Who Was Eddie Condon?

Eddie Condon was an important figure in Jazz. He was a banjo and guitar player who probably only ever once took a solo. He was passionate about Jazz. He idolised Louis Armstrong and Bix Biederbecke.
His greatest talent lay not in his musical ability but in his capacity to fix dates for other musicians. Probably more than any other jazz musician he hauled jazz out of the back alleys and put it on the concert platform. At one time he alone seemed to be carrying the torch for jazz. He organised the first concerts in New York Town Hall. These were broadcast by the Blue Network across America and re-recorded by the Armed Forces Radio Network and put out all over the world.
Eddie Condon recorded with figures as diverse as Fats Waller, Muggsy Spanier, Louis Armstrong and even Bing Crosby.
It is impossible to mention Condon without his legendary feats of drinking. He famously wisecracked about his cure for a hangover: 'Well, you take the juice of two quarts of whiskey…' !
And when appearing for a medical for the army draft, the doctor wrote on his prescription pad: 'This man needs a drink – now!'