21 fans
Donald Arthur "Don" Rader was born on October 21, 1935, in Rochester, Pennsylvania. He began playing trumpet at age five under his father's tutelage. Rader joined Woody Herman and His Orchestra in 1959, followed by stints with Maynard Ferguson and Count Basie. In the 1960s he moved to New York City and later Los Angeles, where he worked as an arranger for various bands including Louis Bellson, Harry James, Terry Gibbs, Frank Foster, Stan Kenton, and Les Brown. Rader led his own formations in the 1970s and collaborated with European radio orchestras. Notable recordings include Polluted Tears (1972) and A Foreign Affair (1992). He taught at institutions including the Sydney Conservatory of Music and the University of Redlands. Rader passed away on April 18, 2023, in Van Nuys, Los Angeles.
