Most readers have seen Eddie Peabody’s fascinating turn playing plectrum-style tremolo harp guitar on his Gibson Style U in Strum Fun, a clip long available on YouTube. It’s a style that virtually no one has played for decades (Matt Redman on YouTube being one of the only current practitioners).
More recently, The Harp Guitar Foundation acquired an ultra-rare (and decent quality) 16mm clip of Eddie’s harp guitar segment from his 1937 short, Hula Heaven. The entire film containing his other instruments has been previously posted here – unfortunately the quality is very poor.
Thanks to restoration efforts by myself and my plectrum-playing pal Matt Redman, the new clip is more of a treat! Though much of the 2-minute clip is generic “travelogue footage,” it is only the second film known where Peabody plays his harp guitar. The music – especially the uncredited female trio – is quite lovely. Dig his chromatic subs matching the girls’ descending hummed chord.
For now, I’ve posted it in the Harpguitars.net Members Section as a reminder (and incentive) that this work is supported by our non-profit Foundation, and while 99.9% of my efforts on the web site are free to the public for entertainment, research and scholarship, some of it does have associated costs. So we do appreciate – and grow with – your support.
Password (same as last year) is available to all Patron and above and current Supporting Foundation Patrons.
