Ethwell "Eddy" Hanson
Ethwell "Eddy" Hanson was born August 1, 1893, in Waupaca, Wis. His family moved to Neenah in 1910, where Eddy lived until he joined the Navy in World War I. He toured as a musician with the Navy band and later joined John Philip Sousa Band as a saxophonist.
After the war, Eddy settled in Chicago and enjoyed a long career as a studio organist for theaters and later, radio stations. Eddy was the first radio organist in Chicago, starting at WDAP in 1923 (which is now WGN). He was also a composer, writing his first song at age 14 and more than 300 of his pieces are at the American Society of Composters, Authors and Publishers. In 1951, he composed The Wisconsin Waltz (which was adopted as the official state waltz in 2001). Eddy passed away at the Wisconsin Home for Veterans in King, Wisconsin on February 22, 1986.
Many of Eddy Hanson's performances have been captured for posterity on player-piano rolls. You can hear a few examples here: