Born Clinton O. McMahan in
Dallas, Texas, he moved with his family to
Phoenix, Arizona. He learned to play the trumpet from his mother, who grew up in an
orphanage. After high school, following a stint in the
US Army, he played with
Les Brown's band on
The Steve Allen Show and later toured with Brown's band on overseas
USO tours, usually accompanying
Bob Hope. He married longtime Brown vocalist
Jo Ann Greer. He also played with the
Freddy Martin,
Tex Beneke, Billy Vaughn, and
Stan Kenton bands. He joined
Lawrence Welk and his
Champagne Music Makers in 1966 as first trumpet, performing both on
television show and live concert dates. In 2008 Mickey died at home in
Van Nuys, California, from complications of
neuropathy. He is survived by his three children, Jayme, Bryan, Patrick and stepson Steve Land. ==References==