Dilpreet Singh
Arts in New York City
Professor Hoffman
Fats Waller (1904-1943)
` Born Thomas Wright Waller on May 21, 1904, in New York City, Fats Waller would emerge as one of the most prolific artists of the 20th century with an illustrious career in which he was recognized for his accomplishments as a Jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, actor, and comedian. Waller’s parents were
Adeline Waller and Reverend Edward Waller, a Baptist preacher who conducted religious services and resided in Harlem. However, Waller’s musical roots in his family can be found via his grandfather, who was an extremely accomplished violinist, and his mother, who was a church organist. As one might expect, Waller was extremely interested in instruments at a young age; he was so interested that he learned to play the piano at the age of 6! Additionally, he became proficient in playing the organ and acquired basic musical knowledge through the aid of his mother by the age of 10. Yet, Waller was not just limited to the piano and the organ in his childhood; he developed skills in also the string bass and violin in only a few short years. By the age of 10, Waller was playing regularly at his father’s church and even had the notable feat of playing the organ at Lincoln Theater in Harlem.
Waller was so entrenched in music that he, against the wishes of his father, dropped out of school and became a full-time organist at the Lincoln Theatre in Harlem. Waller’s achievements continued to grow and in 1918, at the age of 14, he won a talent contest confirming that his abilities were no fluke. He performed James P. Johnson’s ‘Carolina shout’, and his victory allowed him to meet both James P. Johnson and Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, two of the most prominent artists during the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson and Smith ultimately became mentors for Waller and improved his play dramatically by teaching him the stride piano style, a style of jazz piano playing in which the right-hand plays the melody while the left-hand plays a single bass note or octave on the strong beat and a chord on the weak beat. Eventually, at the age of 18, Waller started to create his first ragtime music producing the piano solos “Muscle Shoals Blues” and “Birmingham Blues”, which were both recorded in October 1922.
Regardless of Waller’s early success, his father still adamantly believed that his son should follow in his footsteps and join the church as a preacher or a career comparable in nature. Yet, Waller knew his passion was in music and disregarded the prospect of even working at his father’s church. Waller’s mother held the relationship between her husband and son secure, but in 1920, she untimely died, and thus leading to the deterioration of Fat Waller’s relationship with his father. Shortly after, Waller eventually moved out of the family house and lived with a pianist and mentor of his, Russel B.T. Brooks, who greatly enhanced the musical skills of Waller.
As Waller’s skills developed, so did his popularity. While he continued to play the organ at Lincoln Theatre, Waller started new endeavors such as “rent parties”, where tenants hired musicians, such as Waller, to play and pass a hat to raise money and ultimately pay rent. The practice of “rent parties” grew in popularity, especially in Harlem during the 1920s, with Waller being one of the leading musicians to play in them. Moreover, Waller started to write and perform in theatrical entertainment, beginning with his role in Keep Shufflin’ in 1927. Additionally, through partnering with Andy Razaf, Waller produced his two most famous hits: “Honeysuckle Rose” (“Honeysuckle Rose” – Fats Waller (1943) and “Ain’t Misbehavin” (Fats Waller – Ain’t Misbehavin’ – Stormy Weather (1943). These works were both commercial and critical hits, making him one of the most prominent performers during the early 20th century in both the United States and Europe. “Honeysuckle Rose”, produced in 1929 for the Off-Broadway play “Load of Coal” and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and “Ain’t Misbehavin”, a stride jazz composition produced in 1929 that went on to receive the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1984, propelled Waller to increased stardom and cemented his rank as an all-time great.
Apart from continuing to produce successful musical hits as a soloist and through his bands, Waller branched his career into new grounds by joining the radio and film industry. He hosted his New-York based shows “Paramount on Parade” and “Radio Roundup” from 1930-31, and his Cincinnati-based “Fats Waller’s Rhythm Club” from 1932-34. Upon these successful radio shows, he started his own radio program in New York during 1934 named “Rhythm Club.” Additionally, Waller started acting in films such as Hooray for Love! and King of Burlesque in 1935. His most notable acting role occurred a few years later in 1943, in the film Stormy Weather, in which he was featured with other famous African-American performers.
Waller’s legacy rests on the fact of his extremely jovial nature. He was always genuinely happy, excited, and seen smiling for all the tasks he underwent in his life. There was simply no quiet moment if Waller were in the room, with he himself stating that once “I was playing the organ at a silent movie house at Harlem and they’d be showing some death scene on the screen. Likely as not, I’d grab a bottle and start swingin’ out on ‘Squeeze Me’ or ‘Royal Garden Blues’. The managers complained but, heck, they couldn’t stop me!” This thrilling lifestyle, however, caught up to Waller and had a drastic consequence on his health. In 1943, at the age of 39, he contracted bronchial pneumonia, an illness that silenced the great performer on December 15, 1943. Paul McCartney, one of the most successful composers and performers of all time, appropriately and succinctly described Waller stating, “I loved Fats Waller. I love his instrumental abilities, his vocal abilities and his sense of humor.”
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SEMtVFf_fOkPb41NtfFGspWrpv7C3twWBySMlrnrnlo/edit#slide=id.p ( PRESENTATION LINK)
Bibliography
Biography.com Editors. “Fats Waller Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 02 Apr. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
“Fats Waller Biography.” – Thomas Fats Waller Childhood, Life and Timeline. The Famous People, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
“Waller, Fats.” Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
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