Eddie Drennon facts for kids

Eddie Drennon (born Edward Allen Drennen in 1940) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He plays many types of music, including R&B, pop, disco, Latin music, salsa, jazz, and funk. He is best known for his hit song, "Let's Do the Latin Hustle." He recorded this song in 1975 with his group, B.B.S. Unlimited. Eddie wrote, produced, and arranged this popular track. Other songs from that time, like "Do What You Gotta Do," have been used by modern artists. These include Grandmaster Flash, The Avalanches, Biz Markie, and Shaggy.

Eddie Drennon's Early Life and Music Career

Eddie Drennon was born in Newark, New Jersey, in the United States. After finishing school, he started playing with local bands. From 1959 to 1963, he studied the violin with Louia Vaughn Jones. He also learned music composition with Mark Fax at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Eddie first worked as a musician in Washington. A bandleader named Lou Perez encouraged him to move to New York City. In the mid-1960s, Eddie played with several Latin music groups. These included Pupi Legarreta, Super Tipica De Estrellas, and Charanga America.

Working with Famous Musicians

In 1966, Eddie became the music director for the legendary musician Bo Diddley. He played the electric violin for Bo Diddley until 1967. He even played on one song for Bo Diddley's album, His Best. Eddie also played as a sideman for other famous artists. These included Mongo Santamaría, Ray Barretto, and Ike & Tina Turner.

The "Latin Hustle" Hit

In 1975, Eddie Drennon started working with record producer Joe Bana. Joe owned Friends & Co. Records. Eddie combined Latin sounds with disco music. This mix led to his biggest hit, "Let's Do the Latin Hustle." This song was also the first big hit for Joe Bana's record label.

The song became very popular. It reached number 36 on the US Billboard R&B music charts. It also climbed to number 4 on the dance music charts. In March 1976, it reached number 20 in the UK Singles Chart. Another band, the M and O Band, released a cover version of the song. Their version reached number 16 in the UK chart.

Eddie Drennon and his group, B.B.S. Unlimited, recorded three albums. These albums were released between 1975 and 1979 by Casablanca Records. Music critics noted that Eddie's second album, It Don't Mean a Thing, was very good. It used a similar style to his first album, which had "Latin Hustle."

Later Career and Teaching

Eddie Drennon continued to play the violin for many recording sessions in New York. He also wrote, arranged, and produced music for other artists. For example, he worked with Esther Williams on her song "Last Night Changed It All." In the early 1980s, he produced music for the New York salsa and charanga band, Orquesta Novel. In 1983, he released his own album, Eddie Drennon and Charanga Soul.

Eddie also worked on music for movies and musicals. He scored a scene for the film In the Line of Fire (1993). He also wrote music for the 1997 musical Torn from the Headlines. His string quartet played on albums for the band Soldiers of Jah Army. These included Get Wiser and Born in Babylon.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Eddie Drennon shared his musical knowledge. He taught at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Howard University. He also worked as a music director at the Everyday Theater in Washington, D.C. Today, he plays with the Umoja String Quartet. He also teaches at the George Washington University and Levine School of Music.

Eddie Drennon's Music (Discography)

A discography is a list of all the music an artist has released. Here are some of Eddie Drennon's albums and singles.

Albums

Singles