About
Topsy M. Durham - born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn, New York.
I am a paralegal by profession. I am also a self-published author of a biographical compendium chronicling the life and legacy of the late jazz musician, composer, and pioneer Eddie Durham. I serve as emcee and co-producer of the Eddie Durham Music Festival in San Marcos, Texas, held every October in #EddieDurham Park.
As President of Swingin' the Blues! Durham Music Publishing, I oversee copyrights for such notable works as "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire," "Wham Re Bop Boom Bam," "Blues In The Groove," and "Topsy."
I made significant contributions to and, with my two brothers Terrance, and Eric (the original guitarist in the funk band CAMEO), appear in the PBS documentary: "Wham Re Bop Boom Bam – The Swing Jazz of Eddie Durham" (released in 2024).
As an advocate for the jazz community, I have served on the Board of Directors for The International Women in Jazz, The Harlem Swing Dance Society, and AmSong, Inc., a grassroots organization instrumental in spearheading the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1996.
I am featured in publications including The New York Times (Arts Section 1996 re: AmSong), Just Jazz Magazine, Jefferson Blues Magazine (Sweden), and The San Marcos Daily Record (Texas). I was awarded the "Key to the City of San Marcos."
Featured Work
Swingin' the Blues - Eddie Durham & The Ladies of Jazz
Three books in the "Swingin' The Blues" series feature over 100 photos and chronicle the life, extensive musical contributions, and career of one of the world's most prolific and influential artists, overlooked in the 20th Century.
In the 1940's, he toured as Musical Director for several all-women's Orchestras, starting with The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, under the direction of Mary McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt. It was Eddie Durham's 1939 arrangement of "In The Mood" that was inducted into the N.A.R.A.S. Hall of Fame. He is also inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame.
As a teenager, he began his career in the Southwest circuses. As a performer, he developed a non-pressure technique on his trombone, amplified his own guitar, built his own amp, invented a whammy bar, and was among the first to record HITS on both electric and acoustic guitar.
He pioneered 6-part harmony in his compositions and arrangements, and was a showman who choreographed brass sections for visual excitement. He was also a composer, a "hit-maker" scouted by promoters and bandleaders such as John Hammond, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and Glenn Miller, who hired him to be the primary creative force in their bands. The Bandleaders won't reveal their secret weapon, and Eddie's unique perspective has never been revealed...Until now...
