ArtistInfo

Eddie Dunstedter

org, 1897-1974 US
Musician / Composer of Pop
A.k.a. Edward Jacob "Eddie" Dunstedter

Eddie Dunstedter (1897 - 1974) American composer and organist who's recording career, as both a featured organ player or with albums of his own, spanned three decade from 1930 to the 1960's. Born in Missouri in 1897, Eddie showed an early interest in the organ. He was just nine years old when he began his career as an organist accompanying silent movies in his home town. As a teenager, Eddie went to work for the Kilgen Organ factory, where he not only helped erect the instruments before final shipment, but demonstrated their capabilites to prospective customers. By the time both the century and Eddie had reached their twenties, his career had commenced. His first big theatre opportunity came at the Capitol Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. From here it was only a short time before he was called to appear at the Garrick, the State, and finally at the large four manual Wurlitzer located in the 4,400 seat deluxe Minnesota Theatre. Radio made Eddie a national celebrity when he was engaged to play the WCCO studio Wurlitzer and conduct an orchestra in a program known as "The Gold Medal Fast Freight". He was heard over the CBS radio network from coast to coast, being introduced with the slogan, "The Master Makes Melody". From here, Eddie was called to Hollywood to both play the organ and serve as musical director for many top shows. Among the productions on which he worked were "Suspense", "Johnnie Dollar", "The Lineup" and others too numerous to mention. As these shows moved to television, Eddie moved with them. During this time, he also started scoring and directing for motion pictures. One of his movie credits was the music score for the 1953 schlock horror movie "Donovan's Brain" (with future First Lady Nancy Davis nee Reagan in the cast). In the late 1950s, Dunstedter was signed by Capitol Records and recorded several pipe organ albums ("Pipes And Power", "Where Dreams Come True", "Pipe Organ Favorites"). Throughout the summer of 1959, Dunstedter was entrenched in the famous Capitol Studios building in Hollywood to record his first Christmas album - "The Bells Of Christmas". Released in both mono and "Full Dimensional Stereo" at Christmas, 1959, Dunstedter could have been content knowing his first Christmas album was a success. After several years of other releases, Capitol and Dunstedter thought the time was right for yet another Christmas album. Throughout the summer of 1963, Dunstedter was yet again at the famous Capitol Studios building in Hollywood, busy arranging and recording his second Christmas album "The Bells Of Christmas Chime Again" For this album, Eddie chose several standards and a few contemporary songs and gave it the same subtle approach as in the first "Bells Of Christmas" album. Dunstedter had outdone the first album - a rare feat, especially in music. Capitol thought so too and was all set to push the album at Christmas, 1963. A month earlier, in Dallas, Texas, three shots rang out. The country's mood was so sombre over the loss of President Kennedy that Christmas music was looked on as trivial. Capitol went ahead and released the album. It sat on shelves untouched. Two months later (February, 1964), four lads from Liverpool came to America and the whole music landscape changed again. Dunstedter wanted one more chance at a Christmas album and spent the summer of 1965 recording "Christmas Candy". If you read the liners on "Christmas Candy", it tells you that Dunstedter wanted to record jolly fare with this album. From the first track to the last, he gives you a sumptuous bossa nova feast of sounds that are indeed light but plenty filling to the ears. Some time after the release of this album at Christmas, 1965, Eddie Dunstedter said goodbye to Hollywood and took a teaching position at The MacPhail Center of Music in Minneapolis. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, he taught many a new organ player his special bag of tricks and sent them on their merry way before his death in 1974.

Genres

• Pop
• Classical
• World
• Folk
• Soundtrack

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