Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 - December 15, 1943)
Selected Compositions
1922 Birmingham Blues Wild Cat Blues [1] 1923 All Alone It Seems To Me Done Gone Mad Don't Want You No More Blues Never Die 1924 Friendless Blues Oriental Tones Ramblin' Papa's Blues [2] Bloody Razor Blues [2] Bullet Wound Blues [2] Slaving [1] Flat Tire Papa, Mama's Gonna Give You the     Air [1] Ice Cold Papa, Mama's Gonna Melt You     Down [3] Call the Plumber In [3] My Jamaica Love [3] Shut Yo' Mouf [3] The Short Trail Became A Long Trail [3] Sweetie Don't Grow Sour on Me [w/Charles     O'Flynn] When You're Tired of Me Just Let Me Know [3] My Sweet Baby Irene [2,3] Rock Me Just as a Sweet Daddy Should [3] Old Fashioned Susie's Blues [1,3] The Blue Strain [2] I May Be a Little Green But I Ain't No Fool [2] Strivers Row [w/Jack Moore] Please Tell Me Why [w/Ed Adams] Sweet Baby [1] Mandy, I'm Just Wild About You [1,5] Hello Atlanta Town [1,5] In The Springtime [5] That's My Man [5] My Man Cures the Blues [5] Strollin' Round the Town [5] What Can Be Wrong With Me? [5] In My Baby's Eyes [5] I'm Going Right Along [5] Any Day the Sun Don't Shine [3] Please Take Me Back [5] In Harlem's Araby [5] My Baby's Coming Back Home [5] 1925 House Party Stomp Kiss Me Again [1] The Heart That Once Belonged To Me Now     Belongs to Somebody Else [1] Home Alone Blues [w/John Homes] Ball and Chain Blues [3] Brother Ben [2] An Awful Lot My Gal Ain't Got [2] Squeeze Me (The Boy in the Boat) [1] Anybody Here Want to Try My Cabbage? [3] Camp Meetin' Stomp Workin' Woman Blues [2] Wallerin' Around 1926 Chinese Blues Levee Land Beethoven's Sangwattni Congo Lou Henderson Stomp That Struttin' Eddie of Mine [1,6] Old Folks Shuffle [1] Crazy 'Bout the Man I Love [1,2] Midnight Stomp: The Stomp of Stomps[1,7] Senorita Mine [1,2,9] Charleston Hound [1,2,9] Lonesome One [1,3] Georgia Bo-Bo [5] That Florida Low Down [5] [w/J. Fred Coots] Great Scott [w/Henry Troy] Harlem Black Dispatch (c.1926) 1927 Blue Black Bottom Meditation Fat Man Blues The Digah's Stomp Alligator Crawl Sloppy Water Blues Soothin' Syrup Stomp A Darkie's Lament Lenox Avenue Blues Long, Deep and Wide Florence Fats Waller Stomp [10] [w/Charlie Irvis] The Rusty Pail Blues Messin' Around with the Blues [w/Phil Worde] Shake Your Feet [11] Wringin' and Twistin' [5] [w/Frank Trumbauer] I'm More Than Satisfied [w/Raymond Klages] White Man Stomp [1] I'm Goin' Huntin' [w/James C. Johnson] Nobody Knows [12] [w/Bennett Carter] Please Take Me Out of Jail [10] Savannah Blues [10] Come On and Stomp, Stomp, Stomp [11]     [w/Chris Smith] St. Louis Shuffle [13] Hop Off [1,7] (c.1927) 1928 Candied Sweets [13] Whiteman Stomp [1] Monkey Talk I Hope You're Satisified [1] Hog Maw Stomp Lion's Roar One O'Clock Blues [12] [w/Walter Bishop] Lovie Lee [3] Willow Tree [3] Got Myself Another Jockey Now [3] From Keep Shufflin': Musical    Cho'late Bar [3]    Washboard Ballet [3] [w/Henry Creamer]    How Jazz Was Born [3] 1929 Goin' About Waiting at the End of the Road Ridin' But Walkin' Six or Seven Times [11] No Wonder A Handful of Keys Smashing Thirds Numb Fumblin' I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling [14] [w/Billy     Rose] If You Like Me, I Like You [1,2] I'm Not Worrying [1] I Need Someone Like You Gladyse Trouble Touchdown Valentine Stomp Waltz Divine [3,4] Laughing Water [3,4] Alone and Blue [3,4] Good for Nothin' But Love [3,4] Minor Drag Lookin' Good But Feelin' Bad [8] Lookin' For Another Sweetie [8] Harlem Fuss Won't You Get Off It, Please? Why Am I Alone with No One to Love? [2,3] That Was My Own Idea [w/Billy Moll] Freeze Out Load of Coal: Musical [3]    Honeysuckle Rose [3,4]    Load of Coal    My Fate is In Your Hands    Zonky    Heavy Sugar    Find Out What They Like    My Man Is Good for Nothing But Love [3,4] Connie's Hot Chocolates: Musical [3,4]    Song of the Cotton Fields    Sweet Savannah Sue    Say It With Your Feet [3]    Ain't Misbehavin'    Goddess of Rain    Dixie Cinderella    Black and Blue (What Did I Do to Be So)    That Rhythm Man    Can't We Get Together?    Redskinland    Jazzlips    Snakes Hips (Snake Hip Dance)    Off Time    Jungle Jamboree 1930 Gone [3,14] Keep a Song in Your Soul [15] Blue Turning Grey Over You [3] Prisoner of Love [3] Rollin' Down the River [9] Asbestos (c.1930) 1931 Take It From Me (I'm Takin' To You) [9] I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby [15] Little Brown Betty [15] My Feelin's Are Hurt African Ripples That's All Heart of Stone [15] It's You [3] Concentratin' (On You) [3] Buddie [3] Old Yazoo The Ice Man Lives in an Ice House     [w/R. Duromo & Elmer S. Hughes] 1932 Glorie's Good Mornin' Oh, You Sweet Thing [3] If It Ain't Love [3] [w/Donald Redman] Radio Papa, Broadcastin' Mama [3,14] When Gabriel Blows His Horn [3]	1932 (Cont) How Can You Face Me? [3] Strange As It Seems [3] Since Won Long Hop Took One Long Hop to     China [w/Jack Meskill] Lonesome Me [3,16] Oh! You Sweet Thing [3] I'm Now Prepared to Tell the World It's You [3] That's Where the South Begins     [w/George Brown] Gotta Be, Gonna Be Mine [3] Keepin' Out of Mischief Now [3] Breakin' My Heart [2] Where the Dew Drops Kiss the Morning [2] Blowing of the Breeze Blew You Into My     Arms [2] My Heart's At Ease [2] Only Sometimes [17] The Apple of My Eye [17] Sheltered by the Stars, Cradled by the Moon,     Covered by the Night [17] I Didn't Dream it was Love [16] [w/Elliot     Grennard] 1933 Doin' What I Please [3] Tall Timber [3] A Handful of Keyas (Song) [3] Slower Than Molasses [3] Sittin' Up, Waitin' for You [3] Ain'tcha Glad? [3] On Sunday When We Gathered Around the     Organ [3,15] 1934 Swing On, Mississippi [w/Ned Washington] Clothes Line Ballet Dream Man Viper's Drag Russian Fantasy Effervescent Your Feet's Too Big Ace in the Hole [w/Frank Crumit & Bartley     Costello] 1935 When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful[w/Harry Woods] The Panic Is On [w/George & Bert Clarke &     Winston Tharp] Harlem Living Room Suite [11]    Corn Whiskey Cocktail    Functionizin'    Scrimmage 1936 I Can See You All Over the Place [2] Shakin' It All Night Long [2] Wait and See [3] Stealin' Apples [3] Sugar Rose [w/Phil Ponce] 1937 Our Love Was Meant To Be [15] [w/Joe Davis] Lost Love [3] John Henry [3] The Joint is [was] Jumping [2,3] Swingin' Hound (Charleston Hound) [1,2,6] 1938 Hold My Hand [18] How Can I With You In My Heart [18] How Ya Baby? [18] I Can't Forgive You [18] I'm Savin' Up My Pennies If I Meant Something To