Eddie Alley, musician and band leader, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, lived most of his life in San Francisco, California.  He played throughout northern California with greats like Charles Mingus and Billie Holiday, and for years, played for the Giants games in Candlestick Park (the first black bandleader to do so).

He started his career singing and playing drums in a band at restaurants where patrons liked to dance. Throughout his life, in both music and business, he worked successfully to break through color lines, moving into previously white-only venues in San Francisco

Holding down a steady ‘day job, evenings and weekends, Alley played with his own band, “Eddie Alley and The Gentlemen of Rhythm” in the luxury downtown hotels. He and his band played with top artists and groups that came to the bay area:  Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Gene Kelly, Nelson Riddle, Gladys Night and the Pips, Jack Jones, and Sammy Davis Jr., among others.

Legacy interview conducted by Alex Walsh.