Thomas Penn Newsom (February 25, 1929 – April 28, 2007) was a saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, for which he later became assistant director.
His conservative brown or blue suits were a marked contrast to Severinsen's flashy stage clothing.
[2] He served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War where he played in the band.
[3] Newsom joined the Tonight Show Band in 1962, and left it when Carson retired in 1992.
He arranged for groups as varied as the Tonight Show ensemble and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and musicians Skitch Henderson, Woody Herman, Kenny Rogers, Charlie Byrd, John Denver, and opera star Beverly Sills.