts. Sherock also had associations with the orchestras of Bob Crosby (1939-40), Gene Krupa (fairly prominent during 1940-41 where he preceded Roy Eldridge), Tommy Dorsey, Raymond Scott, Bud Freeman, Bob Strong, Alvino Rey and Horace Heidt. Sherock, who took several swing/dixieland solos at the first Jazz At The Philharmonic concert in 1944, led his own bands on an occasional basis during 1946-48, he rejoined Jimmy Dorsey briefly in 1950 and then became a studio musician in Los Angeles. Sonny Sherock, who recorded in later years with Matty Matlock (1958) and Benny Carter (1962), was active into 1979 in the studios but always a bit underrated in the jazz world. Other than six titles with his big band in 1947, his only record date as a leader resulted in four titles with a septet of mostly Harry James sidemen in 1946. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide