Biography

Bobby Rosengarden was born on April 23, 1924 in Elgin, Illinois, USA. He is known for The Ernie Kovacs Show (1961), The Steve Allen Show (1950) and Standing Room Only (1976). He was married to Sharon Lee Rosier and Dorothy Kline. He died on February 27, 2007 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.

He could play bongos, conga, water gong, finger cymbals, musical saw, spoons, and washboard. But his most familiar role was big-band drummer, making musical wisecracks as the band-leader on "The Dick Cavett Show".

He started percussion lessons when he was 4, and later won a music scholarship to the University of Michigan. He played drums in the Army Band during WWII. After the war, he played in nightclubs, developing excellent sight-reading skills. He played with groups led by Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Skitch Henderson, Quincy Jones, and Gerry Mulligan. He backed up Billie Holliday, Carmen McRae, Barbra Streisand, and Tony Bennett.