Thomas "Bones" Malone (born June 16, 1947) is an American jazz musician, arranger, and producer. As his nickname implies, he specializes on the trombone but he also plays saxophone, trumpet, tuba, flute, and bass guitar. He has been a member of The Blues Brothers,

Saturday Night Live Band The Saturday Night Live Band (referred to in the closing credits as The Live Band) is the house band of the NBC television program '' Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Role on ''Saturday Night Live'' The band consists of mostly jazz, R&B, a ...

Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura N ...

, and the CBS Orchestra, the house band for the '' Late Show with David Letterman''.

Early life

Malone was born in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, Hawaii. His father, Odie Malone, was a U.S. Navy pilot who survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Malone graduated from

North Texas State University The University of North Texas (UNT) is a Public university, public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private Normal school, teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 y ...

with Lou Marini, who would also become a member of the Blues Brothers band. Both were members of the

One O'Clock Lab Band One O'Clock Lab Band is an ensemble of the Jazz Studies division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton, Texas. Since the 1970s, the band's albums have received seven Grammy Award nominations, including two for ''Lab 2009''. ...

at North Texas.

Career

He began playing professionally as lead trumpeter for

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed onl ...

at a club in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

while enrolled at the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

. In response to a call from Warren Covington, leader of the

Tommy Dorsey Orchestra Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

, he began contracting musicians. After transferring to North Texas State University, Malone continued working as both a player and a contractor for groups. After graduation, Malone worked in bands of

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

(1969), Duke Pearson (1970), Louie Bellson (1971), Doc Severinsen, Frank Zappa (1972), and

(1973). In 1973, Malone began a close, fifteen-year association with

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role i ...

, whom he has called a mentor. He recorded albums with Evans and toured Europe, Japan, and the Far East. In 1975 Malone toured with

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the ''Mode ...

and in 1976 with The Band. He also contributed to the band Blood, Sweat & Tears on their albums 3 and 4. After he was heard performing with Ten Wheel Drive and Genya Ravan, he received a call from ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' a late-night comedy television program. From 1975 to 1985 he worked as arranger for ''Saturday Night Live'' and from 1981 to 1985 as musical director. He wrote the chart for the skit that introduced

John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...

and Dan Aykroyd as the Blues Brothers. He appeared in the movie version and in 1993 reunited with

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both ''Late Ni ...

, who worked for Saturday Nigh Live, and

Will Lee William Lee (born William Lubovsky; August 6, 1908 – December 7, 1982) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television and film roles, but was best known for playing Mr. Hooper, the original store proprietor of the eponymous Hoope ...

, who was a member of the CBS Orchestra. He worked on the film score for '' Blues Brothers 2000''. He joined the CBS Orchestra on November 1, 1993, and contributed more than 1,600 arrangements to the '' Late Show with David Letterman''. As a studio musician, he has been heard on more than 1,000 records, more than 3000 radio and television commercials, and over 4,000 live television shows. He has played themes for '' CBS This Morning'', '' Murder, She Wrote'', and the

1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...

. His solo album, ''Soul Bones'', includes guest appearances by Paul Shaffer and

John Popper John Popper (born March 29, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter, known as the co-founder, lead vocalist, and frontman of the rock band Blues Traveler. Early life John Popper was born in Chardon, Ohio. His father was a Hungarian immig ...

of Blues Traveler. Additional film credits include ''

The Last Waltz ''The Last Waltz'' was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ''The Last Waltz'' was advertised as The Band's "farewell concert a ...

'' and ''

Sister Act ''Sister Act'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Paul Rudnick (as Joseph Howard). It stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to join a convent after being placed in a witness protection program. I ...

''. In 2007 Malone was invited by music director

Geoffrey Moull Geoffrey Moull is a Canadian professional conductor. He was principal conductor of the Bielefeld Philharmonic Orchestra and music director of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Education Geoffrey Moull was born in London, Ontario, Canada and ...

to arrange and perform a concert with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. In 2011 Malone was guest artist with the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra.

Discography

As leader

* ''Standards of Living'' (Big World Music, 1991)

As sideman

With The Blues Brothers * ''Briefcase Full of Blues'' (Atlantic, 1978) * ''Made in America'' (Atlantic, 1980) * ''The Blues Brothers'' (Atlantic, 1980) With

* '' The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix'' (

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

, 1974) * '' There Comes a Time'' (RCA, 1976) * '' Live at Sweet Basil'' (

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

/Electric Bird, 1985) * '' Live at Sweet Basil Vol. 2'' (King/Electric Bird, 1986) With Spyro Gyra * ''Morning Dance'' (Infinity, 1979) * ''Catching the Sun'' (MCA, 1980) * ''Carnaval'' (MCA, 1980) * ''Freetime'' (MCA, 1981) With others *

Jan Akkerman Jan Akkerman (born 24 December 1946) is a Dutch guitarist. He first found international commercial success with the band Focus, which he co-founded with Thijs van Leer. After leaving Focus, he continued as a solo musician, adding jazz fusion in ...