You [18] Inside This Heart of Mine [18] Moonlight Mood [18] What Will I Do in the Morning? [18] What's Your Name? [18] Solid Eclipse [18] I Got Love [2] What A Pretty Miss [2] Now There, Right Here [2] I Had to Do It [3] Jealous of Me [3] I'm Gonna Fall In Love [2] Yacht Club Swing [w/Autrey & Johnson] Hopeless Love Affair [3] On Rainy Days [3] Patty Cake, Patty Cake [3,18] Not There, Right Here [2] You're My Ideal [2] Undercurrent A Cottage in the Rain [2] The Spider and The Fly, Poor Fly, Bye     Bye [3,18] Swincopations    Bach Up to Me    Black Raspberry Jam    Fractious Fingering    Latch On    Lounging at the Waldorf    Paswonky 1939 Say Yes [3,18] Choo Choo [3] [w/Eugene Seebic] Anita Hold Tight Smother Me With Your Love Honey Hush [19] Walkin' the Floor [3] You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It [2] 1940 Mighty Fine [3] Stayin' At Home [3] Happy Feeling Winter Weather Old Grand Dad London Suite    Picadilly    Chelsea    Soho    Bond Street    Limehouse    Whitechapel 1941 Oh, Baby, Sweet Baby I Repent Blue Velvet [2] All Nothin' To It (aka Gettin' Much Lately?) Rumpsteak Serenade Sad Sap Sucker Am I [19] Come and Get It [19] All That Meat and No Potatoes [19] Mamacita [w/Anita Waller] You Must Be Losin' Your Mind Piano Antics    China Jumps    Sneakin' Home (or Sneakin' Around)    Palm Garden    Wan'rin' Around    Falling Castle 1942 The Jitterbug Waltz [3] You Gotta Swing It We Need a Little Love [19] Cash for Your Trash [19] Sing Out Fats Waller et le Swing Up Jumped You With Love My Song of Hate [3] Really Fine Breezin' (c.1942) 1943 Martinique Bouncin' on a V-Disc Swing Out to Victory Onion Time Original Eb Blues (c.1943) Early to Bed: Musical [20]    A Girl Should Never Ripple When She Bends    There's A Man [Gal] In My Life    Me and my Old World Charm    Supple Couple    Slightly Less Than Wonderful    This Is So Nice (It Must Be Illegal)    Hi-De-Ho High in Harlem    The Ladies Who Sing With the Band    There's "Yes" In the Air    Get Away Young Man    Long Time, No Song    Early to Bed    On Your Mark    When the Nylons Bloom Again c.1940s (Posth) Look-A-Here Peek N' Seek Blues Idiom Paraphernalia The March of the Spades Boogie Woogie Suite    Boogie Woogie Blues    Boogie Woogie Stomp    Boogie Woogie Rag    Boogie Woogie Jump    1. w/Clarence Williams    2. w/Spencer Williams    3. w/Andy Razaf    4. Harry Brooks    5. w/Joseph (Jo) Trent    6. w/Eddie Rector    7. w/Joe Jordan    8. w/Lester Santly    9. w/Stanley Adams    10. w/Thomas Morris    11. w/Irving Mills    12. w/Bud Allen    13. w/Jack Pettis    14. w/Harry Link    15. w/Alex Hill    16. w/Con Conrad    17. w/Joe Young    18. w/J.C. Johnson    19. w/Ed Kirkeby    20. w/George Marion Jr.

     Although not a prominent figure of the ragtime era, Waller eventually turned out to be a prominent figure in music in general, and his success came from expansion of both ragtime formats and... well, himself. His sense of humor would certainly support such friendly jabs, but his life was not as easy going as his stage persona let on. Waller was born to Edward Martin Waller and Adeline Waller, and had two older brothers one older sister ane one younger sister, the only five siblings of eleven who survived infancy.
