Fats Waller
Encyclopedia
Fats Waller born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist
, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer. He was the youngest of four children born to Adaline Locket Waller and the Reverend Edward Martin Waller.
He was a skilled pianist, and master of stride piano
, having been the prize pupil and later friend and colleague of the greatest of the stride pianists, James P. Johnson
. Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as "Honeysuckle Rose
", "Ain't Misbehavin'
" and "Squeeze Me
". Fellow pianist and composer Oscar Levant
dubbed Waller "the black Horowitz
". Waller composed many novelty swing tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for relatively small sums. When the compositions became hits, other songwriters claimed them as their own. Many standards are alternatively and sometimes controversially attributed to Waller.
The anonymous sleeve notes on the 1960 RCA (UK) album Handful of Keys state that Waller copyrighted over 400 new tunes, many of which co-written with his closest collaborator Andy Razaf. After Waller's death in 1943, 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". Gene Sedric
, a clarinetist who played with Waller on some of his 1930s recordings, is quoted in these same sleeve notes recalling Waller's recording technique with considerable admiration. "Fats was the most relaxed man I ever saw in a studio," he said, "and so he made everybody else relaxed. After a balance had been taken, we'd just need one take to make a side, unless it was a kind of difficult number."
to Erskine Tate to Adelaide Hall
, but his greatest success came with his own five- or six-piece combo, "Fats Waller and his Rhythm".
His playing once put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by gangster Al Capone
. Fats was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the "surprise guest" at Al Capone's birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters didn't intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.
Waller wrote "Squeeze Me" (1919), "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now", "Ain't Misbehavin'
" (1929), "Blue Turning Grey Over You", "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" (1929), "Honeysuckle Rose
" (1929), and "Jitterbug Waltz" (1942). He collaborated with the Tin Pan Alley
lyricist Andy Razaf. He composed stride piano display pieces such as "Handful of Keys
", "Valentine Stomp" and "Viper's Drag".
He enjoyed success touring the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1930s. He appeared in one of the first BBC
Television broadcasts. While in Britain, Waller also recorded a number of songs for EMI
on their Compton Theatre organ
located in their Abbey Road Studios
in St John's Wood
. He appeared in several feature films and short subject films, most notably "Stormy Weather
" in 1943, which was released July 21, just months before his death, December 15, 1943. For the hit Broadway show, "Hot Chocolates", he and Razaf wrote "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue" (1929), which became a hit for Ethel Waters
and Louis Armstrong
. This searing treatment of racism refutes the early criticism of Waller that his creations and performances were "shallow entertainment".
Waller performed Bach
organ pieces for small groups on occasion. Waller influenced many pre-bop jazz pianists; Count Basie
and Erroll Garner
have both reanimated his hit songs (notably, "Ain't Misbehavin'"). In addition to his playing, Waller was known for his many quips during his performances.
Waller contracted pneumonia
and died on a cross country train trip near Kansas City, Missouri
on December 15, 1943.
showcasing Waller tunes entitled Ain't Misbehavin' was produced in 1978. (The show and a star of the show, Nell Carter
, won Tony Award
s.) The show opened at the Longacre Theatre
and ran for over 1600 performances. It was revived on Broadway in 1988. Performed by five African American actors, it included such songs as "Honeysuckle Rose
", "This Joint Is Jumpin'", and "Ain't Misbehavin'
".
Recordings of Fats Waller were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame
which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honour recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance".
Jazz piano
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer. He was the youngest of four children born to Adaline Locket Waller and the Reverend Edward Martin Waller.
Significance
Thomas Wright Waller started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to the organ of his father's church four years later. At the age of fourteen he was playing the organ at Harlem's Lincoln Theater and within twelve months he had composed his first rag. Waller's first piano solos (Muscle Shoals Blues and Birmingham Blues) were recorded in October 1922 when he was only 18 years old.He was a skilled pianist, and master of stride piano
Stride piano
Harlem Stride Piano, Stride Piano, or just Stride, is a jazz piano style that was developed in the large cities of the East Coast, mainly in the New York, during 1920s and 1930s. The left hand may play a four-beat pulse with a single bass note, octave, seventh or tenth interval on the first and...
, having been the prize pupil and later friend and colleague of the greatest of the stride pianists, James P. Johnson
James P. Johnson
James P. Johnson was an American pianist and composer...
. Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as "Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose (song)
"Honeysuckle Rose" is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, whose lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller's 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999....