, ''Jan Akkerman 3'' (Atlantic, 1979) *

Average White Band The Average White Band (also known as AWB) are a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million-selling instrumental track " Pick Up the Pieces", and their album ...

, ''Warmer Communications'' (Atlantic, 1978) * The Band, ''Islands'' (Capitol, 1977) * The Band, ''The Last Waltz'' (Warner Bros., 1978) * Gato Barbieri, ''Ruby, Ruby'' (A&M, 1977) * Bob Belden, ''Purple Rain'' (Somethin' Else, 1994) * Bob Belden, ''When Doves Cry'' (Metro Blue, 1994) *

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

, ''In Your Eyes'' (Warner Bros., 1983) * Carla Bley, ''Night-glo WATT'' (Works/ECM, 1985) *

, ''No Sweat'' (Columbia, 1973) * Hiram Bullock, ''World of Collision'' (Big World Music, 1994) * Hiram Bullock, ''Try Livin' It'' (ESC, 2003) * David Byrne, ''Rei Momo'' (Luaka Bop, 1989) * Ron Carter, '' Parade'' (Milestone, 1979) *

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first ja ...

, ''Journey to Love'' (Nemperor, 1975) * Stanley Clarke, ''School Days'' (Epic, 1991) *

, ''A Funky Thide of Sings'' (Atlantic, 1975) *

Willie Colón William Anthony Colón Román (born April 28, 1950) is an American salsa musician and social activist. He began his career as a trombonist and also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in the politics of New York City. Colón ...

, ''The Good, the Bad, the Ugly'' (Fania, 1975) * Paulinho da Costa, ''Happy People'' (Pablo, 1979) *

Jorge Dalto Jorge Dalto (July 8, 1948 – October 27, 1987) was a pop, jazz and Afro-Cuban music pianist from Argentina, and the former musical director and keyboardist (together with Ronnie Foster) for George Benson, contributing the acoustic piano intro a ...

, ''Chevere'' (United Artists, 1976) *

Eumir Deodato Eumir Deodato de Almeida (; born 22 June 1942) is a Brazilian pianist, composer, arranger and record producer, primarily in jazz but who has been known for his eclectic melding of genres, such as pop, rock, disco, rhythm and blues, classical, ...

, ''Very Together'' (MCA, 1976) *

Fania All-Stars The Fania All-Stars is a musical group formed in 1968 as a showcase for the musicians on Fania Records, the leading salsa music record label of the time. History Beginnings In 1964, Fania Records was founded in New York City by Jerry Masucci, a ...

, ''Spanish Fever'' (Columbia, 1978) * Robben Ford, ''The Inside Story'' (Elektra, 1979) * Aretha Franklin, ''Get It Right'' (Arista, 1983) * Michael Franks, ''Tiger in the Rain'' (Warner Bros., 1979) * The J. Geils Band, ''Freeze-Frame'' (EMI, 1981) * Levon Helm, ''Levon Helm and the RCO All-Stars'' (ABC, 1977) * Levon Helm, ''Levon Helm'' (ABC, 1978) *

, ''Heavy Exposure'' (Cadet, 1969) * Woody Herman, ''Double Exposure'' (Chess, 1976) * Terumasa Hino, ''Daydream'' (Flying Disk, 1980) *

Janis Ian Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink; April 7, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966/67 hit "Society's Child, Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" an ...

, ''Aftertones'' (Columbia, 1975) *

James Ingram James Edward Ingram (February 16, 1952 – January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song. After beginning his career ...

, ''Never Felt So Good'' (Qwest, 1986) * Joe Jackson, ''Will Power'' (A&M, 1987) *

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art hist ...

, ''Guts for Love'' (Epic, 1982) * Chaka Khan, ''Destiny'' (Warner Bros., 1986) * B. B. King, ''There Must Be a Better World Somewhere'' (MCA, 1981) *

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...

, ''Soul of a Man: Al Kooper Live'' (MusicMasters, 1995) *

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm- ...

, ''Say It with Silence'' (Columbia, 1978) *

Webster Lewis Webster Samuel Lewis (September 1, 1943 – November 20, 2002) was an American jazz and disco composer, arranger and keyboardist. Career Lewis was born in 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland. At a young age, his family encouraged him to take up music. L ...

, ''On the Town'' (Epic, 1976) *

Ralph MacDonald Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) was a Trinbagonian-American percussionist, songwriter, musical arranger, record producer, steelpan virtuoso and philanthropist. His compositions include "Where Is the Love", a Gra ...

, ''Counterpoint'' (Marlin, 1979) * Chuck Mangione, ''Main Squeeze'' (A&M, 1976) *

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (inclu ...

, ''Astral Island'' (Atlantic, 1983) * David Matthews, ''Dune'' (CTI, 1977) *

Paul Mauriat Paul Julien André Mauriat ( or ; 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006) was a French orchestra leader, conductor of Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat, who specialized in the easy listening genre. He is best known in the United States for his mill ...

