Eddie Lang - Biography
Eddie Lang (b. October 25, 1902; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - d. March 26, 1933; New York City) was a guitarist, banjoist, violinist, and composer. Regarded as the Father of Jazz Guitar, Lang was the first to give the guitar a distinctive voice as a solo instrument in popular music and jazz. With highly advanced technical, rhythmic, and harmonic skills, he singlehandedly ushered the instrument into the modern age.
Born Salvatoro Massaro of Italian immigrants living in (South) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the youngest of eight children (4 girls, 4 boys). Eddie Lang attended grade school with Giuseppe Venuti (violinist-Joe Venuti), and studied the violin for eleven years. Self taught on the banjo and guitar, Lang made his first appearance on record in 1923 with the Charlie Kerr Orchestra. He gained some fame for recordings made with the Mound City Blue Blowers, in particular Deep Second Street Blues (Vocalion Records, December, 1924), believed to be the first recorded jazz guitar solo.
Toured England in 1925 with the Mound City Blue Blowers. Made three critical decisions in late 1926: he married, relocated to New York City, and adopted the archtop guitar as his main instrument (Gibson L-4: 1927-1929, Gibson L-5: 1929-1933). In his hands, the latter proved to be a powerful tool that he gave a distinctive voice. It soon became known as the “Eddie Lang sound”, influencing nearly every banjo player of the period to either learn or switch entirely to the guitar.
Lang embarked on a career as a freelance studio musician in New York City (October 1926). He quickly became the most sought after session musician of the day recording hundreds of discs with singers, orchestras, dance bands, jazz groups, blues, and novelty combos (primarily) for the OKeh, Columbia, and Victor record companies (1926-1933). Concurrently, he performed in nightclubs, Broadway pit orchestras, vaudeville, on radio and film soundtracks, in addition to holding down a fulltime position with Roger Wolfe Kahn’s orchestra (1927-28).
Lang, along with Venuti, joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in May 1929. A national celebrity, and savvy self promoter, Whiteman (labeled the “King of Jazz”) led the most successful dance and concert orchestra of the jazz age. The guitarists’ yearlong sojourn with Whiteman (1929-1930) involved a tour America, daily concerts, weekly radio broadcasts, recordings, and a feature spot on the big screen in the Technicolor extravaganza “The King of Jazz.”
As Bing Crosby's personal accompanist and confidant (1931-33), Eddie Lang played an integral role in the singer’s breakthrough as a national solo artist accompanying him on stage, recordings, radio, and films. In addition, Lang participated in a number of film soundtracks (Fleischer/Betty Boop, Ruth Etting, Bing Crosby), and was prominently featured on screen in “The Big Broadcast”, Crosby’s first starring role in a full length motion picture. It was during this time period that Lang brought the guitar to national prominence.
Only days prior to departing for California to begin work on a new Bing Crosby picture (College Humor), Lang died as a result of complications following tonsillectomy surgery.
Eddie Lang participated in some of the most significant recordings in the history of jazz, including sessions with Bix Beiderbecke (Singin’ The Blues), Bessie Smith (Kitchen Man), Lonnie Johnson (Midnight Call), Louis Armstrong (Knockin’ A Jug), and those under his own name (April Kisses; Eddie’s Twister). He was the first guitarist in the pop and jazz fields to record unaccompanied solo’s (A Little Love, A Little Kiss; (Rachmaninoff ) Prelude Op. 3 No. 2), and also participated in the first jazz guitar duets (Feelin’ My Way, Pickin’ My Way). With his boyhood friend and musical partner Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang created a style of presenting jazz as chamber music, bringing a sophisticated and intimate sound to the music of the Jazz Age (Doin’ Things; Goin’ Places).
The name Eddie Lang was synonymous with the guitar for decades. Until the advent of Django Reinhardt in 1934, and Charlie Christian in 1939, Eddie Lang was regarded as the single most important jazz guitarist in the world.