", "Ain't Misbehavin'
Ain't Misbehavin' (song)
"Ain't Misbehavin" is a 1929 song written by Thomas "Fats" Waller, Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf . Waller recorded the original version that year for Victor Records and also later performed the song in the 1943 film Stormy Weather. It was used in the off-broadway musical Connie's Hot Chocolates...
" and "Squeeze Me
Squeeze Me
"Squeeze Me" is a 1925 jazz standard composed by Fats Waller. It was based on an old blues song called "The Boy in the Boat". The lyrics were credited to publisher Clarence Williams, although Andy Razaf has claimed to have actually written the lyrics....
". Fellow pianist and composer Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He was more famous for his mordant character and witticisms, on the radio and in movies and television, than for his music.-Life and career:...
dubbed Waller "the black Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
". Waller composed many novelty swing tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for relatively small sums. When the compositions became hits, other songwriters claimed them as their own. Many standards are alternatively and sometimes controversially attributed to Waller.
The anonymous sleeve notes on the 1960 RCA (UK) album Handful of Keys state that Waller copyrighted over 400 new tunes, many of which co-written with his closest collaborator Andy Razaf. After Waller's death in 1943, 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". Gene Sedric
Gene Sedric
Gene Sedric was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. He acquired the nickname "Honey Bear" in the 1930s because of his large camelhair coat....
, a clarinetist who played with Waller on some of his 1930s recordings, is quoted in these same sleeve notes recalling Waller's recording technique with considerable admiration. "Fats was the most relaxed man I ever saw in a studio," he said, "and so he made everybody else relaxed. After a balance had been taken, we'd just need one take to make a side, unless it was a kind of difficult number."
Musical contributions
Waller's touch varied and he was a master of dynamics and tension and release. He played with many performers, from Nat Shilkret (on Victor 21298-A) and Gene AustinGene Austin
Gene Austin was an American singer and songwriter, one of the first "crooners". His 1920s compositions "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" and "The Lonesome Road" became pop and jazz standards.-Career:...
to Erskine Tate to Adelaide Hall
Adelaide Hall
Adelaide Hall was an American-born U.K.-based jazz singer and entertainer.Hall was born in Brooklyn, New York and was taught to sing by her father...
, but his greatest success came with his own five- or six-piece combo, "Fats Waller and his Rhythm".
His playing once put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by gangster Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
. Fats was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the "surprise guest" at Al Capone's birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters didn't intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.
Waller wrote "Squeeze Me" (1919), "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now", "Ain't Misbehavin'
Ain't Misbehavin' (song)
"Ain't Misbehavin" is a 1929 song written by Thomas "Fats" Waller, Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf . Waller recorded the original version that year for Victor Records and also later performed the song in the 1943 film Stormy Weather. It was used in the off-broadway musical Connie's Hot Chocolates...
" (1929), "Blue Turning Grey Over You", "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" (1929), "Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose (song)
"Honeysuckle Rose" is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, whose lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller's 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999....
" (1929), and "Jitterbug Waltz" (1942). He collaborated with the Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
lyricist Andy Razaf. He composed stride piano display pieces such as "Handful of Keys
Handful of Keys
"Handful of Keys" is a composition in the stride piano style by the jazz composer and pianist Fats Waller and originally published by Chappel & Co....
", "Valentine Stomp" and "Viper's Drag".
He enjoyed success touring the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1930s. He appeared in one of the first BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Television broadcasts. While in Britain, Waller also recorded a number of songs for EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
on their Compton Theatre organ
Theatre organ
A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra. New designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself....
located in their Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in St John's Wood
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
. He appeared in several feature films and short subject films, most notably "Stormy Weather
Stormy Weather (1943 film)
Stormy Weather is a 1943 American musical film produced and released by 20th Century Fox. The film is one of two major Hollywood musicals produced in 1943 with primarily African-American casts, the other being MGM's Cabin in the Sky, and is considered a time capsule showcasing some of the top...
" in 1943, which was released July 21, just months before his death, December 15, 1943. For the hit Broadway show, "Hot Chocolates", he and Razaf wrote "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue" (1929), which became a hit for Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.Her best-known recordings includes, "Dinah", "Birmingham Bertha",...
and Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
. This searing treatment of racism refutes the early criticism of Waller that his creations and performances were "shallow entertainment".
Waller performed Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
organ pieces for small groups on occasion. Waller influenced many pre-bop jazz pianists; Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
and Erroll Garner
Erroll Garner
Erroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad "Misty", has become a jazz standard...
have both reanimated his hit songs (notably, "Ain't Misbehavin'"). In addition to his playing, Waller was known for his many quips during his performances.
