Eddie Duchin

Eddy Duchin was a popular American pianist and bandleader during the 1930s and 40s. He died of leukemia in 1951. Today, Eddy Duchin is a hot search topic, but I couldn't begin to tell you why. It's funny how sometimes things will just enter the collective conscious and take root.

So if Eddie Duchin is part of your collective conscious today too, let me tell you a little bit about him.

Eddie Duchin was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in either 1909 or 1910, no knows for sure. He started a career as a pharmacist but turned toward music instead and became quite famous for "sweet" big band music during the time of jazz. His musical pioneering paved the way for other band leaders such as Joe Reichman, Dick Gasparre, and Carmen Cavallaro.

Duchin caused a scandal in 1938 with the release f his song "Ol' Man Mose" which caused the record to hit #2 on the Billboard charts. The lyric "bucket" was heard as "f*ck it" which was considered unacceptable and down right vulgar at the time. Sales of the record skyrocketed, go figure.

During World War II Duchin served as a lieutenant in the Navy and died few short years after the war at the early age of 40 or 41, in 1951.

His son, Peter, carried on his father's legacy and became a pianist and popular bandleader too.