Skinnay Ennis

Looking for a missing link between cornpone comedian Bob Hope and sophisticated arranger Gil Evans? Look no further than Skinnay Ennis, a man whose nickname appears to be an attempt to make "skinny" look a little fatter. He was born Robert Ennis and was attending university in his home state of North Carolina when he met the first major collaborator in his musical life, Hal Kemp. By the late '20s he was both a member and one of the founders of the orchestra that would become active under Kemp's name. This relationship involved both recording and touring, including trips to Eur...