By Gregory Crofton
Born in 1927 in an old western town in Oregon, Doc Severinsen has seen a lot of life, and pretty much all of it has been with a trumpet in his hand.
The 30 years he worked on “The Tonight Show” alongside Johnny Carson was a fun gig that paid well, but it wasn’t the beginning or end of his story. At the age of nine, Severinsen won a state trumpet competition. Ever since his life has been focused on pursuing excellence in all things trumpet.
Nowadays he’s at the gym three days a week to keep his “core” in shape so he can make his horn do what he wants it to. He mentors, he forms bands, tours and offers his own custom line of trumpets. It’s hard to believe he really is his age.
“Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story” was the perfect documentary to discover at the Nashville Film Festival, held virtually this year from Oct. 1 – Oct. 7, and known for its music-oriented programming.
“Never Too Late” is being distributed by ro*co films. You can find it playing at film festivals around the country. Check out the trailer below and visit Doc’s website.