Before Eddie Lang, guitar virtuosity was not considered to be an asset in jazz music. But the Philadelphia-born guitarist made the instrument stand out beyond its usual role in providing background color, and displayed a versatility that didn’t leave him limited to any one technique. Born on October 25, 1902, Lang switched to the guitar after years of playing the violin and banjo in his youth, and his prowess was immediately evident.
Lang’s professional career began in the Mound City Blue Blowers in 1924, and regularly collaborated with his childhood friend, violinist Joe Venuti. He also played with greats like Bix Beiderbecke, dueted with Lonnie Johnson, and worked with Bing Crosby in the early 1930s. Venuti and Lang were featured in a segment in the groundbreaking 1930 film King of Jazz, the first movie to implement a pre-recorded musical soundtrack. He released several singles for the Okeh label, and recorded with Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, and Hoagy Carmichael, an indication of his stature and potential. But tragedy struck on March 26, 1933, when Lang died after a botched tonsillectomy in New York City at the age of 30. His work has been compiled several times in the decades after his death, with titles like Jazz Guitar Virtuoso and Pioneers of Jazz Guitar describing his universally-accepted mastery of the instrument.
