Edgar Vernon Blanchard (August 17, 1924 – September 16, 1972) was an American
R&B guitarist, bandleader and
arranger
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
who was prominent in the musical life of
between the 1940s and 1960s.
He was born in
Grosse Tête, Louisiana
Grosse Tête (; ) is a village in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 647 at the 2010 census, and 731 at the 2019 American Community Survey. The village name is French for "Big Head". Grosse Tête is part of the B ...
, the son of Elizabeth and Sam Blanchard,
Bob L. Eagle, Eric S. LeBlanc, ''Blues: A Regional Experience'', ABC-CLIO, 2013, p.173
/ref> and learned to play both guitar and banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
. He was stationed in Europe during 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 ...
, and on his return formed his own band, the Gondoliers, named in memory of his time in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. By 1947, he was established as bandleader at the Down Beat club on Rampart Street
Rampart Street (french: rue du Rempart) is a historic avenue located in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The section of Rampart Street downriver from Canal Street is designated as North Rampart Street, which forms the inland or northern border of the Fr ...
, , with Roy Brown as one of his vocalists and Ernest McLean
Ernest J. McLean (March 23, 1925 – February 24, 2012) was an American rhythm and blues and jazz guitarist.
Career
Born in New Orleans, McLean was the son of musician Richard McLean, who played banjo in a government music project band, a ...
as a second guitarist.[ Colin Larkin, "Edgar Blanchard", ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of The Blues'', Random House, 2013]
/ref>[ Biography, ''AllMusic.com'']
Retrieved 9 September 2015
Blanchard's band was known for his ability to play in a range of styles.[ They first recorded in ]Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, in 1949, for Don Robey
Don Deadric Robey (November 1, 1903 – June 16, 1975) was an American record label executive, songwriter, and record producer. As the founder of Peacock Records and the eventual owner of Duke Records, he was responsible for developing the caree ...
's Peacock Records
Peacock Records was an American record label, started in 1949 by Don Robey in Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United Stat ...
, but his recordings were not successful and he returned to New Orleans where – with Dave Bartholomew
David Louis Bartholomew (December 24, 1918 – June 23, 2019) was an American musician, bandleader, composer, arranger, and record producer. He was prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century. Originally ...
— he was a resident bandleader at the Dew Drop Inn Dew Drop Inn may refer to:
*Dew Drop Inn (New Orleans, Louisiana)
*Dew Drop Inn (Mountain View, Arkansas)
*Dew Drop Inn (musical)
''Dew Drop Inn'' is a musical with music by Alfred Goodman, lyrics by Cyrus Wood, and a book by Walter DeLeon and ...
. He recorded with Roy Brown, and performed with other musicians and singers who recorded in New Orleans in the early 1950s, including Big Joe Turner
Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American singer from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." His greatest fame was due to ...
, Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
and Professor Longhair for Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
; Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price (March 9, 1933May 3, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, record executive and bandleader, known as "Mr. Personality", after his 1959 million-selling hit, "Personality". His first recording, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", was a hit for Spe ...
and Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
for Specialty; and Paul Gayten
Paul Leon Gayten (January 29, 1920 – March 26, 1991) was an American R&B pianist, songwriter, producer, and record company executive.
Career
Gayten was born in Kentwood, Louisiana, the nephew of blues pianist Little Brother Montgomery. In hi ...
, Eddie Bo
Edwin Joseph Bocage (September 20, 1930 – March 18, 2009), known as Eddie Bo, was an American singer and pianist from New Orleans. Schooled in jazz, he was known for his blues, soul and funk recordings, compositions, productions and arrang ...
and Clarence "Frogman" Henry
Clarence Henry II (born March 19, 1937), known as Clarence "Frogman" Henry, is an American rhythm and blues singer and pianist, best known for his hits " Ain't Got No Home" (1956) and " (I Don't Know Why) But I Do" (1961).
Career
Clarence Henry ...
for Chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
.[Dan Phillips, "For Your Dancing Pleasure, The Gondoliers", ''Home of the Groove'', March 3, 2006]
Retrieved 9 September 2015 Though he rarely recorded under his own name, he did record some instrumentals for the Specialty label. His band included saxophonist August "Dimes" Dupont, bassist Frank Fields, pianist Lawrence Cotton, and drummer Alonzo Stewart.[
In 1958 he started working for Joe Ruffino's Ric label, as guitarist, arranger, and (briefly) musical director;][ he backed ]Johnny Adams
Laten John Adams Jr. (January 5, 1932 – September 14, 1998), was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto. His biggest ...
on his recordings for the label.[ He recorded a poorly-received album, ''Let's Have a Blast with the Gondoliers'', issued in 1961, and continued to perform with his band in clubs in New Orleans through to the mid-1960s.][ His last, untypically raucous, recordings, were made in the late 1960s but were not issued at the time.][
He died in New Orleans in 1972, aged 48.][ He had one son, Edgar Vernon Blanchard Jr., and his wife, Doris Blanchard.
]
References
External links
Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanchard, Edgar
1924 births
1972 deaths
African-American guitarists
People from Iberville Parish, Louisiana
Musicians from New Orleans
American rhythm and blues guitarists
American male guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
Guitarists from Louisiana
20th-century American male musicians
American expatriates in Italy
American military personnel of World War II
20th-century African-American musicians