Fats Waller
Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis 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 is likely that he composed many more popular songs than he has been credited with: when in financial difficulties he had a habit of selling songs to other writers and performers who claimed them as their own. Waller started playing the piano at the age of six and became a professional organist at 15. By the age of 18, he was a recording artist. He was a prolific songwriter, and 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. |
Birth and Death Data: Born May 21, 1904 (New York City), Died December 15, 1943 (Kansas City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1922 - 1951
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, leader, vocalist, composer, songwriter, pipe organ, director, celeste, arranger, organ, electric organ, lyricist, speaker
Notes: Sometimes listed as Thomas Waller or Thomas Wright Waller.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 126-150 of 692 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-84272 | 10-in. | 9/14/1934 | How can you face me? | George Hall ; Hotel Taft Orchestra ; Loretta Lee | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | BS-84417 | 10-in. | 9/28/1934 | Serenade for a wealthy widow | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and talk | speaker, vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, celeste, piano | |
Victor | BS-84418 | 10-in. | 9/28/1934 | How can you face me? | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and talk | composer, speaker, leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, celeste, piano | |
Victor | BS-84419 | 10-in. | 9/28/1934 | Sweetie pie | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, celeste, piano | |
Victor | BS-84420 | 10-in. | 9/28/1934 | Mandy | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, celeste, piano | |
Victor | BS-84421 | 10-in. | 9/28/1934 | Let's pretend there's a moon | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, celeste, piano | |
Victor | BS-84422 | 10-in. | 9/28/1934 | You're not the only oyster In the stew | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, celeste, piano | |
Victor | BS-84921 | 10-in. | 11/7/1934 | Honeysuckle rose | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, composer, leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-84922 | 10-in. | 11/7/1934 | Believe it, beloved | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-84923 | 10-in. | 11/7/1934 | Dream man (Make me dream some more) | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-84924 | 10-in. | 11/7/1934 | I'm growing fonder of you | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-84925 | 10-in. | 11/7/1934 | If it isn't love | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-84926 | 10-in. | 11/7/1934 | Breakin' the ice | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-86208 | 10-in. | 11/16/1934 | African ripples | Fats Waller | Piano solo | composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-86209 | 10-in. | 11/16/1934 | Clothes line ballet | Fats Waller | Piano solo | composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-86210 | 10-in. | 11/16/1934 | Alligator crawl | Fats Waller | Piano solo | composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-86211 | 10-in. | 11/16/1934 | Viper's drag | Fats Waller | Piano solo | composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BVE-86451 | 10-in. | 12/14/1934 | Alligator crawl | Sepia Serenaders | Instrumental trio | composer | |
Victor | BS-87082 | 10-in. | 1/5/1935 | I'm a hundred percent for you | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo (takes 1 and 2); Jazz/dance band (take 3) | vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-87083 | 10-in. | 1/5/1935 | Baby brown | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo (takes 1 and 2); Jazz/dance band (take 3) | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-87084 | 10-in. | 1/5/1935 | Night wind | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, pipe organ | |
Victor | BS-87085 | 10-in. | 1/5/1935 | Because of once upon a time | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-87086 | 10-in. | 1/5/1935 | I believe in miracles | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, pipe organ | |
Victor | BS-87087 | 10-in. | 1/5/1935 | You fit into the picture | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | BS-88776 | 10-in. | 3/6/1935 | Louisiana fairy tale | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Waller, Fats," accessed October 31, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101963.
Waller, Fats. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101963.
"Waller, Fats." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 31 October 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Fats Waller
Discogs: Fats Waller
Allmusic: Fats Waller
Apple Music: Fats Waller
Grove: Fats Waller
IMSLP: Fats Waller
IMDb: Fats Waller
Britannica: Fats Waller
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Waller, Fats, 1904-1943 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50024199
Wikidata: Fats Waller - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q310476
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/54334148
MusicBrainz: Fats Waller - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/569fc5bf-bcb6-4bc5-9a00-bd0d258e34f1
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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