     The church was the primary focus of the household by the time he arrived, as Edward was a sometimes minister with the Abyssinian Baptist Church. The family had migrated from Virginia to New York City before Thomas was born in order to join that church, and followed when it moved from Greenwich Village to Harlem around the turn of the 20th century. Given this environment, it was natural that young Thomas was exposed to both traditional hymns as well as Negro spirituals and gospel. But he also soaked in the influences of secular music forms found throughout Harlem, and syncopation inevitably worked its way into his hymn playing, much to Edward's disapproval. His father even took the youth to a performance by pianist Ignacy Paderewski, but it seemed only to push him more towards syncopation. Edward's work with the church may not pay the bills well, as the 1910 Census shows Edward and his oldest son, Edward L., working as truck drivers.
     Thomas still studied classical piano and organ with the musical director of the church, who made certain the boy learned the traditional organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach, an influence that would surface in later compositions. At ten years old he was able to play harmonium and organ proficiently. In his early teens he attempted to pursue a musical career with some frustration. The family had moved to Lenox Avenue in Harlem in 1918, and Thomas had left school for work. He was helping to pay the bills and finance his continuing piano lessons. It was after many visits to the local movie house, the Lincoln Theater, and with some persistence that he ended up as their theater organist before he was even sixteen years old. It was still a sideline even then, as he is listed as out of school and working for an upholstery company in the 1920 Census. But one of the first tragedies in his life occurred that same year when his mother died soon after he turned sixteen.
     Burying his sorrow in his music, Waller got a job as the organist for the Lafayette Theater in 1921 for $50 a week. He felt a need to escape his domineering father and soon left home, staying with friends in exchange for a sunny disposition and good entertainment at rent parties. The first of these was the home of Russell Brooks, who introduced him to the music of James P. Johnson through Johnson's piano rolls. The teen, who was still tied to organ playing more than piano, tried to emulate Johnson's playing by learning from the rolls pumped one chord at a time. It turns out that fans of Johnson were also friends of Johnson, and through Brooks the thrilled youngster and the stride master soon met. Waller became a musical apprentice to Johnson from that point on, and would eventually overtake him in popularity and overall performance ability. As hard as it is to fathom, Johnson pinpointed Waller's biggest weakness as his left hand. Since Thomas had spent most of his musical life in front of an organ, he had developed a dependance on foot pedals for the lower notes that would normally be played by the left hand on the piano. This was soon overcome through diligence on the part of Johnson, and Waller's mighty strident left hand skills soon emerged. By this time, Thomas was a hard-drinking bawdy diamond in the rough teen who was able to endear himself to nearly any audience, but had difficulty managing his own life, as others who attempted to do the same were able to attest to. Waller was first married Edith Waller at 17 but soon was out of that marriage, at least in practice. In spite of his ability to make money, his appetite for life and consumables in general left him constantly broke, although usually still in good humor as long as booze and ladies were available. His charming demeanor usually saw to that.
     By 1922, now nicknamed "Fats" due to his considerable height and girth, Waller was starting to compose. His earliest recordings sessions were arranged by composer Clarence Williams, including his first composition, Birmingham Blues, reportedly written right in the studio. He followed with some sides accompanying a young blues singer named Sarah Martin, then moved to QRS in 1923 thanks to manager J. Lawrence Cook who utilized the teen's talents for a series of popular music piano rolls. Waller did not do too much lyrically, although some of the songs he wrote were rather bawdy in nature. For example, many know Squeeze Me as a gentle ballad, or even from his terrific piano roll of the piece. However the original melody had lyrics along the lines of, "Have you ever seen the boy in the boat, he doesn't wear a hat or a coat," which is rife with lewd sexual references. So the talented lyricists he hooked up with early on helped to further refine his talents be presenting him with appropriate lyrics to compose to, or in the case of some of his earlier songs, fit better lyrics to them, as they had to for the roll of Squeeze Me. Among those talents were Clarence Williams, blues publishers Spencer Williams, and lyricists Jo Trent and Andy Razaf. Waller would end up composing most of his best works with Razaf, but both would usually be equally destitute as a result of bad business decisions concerning their music and lyrics.
