Captain Edwin Ellsworth Peabody (February 19, 1902 - November 7, 1970) was an American musical entertainer. His career spanned five decades and he was perhaps the most famous plectrum (4 string) banjo player ever. He was also known professionally as "Little Eddie", "King of the Banjo", and "Happiness Boy".
Early career
Born in Reading, Massachusetts, Eddie taught himself to play the violin, mandolin, guitar and banjo, at a very young age. He entered the U.S. Navy in March 1916 aged fourteen after lying about his age. He served in World War I on an S-14 submarine. It was during this period that he earned the nickname "Happiness Boy." After his discharge from the Navy in 1921 he began a long career in show business, beginning with vaudeville. He visited England in the 1930s and made several recordings for the Columbia Company. Whilst there he helped to promote the banjo by visiting BMG clubs (Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar clubs) which were very active in the years up to the Second World War. When the U.S.A entered the war Eddie became a morale officer for the U.S. Navy. He already held the rank of commander and he was subsequently engaged to play shows to bring the servicemen "a touch of home". When the war finished, Eddie went about restarting his concert career. Most of the Vaudeville halls had closed down and musical tastes had changed. However, in 1948, I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover, a hit from the 1920s, was resurrected by the Art Mooney Orchestra and created interest in both nostalgic music and the banjo. Eddie capitalised on this by signing to Dot Records and made over half a dozen albums for them. He took his act around supper clubs that were popular at the time, and TV made him a household name, once again. He also produced records and appeared in films. He was, and still is, regarded as the most popular banjo player of his generation.
Later accomplishments
He developed, with the Vega Banjo Company of Boston, a new type of "deep resonator" for the four-stringed banjo called the Vegavox, based on the zither banjo. The Vegavox has been produced mainly in four-stringed plectrum (22 frets) and tenor (19 frets) models; however, some five-stringed models were created and sold as special orders.
Eddie also developed a special type of electric guitar, first with the Fender Company and then with Rickenbacker, called the Banjoline. This instrument is tuned as a plectrum banjo but with the 3 and 4 string doubled in octaves, similar to the way a 12 string guitar is strung. The Banjoline is now a very rare and highly-priced collector's item, although very seldom used today in live performances.
At some point in the 1920s, a music critic nicknamed Peabody "The King of the Banjo" because of his frenetic playing style which involved fast triplets and cross-picking, made some listeners think he was playing two banjos at once. The nickname "King of the banjo" stuck for the rest of his life.
Eddie Peabody served in the U.S. Navy during WWII as a Lt. Commander in charge of the music/band department at the Great Lakes Training Station near Chicago, Illinois.
During his career Eddie played not only shows for paying concert customers, servicemen etc. but also for kings, queens, potentates, dukes, duchesses, one dictator and presidents.In 1968, President Eisenhower awarded him a distinguished "People to People" Award for Meritorious Service in both the military and show business.
Personal life
During the 1930s he married Maude Kelly, who was also his business manager at the time, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1939. In 1940 he married Ragna Kaupanger, a Norwegian-American nurse and flight attendant for United Airlines. Eddie and Ragna had two children, Eddie Jr., and George.
Eddie continued to play live until his death in 1970 at age 68, due to a brain hemorrhage he suffered while on stage at "The Lookout House" supper club in Covington, Kentucky. His wife, Ragna Peabody, died in 2002.
Bibliography
Lowell H. Schreyer, The Eddie Peabody Story
Other useful information by Eddie Peabody III, grandson of Eddie Peabody, along with the surviving members of his family.
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excellant playing did you notice mickey rooney playing a banjo with him in one of the photos
bingcro 9 months ago
About 6 months ago I watched Pirate Party on Catalina Isle (1936), an MGM short available on YouTube, which has a bunch of stars in it, among them Eddie Peabody, who plays Anchors Aweigh, backed by the mass banjos of Rue Tyler's Banjo Band. This was my first introduction to Eddie and I was instantly won over. It was good to find out more about him through this excellent video.
aldiboronti 1 year ago
After attending an old time music gathering I got out my plectrum, after watching this I'm inspired to practice to play more. Thanks
Itsagasdude 1 year ago
@blondiebanjo007 Music like this can only come from a GOOD person---GREAT!!!
geraldmiller1 1 year ago
Okay, I found the award, which Eisenhower started after he left office, so 1968 is a likely date after all.
I'll sit in the corner and savor the music now.
Hikikomori013 1 year ago
May I assume President Eisenhower gave him an Award for Meritorious Service in 1958, rather than 1968?
The performance is pretty incredible. He was quite an artist.
Thanks for the biography.
Hikikomori013 2 years ago
The letter at 7:10 was to my dad.....and just to share, for all of you who love his music,
Eddie was the most wonderful person.....
so generous with his time and talent.....
humble, a real class act all the way !!!!!!!!!!
i speak from knowing him........Eddie P.
inspired my career........When you enjoy his
great playing, just know this was one heck of a great and genuine fellow......the great Banjo King, EP !!!!
Thanks for doing this Sean......jlm
blondiebanjo007 2 years ago
dam... i really want some of his shit on vinyl.. but cant find anywhere..
growthless 2 years ago
Marvellous pictorial, Sean, of the man who created the template for all plectrum banjoists who followed. Thank you.
97951 2 years ago
Nice job Sean. Thanks for porying it up.
delorme42 2 years ago