Bobby Rosengarden, musician on 'Dick Cavett Show'; at 82

LOS ANGELES -- Bobby Rosengarden, a versatile drummer and percussionist who recorded with the likes of Duke Ellington and Jay and the Americans and spent many years as an NBC staff musician before moving to ABC in the late 1960s as the bandleader for "The Dick Cavett Show," has died. He was 82.

Mr. Rosengarden died of kidney failure Feb. 27 in a hospice in Sarasota, Fla., said his son Mark.

A former Army band drummer during World War II, Mr. Rosengarden played drums with the Henry Busse band for about a year after the war. After moving to New York, he played with the Alvy West band and was house drummer at the Copacabana and at Bill Miller's Riviera, a top nightclub in Fort Lee, N.J.

By the early '50s, he was a staff musician at NBC, where, among other things, he played drums with the NBC Symphony Orchestra and in the band on the "Tonight" show with Steve Allen, "The Steve Allen Show," "The Ernie Kovacs Show," "Sing Along With Mitch," and "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

During this period, Mr. Rosengarden also was a studio musician. As a percussionist, he played the triangle on the Ben E. King hit "Stand By Me," and played bongos on Harry Belafonte songs. He later played conga on "She Cried" for Jay and the Americans and finger cymbals, triangle, and tambourine on an Arlo Guthrie album.

He also played drums during a recording session with the Columbia Jazz Band conducted by composer Igor Stravinsky in 1965.

In 1968, Mr. Rosengarden moved to ABC as the bandleader on Cavett's daytime talk show and then, beginning in 1969, Cavett's late night show.

Mark Rosengarden said his father "always knew he was in the supporting role" when he worked as a drummer. But, "The opportunity to be the bandleader meant he could pick the music, suggest musical guests for the show, and use his sense of humor more and be the center of attention more."

Mr. Rosengarden's band of top New York musicians played for an array of singers who appeared on the show, including Fred Astaire, who sang a medley of the tunes for which he was famous.

Mr. Rosengarden also became known for providing amusing entrance music for Cavett's diverse guests -- so-called play-ons.

There was, for example, the time a sex therapist walked onstage and the band played "I Can't Get Started." When artist Salvador Dali appeared, the band launched into "Hello, Dolly!"

Then there was the guest who was a specialist on ants.

"Bobby played him on with the theme from 'Picnic' -- I mean, nobody but a few people got that joke," said David Barnhizer, the original director of Cavett's show. "Paul Shaffer of the 'Letterman' show does witty play-ons, but Rosengarden was the king of the play-on."

A native of Elgin, Ill., he also was a member of the World's Greatest Jazz Band, the Soprano Summit, and Gerry Mulligan's combo, among others.

Dividing his time between his homes in Longboat Key, Fla., and New Canaan, Conn., Mr. Rosengarden continued to play until about 2003.

Both of Mr. Rosengarden's sons are musicians -- Mark is a drummer and Neil is keyboard and trumpet player.

In addition to his sons, Mr. Rosengarden leaves his wife, Sharon; four grandsons; and his sister, Joan Meyer.