     Throughout the 1920s Waller and company composed a number of lesser blues pieces and songs that either saw publication or were committed to piano roll. Many of his pieces composed in 1924 and 1925 with a variety of lyricists remained unpublished for decades, and some never even recorded, so prolific were his melodies. It was clear on both the early recordings and even the piano rolls that Waller's touch had a wide range and his chord choices and execution were revolutionary for their time. His sense of timing, and even how long to hold notes, was studied by many up and coming Harlem pianists through both rolls and records. Yet he was still constantly borke. As a result of his financial woes, some of his earlier songs or piano rolls were sold hastily and anonymously, so some have been lost to us through obscurity. Publishers routinely bought songs outright for low prices, claiming that they couldn't be sure of sales potential that early on. A few pieces from this era have been attributed to him based on remembrances of his peers and colleagues. One of those was legendary stride pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith, who allegedly gave Thomas the nickname "Filthy." Smith's preference for late 19th Century impressionistic composers influenced Waller's use of classical pianistic devices in many of his solo compositions and performances. Some of his peers claim that he may have composed the melodies for such songs as On the Sunny Side of the Street or I Can't Give You Anything but Love, pieces attributed to him largely through performance.
     One probable incident happened before he reached his wider fame. It was in Chicago in 1926 when Waller was leaving a performance when he was reportedly "kidnapped" at gunpoint by four men who subsequently delivered him to the Hawthorne Inn, a hangout of the notorious gangster "Scarface" Al Capone. Fats was led inside in the midst of a raucous party, then pushed to a piano and ordered to play with guns pointed at him. As it turns out, he was a "surprise guest" for the mobsters birthday party, and he knew as long as he played ball - or piano - he would likely live through the event. Rumor has it that it lasted for three days, but given Waller's occasional propensity for stretching things, it is hard to confirm this as fact. Just the same, he evidently left drunk but much richer due to thousands of dollars in tips. It was also around this time that he met and married his second wife, Anita Rutherford. They would eventually have two sons, Maurice and Ronald.
     Waller started recording for Victor Records in 1926, turning out passable sides of his own tunes as well as some popular ones of the day. However, it was not until 1929 that Fats suddenly found the widespread fame he both craved and deserved. He had been involved with a 1928 show called Keep Shufflin' in which he contributed some pieces to and played in the pit orchestra conducted by Johnson. He left that show for a solo gig at the organ, followed by a short stay in prison from August through December for failure to pay alimony after having abandoned his first wife Edith and son Thomas Jr. After he was released Fats was lured back to the stage to assist with another show, this time hosted by the notorious Connie's Inn in Harlem, which was owned and operated by New York gangsters, the most notable of them being brothers Connie and George Immerman and Dutch Schultz. The show was Connie's Hot Chocolates starring the "Hi-De-Ho Man", singer Cab Calloway, with lyrics by Andy Razaf and Harry Brooks. It featured a boy/girl number titled Ain't Misbehavin' which was an instant hit and recorded almost immediately, including one memorably hot session by a member of the original stage band, Louis Armstrong. The song was so popular that the pit band had to play extended encores of it during the intermission. Another hit for the duo was Black and Blue, a thinly veiled criticism of the racist treatment of blacks by his white benefactors and the white population in general. Unfortunately all of the songs from the musical, which played for over 200 performances from June through December, were sold to Mills Music for a paltry $500, which Waller could soon have made every day from royalties had he held on to them.
     The writer's insistent hosts, who the composers had trouble refusing, asked for more, and the team turned out Load of Coal Some chronologies suggest that Load of Coal may have actually been staged before Connie's Hot Chocolates given contemporary accounts of the various collaborations. The bulk of the song list of Load of Coal has been largely lost to history, making that chronology hard to confirm. Just the same, the featured tune of that show was Honeysuckle Rose, a song that Fats would play almost daily during the last decade of his life. In fact, nine years Honeysuckle Rose reached immortal status with an 18 minute rendition played and recorded at Carnegie Hall by the Benny Goodman orchestra featuring Count Basie at the piano. But it was an amazing recording session at Victor in Camden, New Jersey, that yielded a stride piano rag, A Handful of Keys, and his first tasty solo rendition of Ain't Misbehavin', and the nicely understated Smashing Thirds and Numb Fumblin'. By the end of this landmark year, with several more recordings to his credit, Waller had proved himself and was on his way.
