Albert Spalding

1888–1953. American violinist. Spalding was born in Chicago, August 15, 1888. Spalding's Uncle Albert (a baseball pitcher immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame) and father created the A.G. Spalding sporting goods company. His mother, Marie Boardman was a contralto and pianist. Thomas Edison declared Spalding's tone to be more pure than any other living violinist and signed him to a twenty year recording contract. An intelligence officer in both world wars, Spalding performed a legendary concert to thousands of terrified refugees stranded in a cave near Naples during a bombing raid in 1944.