Bobby Byrne joined the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra at 16, then became trombone soloist in Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra following their split in 1935. Byrne formed his own band in 1940, hiring Don Redman as arranger in 1941. He entered military service in late 1942 and, after training, served as a P-47 pilot as well as a military band leader.

Byrne organized another band after he completed military service in 1946 and stayed active until the demise of the traditional band business in the late '40s.

The "free-lance" jazz clubs in the NYC area attracted both Byrne and Bobby Hackett and they became regulars in this field. Later on, when Patti Page recorded the equivalent of a two-year series of TV programs,   Byrne performed on the series as a musician. An extended stint as bandleader on the Steve Allen TV show also included weekly appearances (as a musician) on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade (three years), the Perry Como TV show (11 years), and the Milton Berle TV show (three years).

Byrne was extremely busy in the recording studios during this period--up to two, three, or four sessions a day. He was then offered a position with the Grand Award Recording Co. (a division of ABC Records) and spent the next nine-plus years rising to the position of Director of Artists and Repertoire, Command Records.

The business world beckoned in the early '70s, in which he worked (away from music) until he retired in the late '80s.