Edward T. "Eddie" King was an early twentieth century percussionist, conductor, Artist and Repertoire (A&R) man, and manager for Zon-o-phone, the Victor Talking Machine Company, and Columbia Records.
[2] From ca 1915 to ca 1920 King was manager of Victor's Foreign Department, the unit responsible for making the recordings for the foreign and ethnic groups in the United States, excluding recordings made by the Race, Hillbilly, and Export (to Central and South America) Departments.
Shilkret cites King as the A&R man responsible for bringing Kate Smith to Victor.
Sudhalter[4] cites an example of a 1927 recording by the Goldkette Orchestra in which musicians were allowed considerable freedom, and remarks "What, one wonders, would this performance have been if Eddie King had been in charge, and not the more liberal Nat Shilkret."
[5] King also conducted many other dance orchestras, such as those of Paul Whiteman, Ted Weems and Irving Aaronson.