Charles Richard Cathcart (November 6, 1924 – November 8, 1993) was an American

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

trumpet player who was best known as a member of ''

The Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1 ...

'' in which he appeared from 1962 to 1968. Cathcart was born in

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City- La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined st ...

, United States. He was a trumpeter for the U.S. Army Air Force Band and a member of big bands led by

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the young ...

Ben Pollack Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 – June 7, 1971) was an American drummer and bandleader from the mid-1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to employ musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland, ...

, and Ray Noble. After World War II, he moved to Los Angeles. His friend

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sgt. Joe Friday in the ''Dragnet'' franchise, which he created. He was a ...

was playing the part of trumpeter Pete Kelly in the movie '' Pete Kelly's Blues'' and told Cathcart he should supply the music. The band from the movie stayed together in the 1950s for performances and recordings under the name Pete Kelly's Big Seven. Cathcart also supplied music for the TV show '' Dragnet'', which starred Jack Webb as Joe Friday. He spent much of his career as a musician on ''

''. On the Welk show, he met Peggy Lennon, a singer with

the Lennon Sisters The Lennon Sisters are an American vocal group made up of four sisters. The quartet originally consisted of Dianne (aka DeeDee; born Dianne Barbara, December 1, 1939), Peggy (born Margaret Anne, April 8, 1941), Kathy (born Kathleen Mary, Augu ...

, and the two married.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathcart, Dick 1924 births 1993 deaths American trumpeters American male trumpeters Deaths from cancer in California Dixieland jazz musicians Musicians from Indiana People from Michigan City, Indiana 20th-century American musicians Lawrence Welk 20th-century trumpeters American male jazz musicians 20th-century American male musicians