Edward Durham (August 19, 1906 – March 6, 1987) was an American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer, and arranger. He was one of the pioneers of the electric guitar in jazz. The orchestras of

Bennie Moten Benjamin Moten (November 13, 1893 – April 2, 1935) was an American jazz pianist and band leader born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. He led his Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the regional, blues-based orchest ...

, Jimmie Lunceford,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, and Glenn Miller took great benefit from his composing and arranging skill. With Edgar Battle he composed "

Topsy Topsy may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Topsy, a character in the novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' * Topsy, a character in the 2018 film ''Mary Poppins Returns'' * ''Topsy and Eva'', a 1928 film based on ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' * ''Topsy and Tim'', ...

", which was recorded by Count Basie and became a hit for

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

. In 1938, Durham wrote "

I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" is a pop song written by Bennie Benjamin, Eddie Durham, Sol Marcus and Eddie Seiler. It was written in 1938, but was first recorded three years later by Harlan Leonard and His Rockets.

" with Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus, and Eddie Seiler. During the 1940s, Durham created Eddie Durham's All-Star Girl Orchestra, an African-American all female swing band that toured the United States and Canada.

Early life

Durham was born in

San Marcos, Texas San Marcos ( ) is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. San Marcos is within the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area and on the Interstate 35 ...

, on August 19, 1906, to Joseph Durham Sr. and Luella Rabb (née Mohawk) Durham. From an early age, Durham performed with his family in the Durham Brothers Band. At the age of eighteen, he began traveling and playing in regional bands.

Pioneer on the electric guitar

From 1929, Durham started experimenting to enhance the sound of his guitar using resonators and megaphones. In 1935, he was the first to record an electrically amplified guitar with Jimmie Lunceford in "Hittin' the Bottle" that was recorded in New York for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

. In 1938, Durham recorded single string electric guitar solos with the Kansas City Five (or Six), which were both smallish groups that included members of Count Basie's rhythm section along with the tenor saxophone playing of

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...

Discography

As leader

* ''Eddie Durham'' (

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

, 1974) * ''Blue Bone'' ( JSP, 1981)

As sideman

* Bennie Moten, ''Band Box Shuffle'' (2CD) (Hep 1929–32) * Jimmie Lunceford, ''The Complete Jimmie Lunceford Vol. 3, 4, 5'' (Decca, 1935–39) - ''Reissued in Europe by Medià 7'' * Count Basie, ''The Complete Decca Recordings'' (3CD) (Decca 1937–41) *

, ''Lester Young with the Kansas City Five'' (Commodore, 1938) * Glenn Miller, ''The Complete Glenn Miller'' (13CD) (RCA Bluebird 1938–42)

Selected compositions and arrangements

* Bennie Moten: ** "

Moten Swing Moten is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Bennie Moten (1894–1935), American jazz pianist and band leader born in Kansas City, Missouri * Benny Moten (1916–1977), American jazz bassist * Eddie Moten (born 1981), American footb ...

" (1932) (c, a) * Jimmie Lunceford: ** "Rhapsody junior" (1935) with Edwin Wilcox ** "Oh! Boy" (1935) ** "Avalon" (1935) ** "Hittin' the Bottle" (1935) ** "Harlem Shout" (1936) ** "Runnig A Temperature" (1936) ** "Honey Keep Your Mind On Me" (1936) ** "Count Me Out" (1936) ** "Pigeon Walk" (1937) ** "Wham (Re.Bop.Boom-Bam)" (1939) ** "Lunceford Special" (1939) ** "Blues In The Groove" (1939) ** "It's Time To Jump And Shout" (1939) * Count Basie: ** "Time Out" (Decca, 1937) ** "Topsy" (Decca, 1937) ** "Swinging the Blues" (Decca, 1938) ** "

Jumpin' at the Woodside "Jumpin' at the Woodside" is a song first recorded in 1938 by the Count Basie Orchestra, and considered one of the band's signature tunes. When first released it reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' charts and remained on them for four weeks. ...

" (Decca, 1938) * Glenn Miller ** "In The Mood" (RCA Bluebird 1939) ** "Slip Horn Jive" (RCA Bluebird 1939) ** "Wham (Re.Bop.Boom-Bam)" (RCA Bluebird 1939)

References

External links

Eddie Durham recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, Eddie 1906 births 1987 deaths Guitarists from Texas People from San Marcos, Texas Swing arrangers 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century trombonists African-American jazz musicians American jazz guitarists American jazz trombonists American male guitarists American music arrangers Count Basie Orchestra members Harlem Blues and Jazz Band members International Sweethearts of Rhythm members American male jazz musicians Male trombonists Oklahoma City Blue Devils members Swing guitarists Swing trombonists African-American guitarists Burials at George Washington Memorial Park (Paramus, New Jersey) 20th-century American male musicians