Edgar "Puddinghead" Battle, born Edgar William Battle on October 3, 1907, in Atlanta, Georgia, was a renowned American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. He was proficient in playing the trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and piano. Battle hailed from a musical family, with his father playing bass and piano and his mother playing guitar, which significantly influenced his musical upbringing.

Battle began his musical journey early, forming his own band, the Dixie Serenaders, while still a student at Morris Brown University in 1921. The band later became known as the Dixie Ramblers. He performed with notable musicians such as Eddie Heywood Sr. and toured with the 101 Ranch Boys traveling show. Throughout the 1920s, Battle collaborated with artists like Gene Coy, Andy Kirk, Blanche Calloway, Ira Coffey, and Willie Bryant.

In the early 1930s, Battle moved to New York City, where he worked with Benny Carter and Sam Wooding and joined George White's ensemble on Broadway. He became a prolific studio musician and arranger, writing for legends such as Cab Calloway, Paul Whiteman, Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Rudy Vallee, and Count Basie. During World War II, Battle worked as an electrician in a shipyard while managing a big band with Shirley Clay.

In the 1950s, Battle founded Cosmopolitan Records, providing recording opportunities for talented but overlooked musicians. Despite the rise of rock & roll in the 1960s, he maintained a part-time big band. Among his notable compositions are "Topsy," co-composed with Eddie Durham, and "Doggin' Around," with Herschel Evans.

Edgar Battle passed away on February 6, 1977, in New York City at the age of 69, leaving behind a legacy as a versatile and accomplished figure in the jazz world.