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Soupy was a big-time comedian in his day when he hosted the TV show, "Soupy's On," from 1953-1959. He died recently, and the NY Times had this to say about him:

From 1953 to 1959, while working in Detroit and hosting a late-night television comedy show, "Soupy's On," he made Charlie Parker's "Yardbird Suite" his theme song. He took advantage of all the jazz musicians stopping through town to play local clubs like the Rouge Lounge and the Blue Bird Inn and the Crystal Show Bar. His guests included Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Milt Jackson, Charlie Parker and Clifford Brown; the 1956 film, below, of Brown playing "Lady Be Good" and "Memories of You" on Mr. Sales's show is the only surviving video of one of the greatest performers in the music's history.

The video is simply stunning, since the great trumpeter tragically died at young age of 25, leaving behind a legacy for every trumpet player since to explore. He was loved by all of his fellow musicians and was one of the few jazz men of his era not touched by the heroin epidemic at the time.

As for Soupy's show and the rest of the musicians he showcased,

According to the Detroit Free-Press's jazz critic, Mark Stryker -- who interviewed Mr. Sales about his jazz connections in 1996 -- the live programs were not archived on tape. Almost none of the show is known to survive except for parts of three episodes, saved on kinescope. One of them includes Brown; the other two include the pianists Eddie Heywood and Errol Garner, but those videos haven’t yet surfaced online.

Ah..back in the day when you could hear high-quality music like this performance by Clifford on prime time television. America's true art form used to be known by more Americans thanks to the efforts of those like the late, great Soupy Sales.

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