Waller contracted pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and died on a cross country train trip near Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
on December 15, 1943.
Revival and awards
A Broadway musical revueRevue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
showcasing Waller tunes entitled Ain't Misbehavin' was produced in 1978. (The show and a star of the show, Nell Carter
Nell Carter
Nell Carter was an American singer, and film, stage, and television actress. She won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin, as well as an Emmy Award for her reprisal of the role on television...
, won Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s.) The show opened at the Longacre Theatre
Longacre Theatre
The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.-Theatre History:Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, it was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square...
and ran for over 1600 performances. It was revived on Broadway in 1988. Performed by five African American actors, it included such songs as "Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose (song)
"Honeysuckle Rose" is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, whose lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller's 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999....
", "This Joint Is Jumpin'", and "Ain't Misbehavin'
Ain't Misbehavin' (song)
"Ain't Misbehavin" is a 1929 song written by Thomas "Fats" Waller, Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf . Waller recorded the original version that year for Victor Records and also later performed the song in the 1943 film Stormy Weather. It was used in the off-broadway musical Connie's Hot Chocolates...
".
| Year Inducted | Title |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Gennett Records Gennett Records Gennett was a United States based record label which flourished in the 1920s.-Label history:Gennett records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. The company took its name from its top managers: Harry, Fred and Clarence Gennett.... Walk of Fame |
| 2005 | Jazz at Lincoln Center: Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. JALC's performing arts complex, Frederick P. Rose Hall, is located at West 60th Street and Broadway in New York City, slightly south of the main Lincoln Center campus and directly adjacent to Columbus Circle. Frederick P.... |
| 1993 | Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording."... |
| 1989 | Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame |
| 1970 | Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees of the Songwriters Hall of Fame This a list of inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Dates of induction are given alongside the names.-A:*Adams, Lee *Adair, Tom *Adamson, Harold *Adler, Richard *Ager, Milton *Ahlert, Fred *Akst, Harry... |
Recordings of Fats Waller were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame
Grammy Hall of Fame Award
The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"...
which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honour recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance".
| Fats Waller: Grammy Hall of Fame Awards | |||||
| Year Recorded | Title | Genre | Label | Year Inducted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Honeysuckle Rose Honeysuckle Rose (song) "Honeysuckle Rose" is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, whose lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller's 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.... |
Jazz (Single) | Victor | 1998 | — |
| 1929 | Ain't Misbehavin' Ain't Misbehavin' (song) "Ain't Misbehavin" is a 1929 song written by Thomas "Fats" Waller, Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf . Waller recorded the original version that year for Victor Records and also later performed the song in the 1943 film Stormy Weather. It was used in the off-broadway musical Connie's Hot Chocolates... |
Jazz (Single) | Victor | 1984 | Listed in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress Library of Congress The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and... in 2004. |
In popular culture
- Subject of the Irish poet Michael Longley's "Elegy for Fats Waller".http://beck.library.emory.edu/BelfastGroup/browse.php?id=longley1_10282#longley1_10271
- His organ music is prominently featured in the David LynchDavid LynchDavid Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
cult hit, EraserheadEraserheadEraserhead is a 1977 American surrealist film and the first feature film of David Lynch, who wrote, produced and directed. Lynch began working on the film at the AFI Conservatory, which gave him a $10,000 grant to make the film after he had begun working there following his 1971 move to Los Angeles...
. - He was caricatured in several Warner Brothers animated shorts, most notably Tin Pan Alley CatsTin Pan Alley CatsTin Pan Alley Cats is a 1943 animated short subject, directed by Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions as part of Warner Bros.' Merrie Melodies series...
. - In the 2008 film2008 in filmThis is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
, Be Kind RewindBe Kind RewindBe Kind Rewind is a 2008 American comedy film with dramatic elements from New Line Cinema, written and directed by Michel Gondry and starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Melonie Diaz, Danny Glover and Mia Farrow. The film first appeared on January 20, 2008 at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It was later...
