Forget all the rumors about listening to the same music as your parents – or even your grandparents for that matter. Throw out the stereotypes about elevator and dental lobby music. They just aren’t true.

Tonight, Stephens Auditorium will come alive when Doc Severinsen & His Big Band make a house call to Ames for an evening of exciting, foot-tapping jazz.

If the name Doc Severinsen sounds familiar but you just can’t place it, recall the days before the late-night talk show wars. The days where there was King Johnny and his court.

Severinsen is best known for being the Grammy Award-winning musical director for the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. He became a member of the Tonight Show Orchestra in 1962 and was named musical director in 1969.

Using the “Tonight Show” as a spring board, Severinsen built himself a reputation and a following in the music industry.

Severinsen said he never really expected to be doing anything else when he was growing up.

“I just grew up thinking I would be a musician,” Severinsen said. “I never had to ask myself what I wanted to do for a living.”

Severinsen said he credits much of his musical talent and knowledge to his parents. “I don’t know how happy I would be if I couldn’t be involved with music. I just like music,” Severinsen said.

In today’s rock ‘n’ roll driven music industry, it would seem very difficult to make your mark performing jazz. But Severinsen has paved his own road with good old-fashioned hard work and dedication. In the upcoming year he will play over 90 concerts, traveling over 200,000 miles.

On top of performing and recording over 30 albums from a variety of musical backgrounds, Severinsen has also teamed up with Dick Akright to design “the ultimate horn,” the Bel Canto.

“I think it’s the old thing, ‘I will not go quietly into the night,'” Severinsen said with a chuckle. “You have to enjoy what you’re doing.”

He stresses his “leave-them-wanting-more” theory every time he takes to the stage.

It is that savvy along with talent, and a quick wit that has propelled Severinsen into the spotlight of the music scene. Severinsen said he attributes his flamboyance as a reason for the jazz revitalization.

Over the years, he said he has noticed many more young people coming out to see his shows.

“You take the average group of people and their main influence is rock ‘n’ roll,” Severinsen said. “You’ve got to go out there with a young attitude. We come out like we are shot out of a cannon.”

Severinsen said he likes performing with the big band because it brings together some of the world’s best musicians, puts them on one stage and allows them to have fun and perform some big band classics. “It’s like a who’s who,” Severinsen said.

To hold the title of one of the busiest entertainers you need to have a side project. Severinsen has definitely got one of those. He was working for a company that manufactured horns when he got the idea to hand craft his own instrument.

“They were into making a lot of horns for a lot of people,” Severinsen said. “And most trumpet players are very into their horns. So a couple of us got together and said, ‘The hell with them — we don’t need them.’ We just wanted to make top quality horns.”

Tonight’s show is the kick-off for Doc Severinsen & His Big Band’s tour which will march eastward, finally ending up in New York.

“I just love music,” Severinsen said. “As long as no one arrests me and says ‘you can’t do this anymore’ I think I should just keep playing.”

Showtime for Doc Severinsen & His Big Band is 7:30 p.m. Tickets for Iowa State students priced at $8, $10 and $12 are available at the Iowa State Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 233-1888.