Eddie Condon

Eddie Condon (b. Goodland, Indiana, November 16, 1904 – d. New York, August 4, 1973) – Banjoist, guitarist and bandleader. Growing up near Chicago, Condon co-led the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans, which, along with his friends the “Austin High Gang,” imitated the sounds of the black artists in the city, namely Joe Oliver and Louis Armstrong. After some success getting his group recorded, he left for New York in 1928 and switched from the banjo to the guitar. In New York, he played in a series of bands with fellow musicians from Chicago including Red Nichols, Red McKenzie, and Joe Marsala. From 1937 to 1944, he played regularly at Nick’s, a bar where he and others fashioned a sophisticated style known as “Nicksieland.” From 1945 to 1967, he owned his own jazz club in New York and at the same time recorded a series of LPs with Columbia Records. He also took groups to England, Japan and Australia in the 1950s and 1960s. Because of his great reputation, he attracted great musicians, such as Pee Wee Russell (clarinet), Vic Dickerson (trombone), Buck Clayton (trumpet), Bud Freeman (tenor saxophone), and Jimmy Rushing (vocals).