by Ted Gottsegen
Tommy was Jimmy's younger brother and the more temperamental of the two. He was generally blamed for the feuding between the two that eventually brought about the demise of the Dorsey Brothers band. As a youngster, Tommy shared the same musical gift as his older brother and was equally adept at both trumpet and his main instrument the trombone.

Tommy was a hot player at heart, having recorded a few hot sides by 1927 and continued to play with smaller ensembles throughout his career. During the 1930's after the break-up of the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra Tommy formed his own group from the remnants of the old Joe Haymes' Orchestra. During this period Tommy also led a number of smaller hot groups that were formed with members of the big band. He also freelanced and played with a number of legendary jazzmen including Louis Armstrong, Mezz Mezzrow, George Wettling, Jack Teagarden, Red Allen, Eddie Condon and Pops Foster.

In 1953 the Dorsey Brothers reunited when Jimmy joined Tommy's band. From 1955-'56 the Brothers had their own show on the CBS network, "Stage Show," which gave them nationwide coverage.