Eddie Gordon is one of those "legends in his own time" that we hear of only once in a great while. Born October 7, 1941, he has done nothing but live, breathe, eat and sleep harmonica ever since. This intense interest has driven Eddie to become so proficient on harmonica that he has mastered them all to perfection. Just name a tune - any tune - and he will play a chord solo: the entire piece, not just a passage. How about a Harmonetta - ask him to play "Rhapsody in Blue", "Galloping Comedians", "September in the Rain", Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No.2", or anything else that comes to mind. You will not stump him - "Never on Sunday", "The Continental", Count Basie's "Cute", or Neal Hefti's "Li'l Darlin'" as chord solos! "Peg O' My Heart"? - Eddie plays a less flashy chord solo, but more musically correct - true to the melody line with proper voicing of the chords. Fluent on chromatic and diatonic harmonicas, Eddie is also master of the Millioniser 2000, the electronic midi harmonica synthesizer invented and marketed by Walter Miller of Switzerland. In fact, Mr. Miller employed Eddie to demo the Millioniser 2000 at various conventions and shows, including the music industry's largest trade show, the Musik Messe in Frankfurt, Germany. To play this instrument properly requires a knowledge of phrasing that is unique to the various synthesized instruments - whether the bowed strings of the violin, the breathing technique of the brass and woodwinds, the glissandos that are also unique to the variety of instruments, or the many percussion instruments available. A very creative musician, incorporating vocal effects as he plays, he will cause you to laugh with excitement and approval as you listen. While playing chord harmonica, lacking a bass player, Eddie will simultaneously sing the bass patterns, whether he is exhaling or inhaling on the chord instrument! As a diatonic artist, don't miss his renditions of Whammer Jammer or Orange Blossom Special, just to name a couple. Of his years with Johnny Puleo's Harmonica Gang, he says, "I had many friends among the players. They took the place of my father - I really had many fathers: people like Carl Ford, Jo Jo DeFulvio, Hal Harmon and Dave Doucette, but most of all, Johnny. They made sure I rested properly and ate properly. Hal Harmon took a special liking to me when I was with the Gang and when the act didn't work out, he took me on and we worked out as a duo. We billed ourselves as the Harmonica Masters and traveled around in an old jalopy . When that broke down we went by bus. I remember doing a show for SPAH 'way back in 1965'. I was quite surprised that there even was an organization doing service toward the harmonica." L-R: Dave Doucette, Eddie Gordon, Frank Marquis, Johnny Puleo, Dom Sgro Tropicana Hotel - Las Vegas, Nevada - 1960   Tony Sgro, Dom Sgro, Eddie Gordon, Frank Marquis Johnny Puleo, Dave Doucette In 1968 he joined a quintet formed by Dave Doucette in Las Vegas, called the Stereomonics. Eddie, an outstanding musician at home on all harmonicas, was cited by Doucette as the "finest chord player ever", while Al Fiore, chord harmonicist supreme of the famed Harmonicats, named Eddie as his "favorite chord player". Pete Pedersen once said that if he ever decided to put another act together, Eddie would be his first choice for chord harmonica. In 1972 Eddie formed a duo with Jimmy Thomas, a young and talented guitarist, and spent many years playing the casinos and clubs of Las Vegas, Reno and Tahoe, and also several years in Anchorage, Alaska as well as Los Angeles, California. Known as Love's Way, they recorded an excellent LP album titled "Alive In Alaska". SPAH was privileged to present Love's Way as special guest artists at the 1985 SPAH Convention in Detroit. Unfortunately, Eddie lost Jimmy to a heart attack in 1987. Other albums Eddie has played on include the last four of the eight Audio Fidelity stereo demo albums recorded by Johnny Puleo's Harmonica Gang in the early 1960's. The pioneer in stereo LP albums, Audio Fidelity chose the Johnny Puleo Harmonica Gang as its artists for one of the first stereo LP's ever recorded - the very first being just a few months previously, by the Dukes of Dixieland, in November 1957!

Additional Photos

In 1988 Eddie teamed up with another young guitarist, Steve Ono, who studied in Los Angeles under several prominent tutors. As a duo, they have been playing Southern and Central California's many fair dates, blues and folk venues, and have produced two albums: "Harmonicas & Guitars" (1995), and "Steve Ono - Voice of a Friend" (1996). The first album has nine selections, all featuring the harmonica, while the second album has ten selections, all of which are original compositions by Steve, and Eddie assists on harmonica on six cuts.

"HARMONICAS & GUITARS"

Nature Boy Minute Waltz Body and Soul Zorba the Greek Godfather Theme Blues By Any Other Name Orange Blossom Special Summertime Comin' Home

"VOICE OF A FRIEND"

This Touch of Home Gypsy in Disguise Voice of a Friend Morning Coffee First Girl No Love at Any Price King of the Passing Chord Garden of Dreams Ba-Ba Blues Serious Man

Recordings Available Both albums by Eddie and Steve are available: Tapes - $10 plus $2 s&h ($3 s&h outside U.S.) CDs - $15 plus $2 s&h ($3 s&h Canada, $4 s&h all other countries) Order from Steve Ono at: Onomuse, Box 168, Fresno, CA 93707 - Tel (559) 266-4762

Check out a Soundbyte Sample of Eddie's chromatic work (CBH 2016) Real Audio (.ra) format:
So Danco Samba (Love's Way) - Recorded 1982 - 187.7kb / 17.43 seconds

 

Eddie Gordon Discography

Johnny Puleo - Encore Italiano! (Vol.5)	Audio Fidelity AFSD-5931	1959	LP
Johnny Puleo - Jewish & Israeli Favorites	Audio Fidelity AFSD-5950	1961	LP
Johnny Puleo - Great Movie Themes	Audio Fidelity AFSD-5969	1962	LP
Johnny Puleo & His Harmonica Gang - Vol.7	Audio Fidelity AFSD-6130	1964	LP
Harmonitalk - Gary Sloan & Clone	Sloan/Gordon Production	1980		CS
Love's Way - Alive in Alaska	Gordon/Thomas Production BKY-844	1982	LP
Eddie Gordon & Friends	Michael F Scott Production	1983		CS
Eddie Gordon	Gordon Production	1985		CS
Harmonicas & Guitars	Gordon/Ono Production	1995		CS	CD
Steve Ono - Voice Of A Friend	Onomuse Records 17658-0001-2	1996		CS	CD
Eddie Gordon - Harmonica Master - Then and Now	KB Enterprises	2002			CD

NOTE: The album titled "Eddie Gordon & Friends" includes Michael Burton on chord harmonica and Danny Wilson on bass harmonica. The album titled simply "Eddie Gordon" includes Eddie's daughter, Leslie Lewis on vocals, and Danny Wilson on bass harmonica. The album titled "Then and Now" includes Johnny O'Brien on diatonic harmonica, Lee Oskar on diatonic harmonica and Danny Wilson on bass harmonica.

  

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Update: September 18, 2007
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