Willie Eckstein

Who was Willie Eckstein?

William "Willie" Eckstein was a Canadian pianist and composer.

Born in Montreal, Eckstein was a child prodigy on piano: he began playing at age 3, studied with a McGill University professor by age 6, and at 12 was offered a piano scholarship to the school. He opted instead to become a vaudeville performer, billed as the "Boy Paderewski"; he toured across Canada, the United States, and Europe, and among other engagements was invited to perform for Theodore Roosevelt at the White House.

In 1906 Eckstein became a pianist for silent movie soundtracks. He later began performing at the Strand Theatre, where he was known as "Mr. Fingers", and also demonstrated pianos. Among those who saw him perform was composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, who commented "I don't believe it" in regards to his ability. Eckstein also became noted as a ragtime composer; his pieces include "Perpetual Rag" and "Delirious Rag", both co-authored with Harry Thomas.

Eckstein attempted to enlist in the army during the First World War, but was refused because of his short stature of under 5 feet (1.5 m). Instead, he began composing popular and patriotic songs like "Goodbye Soldier Boy", "You Are My All in All" and "Goodbye Sunshine, Hello Moon". He gave the first live radio performance in North America in 1919. He recorded with Eckstein's Jazz Band (fronted by his brother Jack), the Melody Kings, from Montreal, the Willie Eckstein Trio, and as a solo performer.