Donn Young Bio

www.79thArmyBand.org - The Unofficial Website of Former Band Members 1964-1967

DONN YOUNG
Trombone & Piano

I was born in New York, moved to Ohio, then to New Jersey, back to Ohio and then back again to New Jersey where I graduated from high school. Being basically a solid C-minus student who knew his way around several musical instruments (trombone, baritone horn, piano & sousaphone), I enlisted in the Army in 1964 rather than almost certainly flunk out of college. That would come later.

It was originally intended that I join the US Military Academy Band at West Point as a trombone player, but after attending the US Naval School of Music (thank you Uncle Sam) and travelling up to West Point, it was decided that I was really too young and inexperienced at barely 18 years old to be in such an elite band that was staffed by mostly career Army musicians, which I had no intention of being. Therefore I became a “Bandsman Unassigned” and entered the Army lottery for reassignment. After choosing Germany as my duty assignment, I found myself at the 79^th where I was lucky enough to get to know all of you and have as much fun as I could have without straying too far off-limits.

After my 18 months with the 79^th I was reassigned to the 173^rd Army Band at Fort Dix, New Jersey which was close to my hometown. It was there that I became friends with famous jazz & fusion drummer Billy Cobham. At about this time I had decided to change my career ambition from that of a symphony trombonist to that of a jazz musician. On Billy’s recommendation I applied to Berklee School of Music in Boston and to North Texas State University. I was accepted to both but chose to go to North Texas where I played in the famous Lab Band program, trombone in one and piano in another.

While at North Texas I was surrounded by some of the best student and professional musicians in the country and being a willing student picked up a ton of education and experience. Through another student there, Tom “Bones” Malone – a member of the famous SNL Blues Brothers band, I landed a road gig with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra led by Lee Castle. After a gig with them in New York City, I sat-in with the Glenn Miller Orchestra led by Buddy DeFranco which was playing at the Plaza Hotel and was hired on the spot so I left the Dorsey band and went on the road with the Miller band. I became the lead trombone in the band and essentially became Glenn Miller night after night. What a tight band that was and did I ever have chops after 4 hours of playing every night, 7 nights a week, week after week.

I ultimately left the Miller band and returned to Texas for awhile, leaving occasionally to go on tour for Motown with groups like Smokey Robinson, the Supremes and the Four Tops. When in town I played a lot of house band gigs around Dallas and Fort Worth.

But all good things must come to an end and I returned to New Jersey for a day gig working for my father and playing either trombone or piano anywhere from 3 to 5 nights a week around the New York metropolitan area. During this time I learned piano tuning and repair and it quickly became a full-time profession.

In 1984, just after I’d turned 38 years old, I finally got married to my wife of (now) 25 years, Wendy (much to my parents’ relief) and relocated myself and my business to the western suburbs of Philadelphia. Then just before my 44^th birthday my first daughter, Robin, was born followed 4 years later by another daughter, Laurel. So now, at 62 years old, I have a freshman in high school and a freshman in college. Ironically, my oldest daughter, a talented singer & songwriter, is a student at Berklee in Boston where I almost went myself.

I have given up playing professionally but get together once a week with several other musician friends for a night of good jazz and great bourbon. I play mostly piano now but still pick up the horn on occasion. I learned piano tuning & technology back in the 70’s and am now a Registered Piano Technician doing a lot of piano tuning and piano restoration. I rebuild mostly Steinway grands and have had customers from as far away as the UK and California send their pianos to me. I have tuned for such diverse artists as jazzers Dave Brubeck and Joanne Brackeen, piano rock group Something Corporate, concert pianists Andre Watts and Emanuel Ax and maestros Christoph Eschenbach and Wolfgang Sawallisch. None of them ever complained to my face.

I think back to our days in the 79^th with a smile on my face. Those were some good times, special times, and I miss the feeling of camaraderie and the friendships that I developed there. I was one of the younger players in the band and I realize what a wonderful opportunity it was to associate with people older and more experienced than myself. Good memories such as these last a lifetime.

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