Fats Waller was a major theme and influence over the storyline. - "It's a Sin" features in the soundtrack for Bethesda's "Fallout: New Vegas" OST
Songs
| Title | Recording Date | Recording Location | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| African Ripples | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | Bluebird B-10115 |
| After You've Gone After You've Gone (song) "After You've Gone" is a 1918 popular song composed by Turner Layton, with lyrics written by Henry Creamer. It was recorded by Marion Harris on July 22, 1918 and released on Victor 18509. It is the basis for many other jazz songs, as it can easily be improvised over... |
3-21-1930 | New York, New York | Victor 22371-B |
| A Handful Of Keys | 3-1-1929 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Ain't Misbehavin' Ain't Misbehavin' (song) "Ain't Misbehavin" is a 1929 song written by Thomas "Fats" Waller, Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf . Waller recorded the original version that year for Victor Records and also later performed the song in the 1943 film Stormy Weather. It was used in the off-broadway musical Connie's Hot Chocolates... |
8-2-1929 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| All God's Chillun Got Wings | 8-28-1938 | London, England | Victor 27460 |
| Alligator Crawl | 11-16-1934 | New York, New York | Bluebird B-10098 |
| Baby Brown | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | HMV |
| Baby, Oh! Where Can You Be? | 8-29-1929 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Basin Street Blues | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | Bluebird B-10115 |
| Because Of Once Upon a Time | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | RFW |
| Believe It, Beloved | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | HMV |
| Birmingham Blues | 10-21-1922 | New York, New York | Okeh 4757-B |
| Blue Black Bottom | 2-16-1927 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Blue Turning Gray Over You | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | HMV |
| California, Here I Come | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | HMV |
| Carolina Shout | 5-13-1941 | New York, New York | Victor |
| Clothes Line Ballet | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | Victor 25015 |
| Deep River | 8-28-1938 | London, England | Victor 27459 |
| Goin' About | 9-11-1929 | New York, New York | Victor |
| Gladyse | 8-2-1929 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Go Down, Moses | 8-28-1938 | London, England | Victor 27458 |
| Honeysuckle Rose Honeysuckle Rose (song) "Honeysuckle Rose" is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, whose lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller's 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.... |
3-11-1935 | New York, New York | HMV |
| I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | HMV |
| I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling | 8-2-1929 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Keeping Out Of Mischief Now | 6-11-1937 | New York, New York | Bluebird 10099 |
| Lennox Avenue Blues | 11-17-1922 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 20357-B |
| Lonesome Road | 8-28-1938 | London, England | Victor 27459 |
| Minor Drag | 3-1-1929 | New York, New York | Victor |
| Messin' Around With The Blues Blues | 1-14-1927 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| My Fate Is In Your Hands | 12-4-1929 | New York, New York | Victor |
| My Feelin's Are Hurt | 12-4-1929 | New York, New York | Victor |
| Numb Fumblin' | 3-1-1929 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Russian Fantasy | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | HMV |
| Soothin' Syrup Stomp | 1-14-1927 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Sloppy Water Blues | 1-14-1927 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Smashing Thirds | 9-24-1929 | New York, New York | Victor |
| Sweet Savannah Sue | 8-2-1929 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Smashing Thirds | 9-24-1929 | New York, New York | Victor |
| The Rusty Pail | 1-14-1927 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| That's All | 8-29-1929 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor 23260 |
| Valentine Stomp | 8-2-1929 | Camden, New Jersey | Victor |
| Vipers Drag | 11-16-1934 | New York, New York | HMV |
| Zonky | 3-11-1935 | New York, New York | HMV |
Filmography
| Title | Director | Year |
|---|---|---|
| King of Burlesque King of Burlesque King of Burlesque is a 1936 musical film about a former burlesque producer played by Warner Baxter who moves into a legitimate theatre does very well, until he marries a socialite... |
Sidney Lanfield Sidney Lanfield Sidney Lanfield was a film director known for directing comedy films and later television programs.The one-time musician's first directing job was for the Fox Film Corporation in 1930; he went on to direct a number of films for 20th Century Fox... |
1936 |
| Hooray for Love | Walter Lang | 1935 |
| Stormy Weather | Andrew L. Stone Andrew L. Stone Andrew L. Stone was an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Best known for his hard hitting, realistic films, Stone frequently collaborated with his wife, editor and producer Virginia Lively Stone Andrew L. Stone (July 16, 1902, Oakland, California – June 9, 1999, Los Angeles,... |
1943 |
External links
- Fats Waller piano rollography
- Red Hot Jazz, a selection of Fats Waller's Recordings
- Fats Waller Forever, a digital exhibit of Fats Waller's musical career
- Fats Waller memorabilia
- Fats Waller, a tribute to the King of Stride Piano (French and English)
- Fats Waller Stride Piano & Sheet Music
- [ Allmusic]
- Fats Waller selection on a Grand Piano