Chuck Berghofer

b. Charles Curtis Berghofer, 14 June 1937, Denver, Colorado, USA. Born into a musical family (his grandfather had played with John Philip Sousa), Berghofer began playing trumpet at the age of eight, by which time his family had moved to California. He played various other brass instruments before turning to the double bass in his mid-teens. An admirer of Ralph Peña, he persuaded the older man to give him lessons. Two years after taking up the bass, Berghofer joined the orchestra led by Skinnay Ennis for a Midwest tour. He then joined pianist Bobby Troup where he remained for a...