TENOR GUITAR HALL OF FAME
JUNE 2023
Inductee: Eddy Davis
Eddy Davis was a banjo instrumentalist virtuoso, a vocalist, entertainer, and an internationally recognized music maestro. Eddy grew up listening to early jazz in Indiana, moved to Chicago, worked in Las Vegas, and overseas, and moved to New York City in 1976. He was best known for his collaboration with film maker and jazz clarinetist, Woody Allen. Eddy won a Grammy award for his contribution to the sound track for "Midnight in Paris." He was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame twice - once for promotion, and once for 4-string banjo performance. He was known for jazz, ragtime, blues, pop, and world music. He composed, conducted, arranged, and even did banjo comedy. Eddy died from Covid-19 in 2020, when he was 79 years old. It's our great honor to induct Eddy Davis into the Tenor Guitar Hall of Fame.
Inductee: Qzzie Nelson
Who Will it be in 2024?
Ozzie Nelson was born in New Jersey and earned a law degree from Rutgers University. During the Depression, he turned to music as a full time career, and became a band leader. He married the band vocalist, Harriet,, and is best known for originating and starring in the radio and TV series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Besides being a band leader, Ozzie was an actor, filmmaker, and musician.
His son, Ricky Nelson, was a singing sensation. While listening to demos in the studio, the song, "Hello Mary Lou" came on. In the studio was Ricky Nelson, James Burton, Joe Osbourne, the engineer, and Ozzie Nelson. Ricky was always busting his father's chops because he was a band leader from decades earlier, and said, "Too bad you don't have your tenor guitar here, Pop. You could play on this one." Noone noticed he'd disappeared, and ten minutes later, he came back to the studio with his tenor guitar. The recording commenced with no drummer. The only thing keeping the great rhythm section throughout was Ozzie's tenor guitar. That song helped put the Nelson family in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only family in history with three generations of #1 hits.
Ozzie passed away in 1975 when he was 69. For his tenor guitar contribution to the hit song, "Hello Mary Lou," we're happy to induct Ozzie Nelson into the Tenor Guitar Hall of Fame.
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