Albert Edwin Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was an American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in Chicago jazz, he also played piano and sang. He also owned a self-named night club in New York City.

Early years

Condon was born in Goodland, Indiana, the son of John and Margaret (née McGraw) Condon. He grew up in Momence, Illinois, and Chicago Heights, Illinois, where he attended St. Agnes and Bloom High School. After playing ukulele, he switched to banjo and was a professional musician by 1921.

When he was 15 years old, he received his first union card in Waterloo, Iowa.

Career

He was based in Chicago for most of the 1920s, and played with such jazz notables as Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, and Frank Teschemacher. They later would frequent the Sunset Café to see Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five for the same reasons.

In 1928, Condon moved to New York City. which were nationally broadcast. These recordings survive, and have been issued on the Jazzology label.

left|thumb|Eddie Condon guitar from the Music Division at the [[Library of Congress in 2025]]

From 1945 through 1967, he ran his own New York jazz club, Eddie Condon's, first located on West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village,

Condon toured and appeared at jazz festivals until 1971. His last public appearance was at the New School for Social Research in New York in April 1973 where he played with several of his regulars. The concert was recorded (Chiaroscuro Records CRD110).

During most of his career Condon played and recorded using a four-string guitar. However he never made a solo with this instrument, at least not on record.

Personal life

Condon married fashion copywriter Phyllis Smith (1903–1986) in 1942. They had two daughters, Maggie and Liza.

Death

On August 4, 1973, Condon died of a bone disease at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, New York. He was 67. His funeral was held at Frank E. Campbell Chapel in Manhattan. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

Discography

In addition to these albums, Condon made 78 RPM recordings from the 1920s to the 1950s; labels included Brunswick and Commodore.

  • Ringside at Condon's (Savoy, 1956)
  • Louis Armstrong and Eddie Condon at Newport (Columbia, 1956)
  • Confidentially...It's Condon (Design, 1958)
  • Dixieland Dance Party (Dot, 1958)
  • Eddie Condon is Uptown Now! (MGM, 1958)
  • Tiger Rag and All That Jazz (World Pacific, 1960)
  • A Legend (Mainstream, 1965)
  • Eddie Condon's World of Jazz (Columbia, 1971; compilation of Condon and others from the pre-LP era)
  • The Eddie Condon Concerts (Chiaroscuro, 1972)
  • Jazz at the New School (Chiaroscuro, 1972)
  • The Spirit of Condon (Fat Cat's Jazz, 1973)
  • The Immortal Eddie Condon (Olympic, 1974)
  • The Best of Eddie Condon (MCA, 1975)
  • Eddie Condon in Japan (Chiaroscuro, 1977)
  • Eddie Condon Wild Bill Davison Jam Session (Jazzology, 1980)
  • Eddie Condon and His Jazz Concert Orchestra (Jazz Bird, 1981)
  • That Toddlin' Town (Atlantic, 1985)
  • The Town Hall Concerts (Jazzology, 1988–1996)
  • Dixieland Jam (Columbia, 1989)
  • The Definitive Eddie Condon and His Jazz Concert All-Stars Vol. 1 (Stash, 1990)
  • A Night with Eddie Condon Kenny Davern with Eddie Condon (Arbors, 2001)
  • Eddie Condon & Bud Freeman: Complete Commodore and Decca Sessions (Mosaic, 2015)

References

  • Eddie Condon (1905–1973) Red Hot Jazz Archive
  • Eddie Condon papers, 1905–1973, The New York Public Library
  • Eddie Condon recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.