I just caught a glimpse of my old trumpet teacher, the late Bob McCoy, in this clip from The Tonight Show. He's the bearded trumpet player on the far right. I believe Jimmy Maxwell is next to him, and the late Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar.

Bob played in the NBC orchestra from about 1963 until Carson moved to LA in 1972. He had played lead for Vic Damone & Maynard Ferguson, and was the trumpet player for Sesame Street. He often played five sessions a day in NYC. Most of the NYC Tonight Show wasn't preserved, sadly.

He had so much work he never had to leave NYC, even though Count Basie asked him several times to tour as lead trumpet, and he subbed for Sinatra when Frank was in NYC.

He got the NBC job by subbing for Doc Severinsen (as 1st trumpet) one night on The Tonight Show when Tom Jones was the guest singer. His agent called him the following morning and said "I don't know what you did last night on NBC, but you have a contract there now."

Bell's Palsy effectively ended his playing career, and I never heard him play a note in person. He would make me play my lessons on his own horn, though, a gold-plated King that he said was one of four: two went to Harry James, one to Pete Candoli, and his own.

Every lesson, I'd ask about a different NYC trumpet legend from the glory days, and heard first-person accounts about their playing: Ernie Royal, Joe Newman, Joe Wilder, Jimmy Nottingham, Doc, Bernie Glow, Taft Jordan, Snooky Young...