Doc Wheeler

October 20, 2024

Listen to music from the trombonist, disc jockey, and bandleader Doc Wheeler Morin. Doc was a star of the Avenue music scene during the early 1930s. He was born in Franklin, Indiana in 1910, and grew up in Muncie. By age 18, Doc was living in Indianapolis, performing in the pit orchestra at the newly opened Madame Walker Theatre.

In 1935, Doc started his own orchestra. The band was a hit on the Avenue, playing at neighborhood venues including the Walker Casino, Dee’s Paradise, and the Trianon Ballroom.

During the late 1930s, Doc left Naptown for New York. He found success as bandleader for the Sunset Royal Serenaders, later known as the Sunset Orchestra. In 1941 they cut a series of recordings for RCA’s Bluebird label. Doc’s music influenced some of the biggest stars of big band music, including Tommy Dorsey.