A brilliant technician with a beautiful tone and a wide range, Ernie Royal spent most of his career in the anonymous settings of studio bands, uplifting the music but only gaining fame among those in the music industry. The younger brother of altoist Marshall Royal (who was nine years older), the trumpeter picked up early experience playing in Los Angeles with Les Hite & His Orchestra (1937-1938) and with Cee Pee Johnson (1939). Both of the Royal brothers were with Lionel Hampton & His Big Band (1940-1942) and Ernie Royal hit the famous screaming high notes on the original Ham...