Biography
7 August 1913, Plainfield, New Jersey, USA, d. 29 November 1998, Newport Beach, California, USA. The son of the famous banjoist Fred Van Eps, George played the banjo professionally before he was a teenager. At the age of 13 he heard Eddie Lang, decided to switch to guitar and within a couple of years was earning a reputation as a teacher. In the late 20s and early 30s he worked with a number of bands, including those of Benny Goodman and Ray Noble, and also played with his idol, Lang, in the Smith Ballew band. During the late 30s and for much of the following two decades he did studio work in Hollywood, radio dates, wrote a textbook on guitar and devised his own seven-string instrument, appeared in various bands (including Noble’s) and made infrequent records with artists such as Matty Matlock, Wild Bill Davison, Jess Stacy and Ralph Sutton. In the 60s and 70s Van Eps’ playing activities were restricted through poor health but in...
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