Couple enjoy, live the music
Whether you consider them a perfect pair or in perfect harmony, Ernie and Judi Carlson sure know their music. For the past five years, Ernie Carlson has been at the helm of Tuxedo Junction, the big band sound of the area, while his wife, Judi, has performed as the lead singer of this well-known Inland Empire group.
It was in 1999 while living and working in Los Angeles that the Carlsons decided that there was some place “in front of us” they explained. Heading up Interstate 5 to Portland, they thought of Coeur d’Alene and decided to make a diversion to Idaho. It was love at first sight, and soon they purchased a house in Post Falls and became Realtors.
Judi started at an early age singing in the Sunday school choir but her wonderful voice eventually got her to performing at the Hollywood Palladium. She delighted patrons at Disneyland for more than 20 years singing at the Golden Horsehoe as Lily Langtree.
It was Tex Beneke, formerly of the Glen Miller Orchestra, who heard her perform with a big band in Los Angeles and decided to include her in his extensive worldwide tour with his famous Tex Beneke Orchestra. She also was featured as a soloist with bands of Harry James, Ray Anthony, Les Brown and Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey. Beneke would go on years later to be the best man at their wedding.
It was in 1994 that Judi met Ernie, a studio trombone player at a “gig,” and it was instant harmony. Ernie, a Montana native, had headed to L.A. to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician but soon became very busy in the studios. Over the next 32 years, he recorded with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow and Tony Bennett. He performed on soundtracks with the famous composers John Williams, Nelson Riddle and Henry Mancini.
It was after playing at the 71st Academy Awards in 1999 that Ernie and Judi decided to come to what they call “God’s country,” Coeur d’Alene. Shortly after arriving, they found Rich Malone and joined his group, the Fabulous Big Band. In 2001 it reorganized as Tuxedo Junction, and Ernie took over as the lead.
“Music,” he says, “is so much of who we are. What I really missed sitting in California was playing ‘Stars and Stripes Forever’ in a park with little kids running around.”
Ernie brought the experience he gained under the famous ballroom musician, Orrin Tucker, to Tuxedo Junction. “We feed the energy to the dancers and them to us, and it becomes a partnership of music and dance,” he explains.
Judi says it’s important to provide a “legacy” of music to the next generation of musicians, vocalists and intrustmentalists. That is why Tuxedo Junction encourages high school and college students to play with the band.
She says the money Tuxedo Junction raises during the year goes toward scholarships for young musicians. Whether it is for music education or musical instruments, the band gets hundreds of requests for scholarships each year from students from across the Pacific Northwest.
Ernie and Judi don’t just enjoy performing the music, they live the music and love playing in front of an audience. “If we have fun, our audience has fun,” Judi says. “We’re all in this together and we’re all in this to have fun and get better,” says Ernie.