Edward Durham (August 19, 1906 – March 6, 1987)[1] was an American jazz guitarist,[2] trombonist, composer, and arranger. He was one of the pioneers of the electric guitar in jazz. The orchestras of
Bennie Moten,
Jimmie Lunceford,
Count Basie,[2] and
Glenn Miller took great benefit from his composing and arranging skill.
Durham was born in
San Marcos, Texas, 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[4] with Jimmie Lunceford in "Hittin' the Bottle" that was recorded in New York for
Decca.[5] 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.[6]
^Vacher, Peter (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 674.
ISBN1-56159-284-6.