Ramsey was born in
North Dakota, but grew up in
Kelso, Washington. He graduated from the
University of Portland and had his own 1940's-style big band on a Washington radio station. Ramsey later did West Coast tours with singers such as
Mel Tormé. He also did studio work for
NBC and
20th Century Fox and conducted concerts at venues in the UK, Israel, Germany, and Austria. He has performed on
The Ford Show and
The Jimmy Durante Show. Ramsey and his wife Elaine and their children moved to
Los Angeles in 1956. His California debut took place in 1958 with
Ferde Grofe at the
Hollywood Bowl. Under the direction of Ramsey, the Cal Lutheran orchestra and choir performed at the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with musicians such as
Marni Nixon,
Roger Williams,
Gordon MacRae and
Florence Henderson. He conducted concerts for 18 years at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. In 1992 Ramsey received the Don Triunfo Award from the Conejo Historical Society. He received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from California Lutheran University in 2009. ==References==