biography
| name: |
Waller, Fats
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| |
popular name of Thomas Wright Waller
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1904–43)
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| biography:
| Jazz pianist, organist, singer, and songwriter, born in New York City, USA. He performed with such ebullience, frequently parodying songs and styles, that it was sometimes hard for audiences to see him as more than a buffoon. A brilliant piano player in the stride tradition, he was a natural songwriter, as seen in such hits as ‘Ain't Misbehavin'’ (1929) and ‘Keeping Out of Mischief Now’ (1932). He is rumoured to have written many more standards, among them ‘On the Sunny Side of the Street’, and then sold the rights for quick cash. He died of pneumonia on his way to Kansas City from Los Angeles, while entertaining soldiers at training camps. |
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