WSMV Channel 4 Longtime bandleader Doc Severinsen plays in Nashville

Longtime bandleader Doc Severinsen plays in Nashville

Nashville Symphony-goers are getting a taste of Latin music with a jazz flair from an unscheduled artist this weekend.

Marvin Hamlisch canceled due to illness, and trumpeter Doc Severinsen graciously agreed to perform for three nights.

Many remember Doc from his 30-year stint on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Severinsen retired in 1992 and now lives in Knoxville, but he didn't stay retired long.

He plays with a group of musicians called the San Miquel Five.

"I've always had a good feel for Latin. So when I moved to Mexico and found these guys playing in a restaurant, they asked me to join up with them, it felt like the thing to do," Severinsen said.

They didn't have a clue who he was, and they had never heard of the Tonight Show.

Severinsen says he's having the time of his life, and he'll celebrate his 85th birthday in July.

"I got lucky with genes from my parents, I guess. My mother lived to be 101. And if she'd taken better care of herself, she'd have lived a lot longer, too," he said.

Doc Severinsen and his band play two more nights, Friday and Saturday, at the Schermerhorn.

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