Edward Heywood Jr. (December 4, 1915 – January 3, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Heywood was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His father, Eddie Heywood Sr., was also a jazz musician from the 1920s and provided him with training from the age of 12 as an accompanist playing in the pit band in a vaudeville theater in Atlanta, occasionally accompanying singers such as Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters. Heywood moved, first to New Orleans and then to Kansas City, when vaudeville began to be replaced by sound pictures.Heywood played with several popular jazz musicians such as Wayman Carver in 1932, Clarence Love from 1934 to 1937 and Benny Carter, who heard him in Kansas City playing with Clarence Love, from 1939 to 1940 after moving to New York City in 1938.

After starting his band, Heywood would occasionally do back-up for Billie Holiday in 1941. In 1943, Heywood took several classic solos on a Coleman Hawkins quartet date (including “The Man I Love“) and put together a sextet, including Doc Cheatham (tpt), Vic Dickenson (tb), Lem Davis (as), Al Lucas (b), and Jack Parker (d). After their version of “Begin the Beguine” became a hit in 1944, they had three successful years.“Begin the Beguine” sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSdmknZM9LY