Winchester Academy program opens Roots of Jazz series
Winchester Academy will present “A Durable Dane: The Eddy Hanson Story” at 6 p.m. Monday, April 25, live and in-person in the Waupaca Public Library lower-level meeting room.
This program will begin at 6 p.m. and will not be live-streamed.
Written and narrated by Pat Phair, with musical accompaniment by Linda Harmon, the mini-drama is the first event in Winchester Academy’s Roots of Jazz week.
From his penniless days in Waupaca to the top of the penthouse in Chicago, Eddy Hanson’s life was filled with successful adventures and personal mishaps. Through it all he remained true to his local roots and devotion to family.
Born in 1893, Hanson enjoyed a long career as a studio organist for theaters and radio stations. He composed more than 300 songs, writing his first at age 14.
His 1951 composition, “The Wisconsin Waltz,” was adopted as the official state waltz in 2001, and he wrote countless ragtime hits, including “Rattlesnake Rag.”
Hanson retired to Waupaca in the early 1960s, where he was often seen performing weekend evenings at Simpson’s Supper Club on Main Street.
Phair’s presentation will follow Hanson’s career and portray several of his works.
Sponsor for the program is Diane Forsythe in honor of her parents, Jane and Ernie Lindgren.
A reception for the opening of the Waupaca library exhibit, Roots of Jazz, will follow the program.