Jack Sheldon, Jazz Trumpeter and ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ Singer, Dies at 88

The star of “The Merv Griffin Show” may be best remembered for singing classics like “Conjunction Junction” and “I’m Just a Bill”

jack sheldon
Photo by Brian McMillen

Jack Sheldon, a jazz trumpeter who had a career as a TV performer in the 1960s and ’70s and sang classic “Schoolhouse Rock” tunes, died on Dec. 27 at age 88, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Long recognized for his trumpet playing, Sheldon was also a singer and TV performer. He lent his gentle voice to classic “Schoolhouse Rock” animated shorts such as “Conjunction Junction” and “I’m Just a Bill.”

For nearly two decades on “The Merv Griffin Show,” he not only performed in the band but served as an on-camera foil to the host.

He even co-starred in the mid-’60s CBS sitcom “The Cara Williams Show” and then headlined his own series, “Run, Buddy Run,” which lasted just a single season in the late ’60s.

As a trumpeter, he may be best remembered for his work on “The Shadow of Your Smile,” the theme to the 1965 Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton film “The Sandpiper” that won both a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Oscar for Best Original Song.

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