     The next few years found Waller doing nearly anything for money. He occasionally wrote songs for musicals, and turned out a large number of fabulous recordings for RCA Victor. Many times he would simply record whatever song they gave him to promote, reviewing it briefly before the session to adapt it to his style, then creating an indelible imprint on acetate. This is how many classics like Stardust and Old Rocking Chair found their way into the hearts of other jazz musicians and listeners. But it was the recordings of his own pieces, such as Alligator Crawl and Valentine Stomp, that made the biggest impact on the buying public. In 1934 he had an incredible set of discs that included an earlier composition, Alligator Crawl, and his experimental Clothesline Ballet. These solos in particular highlighted the technical skill of Waller's playing that was often lost beneath the humor he presented on stage or his new best love, radio. Waller also traveled out of the U.S. on at least three occasions. Through passport and manifest record he is shown in France from late 1931 to at least August of 1932, part of a European tour. He also had two tours to London in 1938 and 1939 which resulted in some fabulous organ recordings and a very early BBC television broadcast.
     Fats and Radio were a perfect combination, as his humorous asides and lyrical alterations were both hip and smarmy, creating a multi-ethnic audience that simply enjoyed good music and tawdry humor. His first work in the medium was in 1932 after his return from Paris. It was during his early radio days that Waller began to gain a reputation for his vocal performances of popular tunes. Many great sessions were heard with Fats and his Rhythm from the mid 1930s through the early 1940s, most recorded for posterity. The first sessions of this group were in 1934 for Victor. From that point on he did less piano solo work, perferring recording with ensembles. A lot of the work was driven by publishers who wanted him to promote their songs. He would often find music waiting for him in the studio, and after a couple of read throughs and a rehearsal would knock out another classic by Carmichael or Kalmar and Ruby or whatever the flavor of the month was. But behind the scenes was a man who wanted to be recognized for his piano skills more than for his humorous renditions of Tin Pan Alley pieces. This was partially realized in a late 1930s Carnegie Hall performance complete with tails, although it still wasn't quite what he had hoped.
     Publicly, Waller maintained an earthy yet classy facade, but his broken relationships and financial woes were littered behind him constantly. Usually living beyond his means he liked to dress well and drive a Lincoln. He also suffered the widespread indignities afforded to people of color in the 1930s and 1940s, and this hurt him terribly. Just the same, he did his patriotic duty for his country in the troops during the early part of World War II, recording some highly unique tracks on a series of highly acclaimed V-Discs (Victory Discs) intended for overseas broadcasts. Fats also contributed to the musical Early to Bed with librettist George Marion Jr., which played for nearly a year on Broadway starting in June, 1943, outlasting him by several months.
     It was in late 1943 that Fats appeared in the Zanzibar Club in Los Angeles during a November warm spell. Given the tight space and conditions with lighting, the obese pianist had little choice but to perspire at his own efforts while sitting next to an air conditioner to fend off the heat. The result late in the month was a serious case of the flu that progressed into pneumonia, requiring hospitalization. Waller seemed to be recovering when he tried to resume his previous level of performance activity. In mid December he boarded the Santa Fe Chief for New York, but his weakened heart gave out before he even reached Kansas City on December 15, passing at only 39 years. Three days later his friend and mentor James P. Johnson recorded Blues for Fats. The outpouring of grief from his peers and fans was as enormous as his lust for life, and the loss of Waller created a vacuum in the musical community for some time.
     Fortunately for us Fats Waller left behind a joyous legacy of hundreds of recordings and even a few film appearances, most notably a pair of tunes in the all-black 1943 film Stormy Weather and assorted short subjects. In 1978 a highly successful revue of his works appropriately titled Ain't Misbehavin' launched into a nearly-four year run, and remains a popular property to this day. Virtually any jazz or stride musician from Dick Hyman and Judy Carmichael to Brian Holland and Jeff Barnhart can whip out a full set of his tunes, even in duets, without a second thought, he has become such a part of the DNA of American stride and jazz. But then again, "One never knows, do one!"