Conrad Gozzo

Joseph Conrad Gozzo ( born February 6, 1922 in the New Britain (Connecticut ); † October 8, 1964 in Los Angeles ) was an American trumpeter of swing and popular music and studio musician.

Gozzo studied with his father, the then-known trumpet teacher Jimmy Gozzo. In 1938 he had his first job in the band of Isham Jones. Then he played with Red Norvo, Johnnie Scat Davis, from 1939 to 1941 in the band of Bob Chester, 1941/42, with Claude Thornhill and three months in the band of Benny Goodman. During World War II he was in the Navy Band of Artie Shaw. After the war, he was back at Goodman and 1946 in the first " flock" by Woody Herman. He played with Boyd Raeburn and Tex Beneke, before settling in 1947 in Los Angeles. There he played four and a half years in radio shows with Bob Crosby. Later, he was a sought-after studio musician, member of the NBC Hollywood orchestra. He starred in numerous television shows such as the Dinah Shore Show, is known as " Lead Trumpet " and soloist in the soundtrack of many films to hear (including Ben Hur (1959 ), Benny Goodman Story, Glenn Miller Story and Cleopatra ), played among other with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin ( both on his albums as well as regularly for at least the first three days in their Las Vegas shows), the recordings of his friend Henry Mancini, with Stan Kenton, Les Brown, Ray Anthony, Red Skelton and many other. He died of a heart attack.

His nickname was " Gopher " ( gophers ), for example, immortalized in his composition " Gopher Mambo " for Billy Wilder's " The Front Page ". Another nickname was "The Goz ".

He also played for example in The Complete Harry James on Hi- Fi (1955 /56, alongside James himself ). Gozzo himself made only one album recording, Gozz the Great in 1955 for Victor.

He married the singer of the Claude Thornhill big band Betty Clare, with whom he had two children.