Featured In
ALBUMHold My Hand b/w Frenesi (Live) - SingleFats Waller
Albums by Fats Waller
ALBUMV-discFats Waller
ALBUMA Handful of KeysFats Waller
ALBUMAin't Misbehavin' (1995 London Cast Recording)Fats Waller
ALBUMAin't Misbehavin'Fats Waller
Fats Waller's Popular Music Videos
Keepin' out of Mischief Now (By Fats Waller)
Paris Washboard & Fats Waller
Lounging at the Waldorf (By Fats Waller)
Paris Washboard & Fats Waller
Minor Drag (By Fats Waller)
Paris Washboard & Fats Waller
Artist Playlists
Fats Waller Essentials
The Clown Prince of '20s jazz and Tin Pan Alley.
Fats Waller: The Session Musicians
Lyrical organ riffs and rowdy piano breaks in a supporting role.
Fats Waller: Deep Cuts
A powerful pianist who savored the small moments.
Artist Biography
Thomas “Fats” Waller is one of the most important figures in pre-WWII American music, a singer/keyboardist/composer whose pioneering path moved through ragtime, stride, swing, Broadway, and more. Born in New York City in 1904, Waller learned piano and organ as a child, playing the latter in a local theater, and studied stride piano with the style’s progenitor, James P. Johnson. His syncretic piano style combined elements of ragtime and stride in a way that laid the path for early jazz and swing. Waller began his recording career in 1922, and before the decade was over, he had written and cut a passel of future standards like “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” as well as crafting the music for Broadway shows like Hot Chocolates. In the ’30s, Waller became a household name through his radio programs and film appearances. Waller was a man who burned the candle at both ends, and in 1943, in the midst of his travels, he caught pneumonia, passing away at just 39 that December. He left behind a catalog of songs that remain at the bedrock of musical history, such as the ones that powered the ’70s hit Broadway show Ain’t Misbehavin’.
Hometown
New York, NY, United States
Genre
Jazz