Fats Waller


Waller in 1938

Birth name: Thomas Wright Waller
Born: May 21, 1904; New York City, New York, U.S.
Died: December 15, 1943 (aged 39); Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.

Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid the groundwork for modern jazz piano. His best-known compositions, "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose", were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1984 and 1999. Waller copyrighted over 400 songs, many of them co-written with his closest collaborator, Andy Razaf. Razaf described his partner as "the soul of melody... a man who made the piano sing... both big in body and in mind... known for his generosity... a bubbling bundle of joy". It's possible he composed many more popular songs and sold them to other performers when times were tough.

Waller started playing the piano at the age of six, and became a professional organist aged 15. By the age of 18 he was a recording artist. Waller's first recordings, "Muscle Shoals Blues" and "Birmingham Blues", were made in October 1922 for Okeh Records. That year, he also made his first player piano roll, "Got to Cool My Doggies Now". Waller's first published composition, "Squeeze Me", was published in 1924. He became one of the most popular performers of his era, touring internationally and achieving critical and commercial success in the United States and Europe. He died from pneumonia, aged 39.

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Fats Waller - Honeysuckle Rose
159,904 views • Apr 16, 2015

StoryvilleRecords
4.83K subscribers

Harlem Roots Vol. 2

Soundies: Jazz, Swing, and Bebop Legends in PBS Documentary
103,578 views • Feb 28, 2007

Jason Feinberg
115 subscribers

Before MTV, there were "soundies." First appearing in 1941, these three-minute "music videos" played in famous nightclubs and restaurants everywhere, featuring many of the legendary musicians of that era and of all time. For the price of 10 cents, audiences enjoyed artists such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Jordan, Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway.

Hosted by Michael Feinstein, four-time Grammy nominee and one of the premiere interpreters of American song, the program also contains interviews with some of America's most famous musical and cultural icons — including Wynton Marsalis, Les Paul, George Duke, Hugh Hefner and film historian Leonard Maltin.

For More Info: http://www.soundiestv.com {dead link for me}

Soundies: A Musical History Hosted by Michael Feinstein (2007)
1h 16min | Documentary | TV Movie 3 March 2007

Before MTV and the age of television, there were Soundies. First appearing in 1941, these three minute black-and-white films featured artists of the Big Band, Jazz and Swing era, like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Jordan, Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, The Mills Brothers, Les Paul, Cab Calloway, and Fats Waller. The Soundies helped launch the careers of Doris Day, Nat King Cole, Liberace, and Dorothy Dandridge, among others. Viewed for a dime through a special machine called a Panoram, a movie jukebox, these forerunners to the music video could be seen in nightclubs, roadhouses, restaurants and other public venues across the U.S. These classic films remain as glorious time capsules of music, social history, popular culture, and tell the story of a crossroads in our country, when the uncertainties of war, race relations, and emerging technologies combined to write one of the most influential chapters in our nation¹s history.

—Chris Lamson

Soundies: Jazz And Jive (1940s) | Early Music Videos
85,299 views • Aug 7, 2019

reelblack
780K subscribers

Soundies were an early form of music video. Developed prior to television, they played on 16mm film projectors that were viewed on small screens like a video jukebox and captured some of the top artists of the day. This reel, preserved by the Prelinger Archive features Rhythm and Blues performers .Enjoy!

Delta Rhythm Boys in "Take the 'A' Train" (1941).
2:43 Fats Waller in "Your Feet's Too Big (1941).
5:49 Count Basie Orchestra in "Take Me Back, Baby" (with vocal by
Jimmy Rushing) (1941).
8:21 "Preacher and the Bear" featuring The Jubalaires (vocal quartet)
11:25 "Ring Those Bells" (Black children vocal quintet, unidentified;
Possibly The Cabin Kids.)
12:19 The Ali Baba Trio in "Patience and Fortitude" (1946)
(featuring Valaida Snow singing and playing jazz trumpet -
with trio of guitar, bass and accordion!)
15:01 "Rocco Blues" featuring Maurice Rocco (piano and vocal)
17:54 Gloria Grey sings "Oh By Jingo" (looks later, circa 1950 or so)
20:35 "I Want A Man", sung by Annisteen Allen and accompanied by
Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra (huge big band)(1943).
25:33 Woman jazz harpist (LaVilla Tulos) playing "Swanee River"
( a title list of Soundies has this entry as "Swanee Swing" ).

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