Eddie Baxter (November 23, 1922 – August 21, 1998) was an American organist who provided music for several TV programs and recorded several albums for various labels, most importantly for Dot. Baxter was born in Colorado on November 23, 1922. By the age of ten he was playing piano for dancing classes. He moved to Los Angeles at age 13, and became a professional musician during his teenage years. He intended music as a hobby, enrolling in the pre-med program at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. These plans were interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, which he spent in the Army Air Force. Following his discharge, he did not return to his studies but instead joined

Glen Gray Glenn Gray Knoblauch (June 7, 1900 – August 23, 1963), known professionally as Glen Gray, was an American jazz saxophonist and leader of the Casa Loma Orchestra.''The Mississippi Rag'', "Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra," George A. Bo ...

and the Casa Loma Orchestra. He then joined

Frankie Masters Frankie Masters (born Frank E. Masterman; April 12, 1904 – October 28, 1990) was a big band leader. Elected to the American Federation of Musicians, Local 10 in Chicago, on February 13, 1924, Masters's performance career endured through the 197 ...

where he added arranging duties to his pianist abilities. He began playing the organ, which diversified his career opportunities. He was the organist for ''

The Continental The Continental may refer to: * ''The Continental'' (1952 TV series), a 1952–53 television series on CBS * ''The Continental'' (miniseries), an upcoming television series on Peacock * "The Continental" (''Saturday Night Live''), a recurring sk ...

'' and made an album with

Renzo Cesana Renzo Cesana (30 October 1907, Rome – 8 November 1970, Hollywood, California) was an actor, writer, composer, and songwriter most famed for his title role on the American television show ''The Continental (1952 TV series), The Continental''. He ...

for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. Through the early 1950s, he was the staff organist at NBC's KNBH which meant he played for award presentations, audience participation shows, game shows, variety shows, and even a space program. At night, Baxter played in nightclubs in both Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He became a spokesperson for

Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and N ...

and toured while promoting that air carrier. He then became Lowery Organ Company's resident artist, then subsequently was their representative in the Southern California territory. Later in life he resided in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

. Baxter died August 21, 1998, in

Mission Viejo, California Mission Viejo ( ; corruption of ''Misión Vieja'', Spanish for "Old Mission") is a commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, United States. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities eve ...

. Baxter made a number of pipe-organ records. Some of his earlier efforts were not met with enthusiasm by the trade press, as

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

called them "uninspiring" and gave them 2 stars. 1961 saw Baxter begin a series of

LP record The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

s with Dot and these albums received much improved reviews from Billboard, which gave his albums 4 stars while noting he "played with feeling," maximizing focus on the melody while utilizing minimal production.

Partial discography

* Speak Low (Rendezvous 1301) – 1957 * Temptation (Rendezvous 1302) * This Love of Mine (Rendezvous 1303) * Holiday for Pipes (Rendezvous 1305) * Electronic Pipes (Rendezvous 1306) * The Tasty Touch (Rendezvous 1303) * Wedding Bells (

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

9111) – 1960 * Organ Festival (Dot 25277) * Organ Songs We Love (Dot 25435) – 1962 * Great Organ Themes from Movies and TV (Dot 25436) – 1962 * The Fantastic Sounds of Eddie Baxter at the Lowery Organ (Dot 25551) * More Fantastic Sounds! of Eddie Baxter (Dot 25607) – 1964 * Organ Blues 'N' Boogie (Hamilton 12136) – 1964 * Organ Sounds Indredible (Dot 25706) – 1966 * Organ Melodies of Love (Dot 25708) – 1966 * Super Organ (Concert E-130)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, Eddie Dot Records artists 1922 births 1998 deaths Musicians from Colorado American male organists Imperial Records artists 20th-century organists 20th-century American male musicians United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American organists