Background
The son of Mr. and Mississippi E.C. Ennis, he was born Edgar Clyde Ennis Junior. in Salisbury, North Carolina and had a brother, James W. Ennis.
conductor bandleader jazz musician
The son of Mr. and Mississippi E.C. Ennis, he was born Edgar Clyde Ennis Junior. in Salisbury, North Carolina and had a brother, James W. Ennis.
He met Hal Kemp while attending the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. An obituary reported about Ennis and his orchestra, "His band had performed in every major dance palace in the nation." Ennis joined Kemp"s orchestra as a drummer and vocalist in the late 1920s, playing with him through 1937 including one tour of Europe in 1930. In 1938, Ennis put together his own band, which became a popular ensemble in Hollywood films.
"Got a Date With an Angel" was his theme song.
During this time Gil Evans was one of his arrangers. Toward the end of the 1950s Ennis"s career had faded, and he worked mostly in hotels in the Los Angeles area.
Ennis began performing comedy routines, and in 1938 he landed a job on Bob Hope"s radio program, appearing as a regular until he entered the Army. He returned to Hollywood bandleading at the war"s end and joined the Abbott and Costello radio program during the 1946-1947 season.
Ennis joined the Army in 1943, serving as a "warrant officer in charge of a 28-piece band" during World World War World War II Ennis choked to death on a bone while eating dinner at a restaurant in Beverly Hills in 1963.
The two were members of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity there.
