Vincent DeRosa

Vincent Ned DeRosa (October 5, 1920 – July 18, 2022) was an American hornist who served as a studio musician for Hollywood soundtracks and other recordings from 1935 until his retirement in 2008.

Because his career spanned over 70 years, during which he played on many film and television soundtracks and as a sideman on studio albums, he is considered to be one of the most recorded brass players of all time.

"[5] DeRosa contributed to many of the most acclaimed albums of the 20th century, including some of the biggest-selling albums by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, Frank Zappa, Boz Scaggs, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Nilsson, Stan Kenton, Henry Mancini, The Monkees, Sammy Davis Jr., and Mel Tormé.

[9] DeRosa began his professional career in 1935 by substituting for another player in the San Carlo Opera Company's production of La traviata.

When the U.S. entered World War II, DeRosa enlisted before he could be drafted and was assigned to play with the California Army Air Forces radio production unit.

He also appeared on landmark recordings by jazz vocalists, including Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book and Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book, Sammy Davis Jr.'s The Wham of Sam, and June Christy's Something Cool.

[13] As a sideman on rock, blues, and funk records, DeRosa contributed to seminal recordings such as Frank Zappa's first solo album Lumpy Gravy, Boz Scaggs' quintuple-platinum Silk Degrees, and Tower of Power's Back to Oakland, and to rock cult classics such as Harry Nilsson's Son of Schmilsson and Van Dyke Parks's Song Cycle.

He was the hornist on the album The Intimate Bach which received a Grammy Nomination for Best Classical Performance – Chamber Music (1962).

[15] The television programs for which he played include Batman, Bonanza, Dallas, Hawaii Five-O, Peter Gunn, Star Trek, The Rockford Files, and The Simpsons.

Sinatra was not known for openly complimenting his musicians (drummer Irv Cottler once said, "Frank will never come right out and tell you that you swung your ass off"[17]).

In the chapter "Edges of Pop," Ross highlights the famous article and calls the exchange between DeRosa and Sinatra "The sweetest moment in Gay Talese’s classic Esquire profile.

Riddle was deliberate in his choice of sideman,[23] selecting trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, clarinetist Mahlon Clark, and DeRosa for this project.

The album's title song features famous,[24] difficult-to-execute French horn lines, with DeRosa as first chair.

"[26] Mancini had Vince DeRosa in mind when he composed his Academy Award-winning theme to the film Days of Wine and Roses: "For the first yawning notes of this score, he was hearing the solid round tone of studio veteran French horn soloist Vince DeRosa, and that became the voice of solitude in the film.

The list below documents composers and musicians who are publicly acknowledged to have studied with, or been influenced by, DeRosa's teaching or playing.

[40][41] With The 5th Dimension With Laurie Allyn With Laurindo Almeida With American Flyer With Louis Armstrong With Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald With David Axelrod With Hoyt Axton With The Blackbyrds With Vernon Burch With Red Callender With Glen Campbell With June Christy With Stanley Clarke With Nat King Cole With Natalie Cole With Judy Collins With Alice Coltrane With Rita Coolidge With Sonny Criss With Michael Davis With Miles Davis With Sammy Davis Jr. With Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae With John Denver With Teri DeSario With Neil Diamond With Lamont Dozier With Earth, Wind & Fire With Billy Eckstine With The Emotions With Juan García Esquivel With Don Fagerquist With José Feliciano With Clare Fischer With Ella Fitzgerald With Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg With Donna Fuller With Judy Garland With Barry Gibb With Harpers Bizarre With Debbie Harry With Neil Hefti With The Hi-Lo's With Bill Holman With Paul Horn With Freddie Hubbard With Gordon Jenkins With Stan Kenton With Peggy Lee With Henry Mancini With Johnny Mandel With Chuck Mangione With Gap Mangione With Barry Manilow With Shelly Manne With Skip Martin With Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams With Billy May With Les McCann With Carmen McRae With Sérgio Mendes With The Monkees With Mystic Moods Orchestra With Oliver Nelson With Michael Nesmith With Sammy Nestico With Harry Nilsson With Michael Omartian With Lee Oskar With Patti Page With Marty Paich With Van Dyke Parks With Art Pepper With David Pomeranz With Jean-Luc Ponty With Pure Prairie League With Johnny Richards With Minnie Riperton With Mavis Rivers With George Roberts With Pete Rugolo With Pharoah Sanders With Arturo Sandoval With Boz Scaggs With Diane Schuur With Jack Sheldon With Lalo Schifrin With Doc Severinson With Horace Silver With Frank Sinatra With Judee Sill With JD Souther With Duane Tatro With The Temptations With Cal Tjader With Mel Tormé With Tower of Power With Stanley Turrentine With Sarah Vaughan With Paul Weston With Mason Williams With Frank Zappa