Eddie Stone

Eddie “Cuspy” (Marble) Stone (b. c. 1907 -- ??) – Vocalist, violinist and bandleader. Eddie Stone grew up in Bicknell, Indiana, where he was an all-state high school quarterback. Then, he played at Purdue, where injuries halted his future in football. While at Purdue, he performed as a violinist and vocalist in a college dance band called the Gold and Black Aces, which traveled widely throughout Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio. In 1928, the Aces made a record on the Gennett label, and it included Stone’s first recorded vocal on “Merry Widow’s got a Sweetie.” In 1929, Stone joined the Otstot Serenaders for a six-month engagement at the Arcadia Ballroom in St. Louis. Immediately following, Stone became a part of the Isham Jones band, of which he was a member until its dissolution in 1936. With Jones, he recorded many vocals for major labels including Victor, Decca, Brunswick, and Vocalion. In short, he was the most popular of Jones’s long string of vocalists. For the next several years, he split his time between leading his own big band, teaming up with Freddy Martin and His Orchestra, and briefly re-joining Jones. Most of his recordings with his own group (nine men and three female violinists) and with Martin were on Bluebird. In addition, recordings of radio shows made by Stone with Freddie Martin are available on CD.