Harry Gozzard

Harry Roy Gozzard was an American jazz trumpeter. He performed with Sam Donahue. (In an article written by Mike Zirpolo, for Swing and Beyond, Donahue was described as "a superlative tenor saxophone soloist.") Other members of Donahue's band included the former The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson bandleader Doc Severinsen, 1946 Esquire Award winner for Best New Female Vocalist Frances Wayne, Grammy Award-winning vocalist and actress Jo Stafford and popular music arranger Leo Reisman. Gozzard and the Donahue band performed a few times with legendary piano-playing bandleader Count Basie. Basie was featured on four Donahue Okeh recordings made in New York on December 26, 1940.

In William F. Lee's book, American Big Bands, he mentioned that Gozzard was a sideman in the Sonny Burke Orchestra in the early 1940s. They performed at the famous Roseland Ballroom in New York. (Lady Gaga was the last one to perform there before it closed its doors in 2014. The online newspaper Curbed mentioned in an article that the site was redeveloped into a 62-story, luxury apartment building.) At the time, Burke's band recorded for Decca, Okeh and Vocalion.  Gozzard was a part of at least 16 recordings with Burke's band. (In 1938, Donahue went to work with Gene Krupa. Instead of disbanding his orchestra, Donahue turned over the leadership position to Sonny Burke. Around that time, John Hammond, encouraged Burke to bring the band to New York. That’s when they landed a booking at the Roseland and also a recording contract with OKeh. Hammond was instrumental in igniting several musical careers, including those of Count Basie, Bob Dylan, Harry James, Bruce Springsteen, Benny Goodman, Aretha Franklin and others.)

English jazz discographer Brian Rust stated in his book, Jazz and Ragtime Records (1897–1942), that Gozzard was a part of the Jan Savitt Orchestra, in the early 1940s. Four Bluebird recordings were made in Hollywood during his stint with Savitt's band.  Two of the recordings featured the lovely voice of MGM actress and singer Gloria DeHaven. Gozzard joined the Savitt orchestra when Donahue was drafted into the Navy during World War II. When the war ended, Donahue assembled together a cast of top musicians and formed another band. Gozzard and legendary trumpet player Doc Severinsen were two of the members of that band which began in 1946 and ended in 1951. An article in The Morning Call stated that Severinsen "joined the Sam Donahue Orchestra in 1948 and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1949."

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