Louis Hooper

Louis Stanley Hooper (May 18, 1894, North Buxton, Ontario - September 17, 1977, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) was a Canadian jazz pianist.

Hooper was raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan and attended the Detroit Conservatory, where he played locally in dance orchestras in the 1910s. He then moved to New York City around 1920; he recorded with Elmer Snowden and Bob Fuller frequently in the middle of the decade, and performed with both of them in Harlem as well as with other ensembles. Hooper served for some time as the house pianist for Ajax Records and accompanied many blues singers on record, including Martha Copeland, Rosa Henderson, Lizzie Miles, Monette Moore, and Ethel Waters. He participated in the Blackbirds revue of 1928.

In 1932, Hooper returned to Canada, where he played in Mynie Sutton's dance band, the Canadian Ambassadors. He did local work solo and in ensembles for the next two decades, then was brought back into the limelight by the Montreal Vintage Music Society in 1962. Hooper released an LP of ragtime piano tunes in 1973 entitled Lou Hooper, Piano. He taught at the University of Prince Edward Island late in his life and appeared regularly on CBC television in Halifax.

His papers, which include unpublished compositions and an autobiography, are now held at the National Library of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario.

Birth and Death Data: Born May 18, 1894 (North Buxton, Ontario), Died September 17, 1977

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1924 - 1934

Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, composer, songwriter

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-62 of 62 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick 583W-585W 10-in. 3/20/1925 Poplar Bluff blues Rosa Henderson Female vocal solo, with trombone and piano instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 912W-914W 10-in. 6/20/1925 Too bad Jim! Three Jolly Miners Jazz/dance trio composer, instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 915W-917W 10-in. 6/20/1925 Black cat blues Three Jolly Miners Jazz/dance trio composer, instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 1078W-1079W 10-in. 8/8/1925 Lake George blues Three Jolly Miners Jazz/dance trio, with clarinet solo instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 1080W-1081W 10-in. 8/8/1925 Louisville blues Three Jolly Miners Jazz/dance trio, with clarinet solo instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 1240W-1242W 10-in. 8/27/1925 Plain old blues Three Jolly Miners Jazz/dance trio, with clarinet solo instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 1243W-1245W 10-in. 8/27/1925 Ketch your breath Three Jolly Miners Jazz/dance trio, with clarinet solo instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 1377W-1378W 10-in. 9/21/1925 Old man's Charleston Three Jolly Miners Jazz/dance trio composer, instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 1379W-1380W 10-in. 9/21/1925 Texas shuffle Three Jolly Miners Jazz/dance trio composer, instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 1511W-1513W 10-in. 10/17/1925 An' I don't mean if! Rosa Henderson ; Three Jolly Miners Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio instrumentalist, piano  
Brunswick 1514W-1516W 10-in. 10/17/1925 You can't be like my last man was Rosa Henderson Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio songwriter, instrumentalist, piano  
Plaza/ARC 5652 10-in. 9/29/1924 The basement blues Rosa Henderson Female vocal solo, with cornet, trombone, and piano instrumentalist, piano  
(Results 51-62 of 62 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hooper, Louis," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110982.

Hooper, Louis. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110982.

"Hooper, Louis." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110982

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