As the director of The Tonight Show Band during the classic Johnny Carson years, 1967-1992, trumpeter and conductor Doc Severinsen wowed millions of Americans with his virtuosic trumpet playing as well as his flair for outrageous fashions.

Severinsen will open the 2009-2010 Napa Valley Symphony Pops Season at Lincoln Theater Napa Valley Saturday.

A Grammy award winner, Severinsen will conduct the Napa Valley Symphony and also perform in a program titled “El Ritmo de la Vida” (“the rhythm of life”).

Reminiscing from his home in Central Mexico, Severinsen said The Tonight Show “changed my life. I had a very nice career, I made my own records, was successful. Then when Johnny took the show it was night and day.

“Every night we’d hit up the band and Ed (McMahon) would announce Johnny and out would come one of the greatest entertainers of all time. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is the big time!’”

Severinsen said that it felt like the big time, night after night, year after year and that there was never a time that he felt a little down or that he was “just at work.”

After the ‘Tonight Show,’ Severinsen continued to perform and conduct major orchestras throughout the United States and Canada. He held simultaneous titles as the pops director for the Milwaukee Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and the Phoenix Symphony.

While the Napa Valley Symphony has played pops concerts for more than 20 years, this concert opens the fifth consecutive pops season.

“An orchestra is owned by the community as a whole, yet only about two percent of the people in our community want to hear classical music,” said Napa Valley Symphony Conductor Asher Raboy, “Therefore it’s our pleasure and our obligation to create a series for people who love music but don’t necessarily want to hear Beethoven.

“For me it’s fun, as you get to share the stage with stars,” Raboy added, “It’s also terrifying, as jazz people play differently than classical musicians. So there are sometimes 60 of us on stage together who have to stop simultaneously with a cue from a drummer.”

Since moving to Mexico at the end of 2006, Severinsen has kept a busy performance schedule and made new discoveries of some very talented Mexican musicians. On Saturday he will appear with five other artists; their ensemble includes trumpet, violin, guitar, percussion, bass and keyboard.

 “I came to Mexico with retirement on my mind, but when I heard them play I knew that I would be playing with them for some time to come,” Severinsen said. “Latino music, along with the blues, has always been among my favorites.

“I was blown away when I first heard these musicians. They aren’t just really good, they are world-class musicians and we play authentic Latin, Mexican, Cuban, Argentinean, Spanish and gypsy jazz.”

Severinsen has made more than 30 albums, from big band to jazz-fusion to classical.

And what about those outrageous fashions?

“That’s me!” Severinsen said. “I wear things I feel good in; people expect it, I expect it. Knowing who you are is always a good thing, if you don’t know, how can you expect anyone else to know?

“It’s been interesting for me, as people have preconceived ideas as they know about me. They have expectations, and then I come out with my trumpet … all they have to do is sit there and feel it.”

“Doc Severinsen has been a legend and an icon since I was a kid. I watched him many nights for many years. He’s still as great as he ever was.” Raboy added. “There are still snobs who think that classical music is the only music. However, it’s a wonderful experience to discover different genres of music, to get outside our comfort zone. It’s humbling, and it’s a turn-on.”

If you go

• Napa Valley Symphony Pops with Doc Severinsen

• Saturday,  8 p.m.

• Tickets: $49-$89

• Box office: www.napavalleysymphony.org or 226-8742