, ''Overseas Call'' (Philips, 1978) *

Marilyn McCoo Marilyn McCoo (born September 30, 1943) is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group the 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series '' Solid Go ...

& Billy Davis Jr., ''Marilyn & Billy'' (Columbia, 1978) *

Van McCoy Van Allen Clinton McCoy (January 6, 1940 – July 6, 1979) was an American musician, record producer, arranger, songwriter, singer and orchestra conductor. He is known for his 1975 internationally successful song " The Hustle". He has approximat ...

, ''My Favorite Fantasy'' (MCA, 1978) *

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, United States, McGriff started playing pi ...

, ''The Mean Machine'' (Groove Merchant, 1976) *

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

, ''Ms. Magic'' (Del Rack, 1986) *

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

, ''Dead Ringer'' (Cleveland/Epic, 1981) *

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...

, ''Secret Story'' (Geffen, 1992) * Bette Midler, ''Thighs and Whispers'' (Atlantic, 1979) *

Barry Miles Barry Miles (born 21 February 1943) is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subjects of the 1960s London underground and counterculture. He is the author of numerous books and his work has also regularly appeare ...

, ''Sky Train'' (RCA Victor, 1977) * Bob Mintzer, ''Source'' (Agharta, 1982) * Elliott Murphy, ''Night Lights'' (RCA Victor, 1976) *

Chico O'Farrill Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill (October 28, 1921 – June 27, 2001) was a Cuban composer, arranger, and conductor, best known for his work in the Latin idiom, specifically Afro-Cuban jazz or "Cubop", although he also composed traditional jazz pieces a ...

, ''Latin Roots'' (Philips, 1976) *

Charlie Palmieri Carlos Manuel "Charlie" Palmieri (November 21, 1927 – September 12, 1988) was an American bandleader and musical director of salsa music. He was known as the "Giant of the Keyboards". Early years Palmieri's parents migrated to New York from Po ...

, ''Con Salsa y Sabor'' (Cotique, 1977) * Lou Reed, ''New Sensations'' (RCA Victor, 1984) *

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

, ''Speak No Evil'' (RCA Victor, 1976) *

Vicki Sue Robinson Vicki Sue Robinson (May 31, 1954 – April 27, 2000) was an American theatre and film actress, and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, " Turn the Beat Around". Early life Bo ...

, ''Never Gonna Let You Go'' (RCA Victor, 1976) * Dom Um Romao, ''Hotmosphere'' (Pablo, 1976) *

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 19 ...

, ''Taking Off'' (Warner Bros., 1975) * David Sanborn, ''Heart to Heart'' (Warner Bros., 1990) *

Mongo Santamaria Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tributa ...

, ''Afro-Indio'' (Vaya, 1975) *

, ''Live from New York!'' (ProJazz 1986) * Saturday Night Live Band, ''Jupiter'' (Electric Bird, 1987) *

, ''Coast to Coast'' (Capitol, 1989) *

Marlena Shaw Marlena Shaw (born Marlina Burgess, September 22, 1942) is an American jazz, blues and soul singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music has often been sampled in hip hop music, and used in television ...

, ''Take a Bite'' (Columbia, 1979) * Carly Simon, ''Spy'' (Elektra, 1979) *

Lonnie Liston Smith Lonnie Liston Smith Jr. (born December 28, 1940) is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with such jazz artists as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of ...

, ''Exotic Mysteries'' (Columbia, 1978) *

Jeremy Steig Jeremy Steig (September 23, 1942 – April 13, 2016)Peter Keepnews, "Jeremy ...

, ''Firefly'' (CTI, 1977) *

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

, ''Bad for Good'' (Epic/Cleveland, 1981) * Joss Stone, ''Mind'' (Body & Soul, 2004) * Tina Turner, ''Love Explosion'' (United Artists, 1979) * Stanley Turrentine, ''The Man with the Sad Face'' (Fantasy, 1976) * Bonnie Tyler, ''Holding Out for a Hero'' (CBS/Sony, 1984) * Luther Vandross, ''Forever, for Always, for Love'' (Epic, 1982) * Jeremy Wall, ''Stepping to the New World'' (Amherst, 1992) * Bruce Willis, ''If It Don't Kill You It Just Makes You Stronger'' (Motown, 1989) * Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps, ''Babyface Strikes Back'' (Wing and a Prayer, 1977) * Johnny Winter, ''Step Back'' (Megaforce, 2014) * Frank Zappa, ''Zappa in New York'' (WEA, 1977) * Frank Zappa, ''Leatherette'' (Lunar Toones, 1978) * Frank Zappa, Imaginary Diseases (Zappa, 2006)

References

External links

Tom Malone profile
at AllAboutJazz.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Tom 1947 births Living people Musicians from Hattiesburg, Mississippi Musicians from Honolulu 21st-century trombonists American jazz trombonists American trombonists Blood, Sweat & Tears members Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band members Jazz musicians from Mississippi American male jazz musicians Male trombonists Saturday Night Live Band members The Blues Brothers members University of North Texas College of Music alumni University of Southern Mississippi alumni