He was a musician, singer, vaudeville dancer and comedian born Edward Jackson Culpepper in Palestine, Texas, who began working with his sisters on Vaudeville while young.
During the 1920s he came to prominence working with Frank Salt as a member of the duo Salt and Pepper and made several recordings and radio broadcastss.
He left the duo in the late ’20s and joined forces with the dancer Ginger Rogers as Ginger and Pepper. The married in 1929 but divorced just a couple of years later in 1931. He went on to marry his second wife Dawn and their daughter Cynthia became the star of the 1961 comedy TV series Margie.
He made his film debut in 1929 in After the Show.
In 1940 he appeared in the Bing Crosby films Rhythm of the River followed by the Road to Singapore, before being drafted during WWII where he toured with the USO. He was a member of the Coolidge Quarter between 1941 and 1942 before becoming a sought after session violinist and working with the likes of Sam Cooke, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and The Monkees. He continued his work on screen until the 1960s.
He died in April 1979 and is buried in Hollywood Hill Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Lalo Schifrin recordings
Love Rhapsody from “The Concorde – Airport ’79” (Lalo Schifrin)
Theme from “The Concorde – Airport ’79” (Lalo Schifrin)
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