After Waller's death in 1943 Kirkeby remained active managing many other groups and musicians (including Pat Flowers) through 1977.
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As Fats Waller's manager he also acted as his archivist building a collection which is held today by the Institute of Jazz Studies.
The California Ramblers were the first group to record the classic song "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?", in 1925, and many people in or associated with the band — Red Nichols, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Elwood Madeo Jr., and manager Ed Kirkeby — became some of the most famous and influential figures of the Big Band era.