Ed Shaughnessy was best known as being the drummer of the Tonight Show Band for 29 years under the leadership of Doc Severinsen. He assembled an impressive résumé, having consistently played with the legends of the genre at an early age. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey on January 29, 1929, Shaughnessy began playing drums at age 14. Five years later he was playing professionally with George Shearing and Bud Powell. His range of credentials includes stints with Charles Mingus, Benny Goodman, and Horace Silver, as well as several symphony orchestras. Shaughnessy led his own big band, Energy Force, and taught at New York University along with conducting drum clinics at Skidmore College in New York. His percussion credits appear on over 500 recordings. Shaughnessy died of a heart attack at his home in Calabasas, California on May 24, 2013; he was 84 years old. ~ Al Campbell, Rovi