Former Life Member. Trumpet
(4/17/1938 – 4/29/2016)

by Jack Redmond

Fred, Freddy, or Derf, which was his nickname, died on April 39. His death was unexpected, and a huge loss to the very many who knew and loved him. Fred was one of my oldest and dearest friends, my buddy, my pal. He was like the brother I never had. He was a fine lead trumpet player, and a great pleasure to sit in front of on a band.

We first met in 1958, on the Les Elgart Band, and became close friends almost immediately. That friendship lasted all these years. In 1959-61 we were both on the Si Zentner Band, and recorded the GRAMMY-winning “Up a Lazy River” with him. After a couple of years in the Army, Fred joined the great Harry James Band, and a great one it was back then. After five years with that band, he relocated to Lake Tahoe, where I was already living. Our families, including his two sons, Scott and Andy, and our daughters, Kathleen and Shauna, were very close, and also with others such as Bill Mattison and George Graham.

Back then it was sort of an ex-L.A. musicians’ colony. We all worked on Bill Hitchcock’s Sahara Tahoe Casino house band. I came back to L.A. in 1967, and from 1969 to 2000, Fred and I were members of the Les Brown Band, which included doing all of Bob Hope’s TV and travelling all over the world with him during the Vietnam War. For the past 15 years, we have been band mates on Johnny Vana’s Big Band Alumni.

Fred was a very special guy, a very fine trumpet player, a wonderful friend, and a very dear soul. Rest in peace, old friend.