Edgar Clyde "Skinnay" Ennis Jr. (August 13, 1907 – June 3, 1963) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and pop music bandleader and singer.

Early years

The son of Mr. and Mrs. E.C. Ennis, he was born Edgar Clyde Ennis Jr. in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...

, United States, and had a brother, James W. Ennis. He met

Hal Kemp James Hal Kemp (March 27, 1904 – December 21, 1940) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. Biography Hal Kemp was born in Marion, Alabama. He formed his first band in high school, and by the ...

while attending the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. The two were members of

Delta Sigma Phi Delta Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Delta Sig, is a fraternities and sororities, fraternity established in 1899 at City College of New York, The City College of New York (CCNY). It was the first fraternity to be founded based on religious and e ...

fraternity there.

Orchestras

An obituary reported about Ennis and his orchestra, "His band had performed in every major dance palace in the nation." Ennis joined Kemp's orchestra as a drummer and vocalist in the late 1920s, playing with him through 1938, including one tour of Europe in 1930. In 1938, Ennis put together his own band, which became a popular ensemble in Hollywood films. "Got a Date With an Angel" was his theme song. During this time

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

was one of his arrangers. Toward the end of the 1950s Ennis's career had faded, and he worked mostly in hotels in the Los Angeles area.

Film

Ennis and his orchestra starred in the short 1941 film ''Once Upon a Summertime'' and the film '' College Swing''.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 90. as well as in ''

Blondie Meets The Boss ''Blondie Meets the Boss'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake. Based on the Chic Young comic strip of the same name, the film is the second in the '' Blondie'' series, which ...

'' in 1939. His first film appearance was in the short film, ''Eddie Peabody and his College Chums'' (1929).

Radio

Ennis began performing comedy routines, and in 1938 he landed a job as bandleader on

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

's radio program, appearing as a regular until he entered the Army. He returned to Hollywood bandleading at the war's end and joined the

Abbott and Costello Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in t ...

radio program during the 1946–47 season.

Military service

Ennis joined the Army in 1943, serving as a "

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

in charge of a 28-piece band" during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Personal life

Ennis was married to the former singer Carmene Calhoun for 20 years, and they had one son. The couple divorced in 1959. Ennis, whose nickname originally was "Skinny," changed it to "Skinnay", after it was misspelled that way on the label of a record early in his career.

Death

Ennis

choke Choke may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Choke'' (album), a 1990 album by the Beautiful South * "Choke" (I Dont Know How But They Found Me song), a 2017 song from the album ''1981 Extended Play'' * ''Choke'' (Kiss It Goodbye ...

d to death on a bone while eating dinner at a restaurant in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

in 1963.

References

Other sources

* Bob Conrad, Hal Kemp historian *Certificate of Birth, from the "Office of Register of Deeds", Salisbury, N.C.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ennis, Skinnay 1907 births 1963 deaths American jazz bandleaders Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery 20th-century American musicians People from Salisbury, North Carolina American radio bandleaders Deaths from choking Jazz musicians from North Carolina