Eddie Durham
Eddie Durham, born Edward Durham on August 19, 1906, in San Marcos, Texas, was a pioneering American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer, and arranger. He was a significant figure in the development of the electric guitar in jazz, being the first to record with an electrically amplified guitar in 1935 with Jimmie Lunceford's orchestra. Durham's innovative work in jazz composition and arrangement greatly benefited the orchestras of Bennie Moten, Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, and Glenn Miller.
Durham's early life in San Marcos involved performing with his family in the Durham Brothers Band. By the age of eighteen, he was traveling and playing in regional bands, eventually joining the Blue Devils in 1928 and later Bennie Moten's band. His compositions and arrangements, such as "Topsy," "Moten Swing," and "Swinging the Blues," became jazz standards. Durham also co-wrote "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" in 1938.
In the 1940s, Durham led Eddie Durham's All-Star Girl Orchestra, an all-female African-American swing band. He continued to influence jazz through his arrangements for big bands and his work with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. Durham passed away on March 6, 1987, in New York City, leaving behind a legacy as a key figure in the Swing Era and a pioneer of the electric guitar in jazz.
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