Quick Facts
- NAME: Fats Waller
- OCCUPATION: Songwriter, Pianist, Singer
- BIRTH DATE: May 21, 1904
- DEATH DATE: December 15, 1943
- PLACE OF BIRTH: New York, New York
- PLACE OF DEATH: Kansas City, Missouri
- Originally: Thomas Wright Waller
Best Known For
American pianist and composer Fats Waller was one of the few outstanding jazz musicians to win wide commercial fame.
Fats Waller. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 11:15, May 24, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/fats-waller-9522591
Fats Waller [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/fats-waller-9522591, May 24
" Fats Waller." 2012. Biography.com 24 May 2012, 11:15 http://www.biography.com/people/fats-waller-9522591
' Fats Waller', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/fats-waller-9522591 [accessed May 24, 2012]
" Fats Waller," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/fats-waller-9522591 (accessed May 24, 2012).
Fats Waller [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 May 24]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/fats-waller-9522591.
Fats Waller, http://www.biography.com/people/fats-waller-9522591 (last visited May 24, 2012).
Fats Waller, http://www.biography.com/people/fats-waller-9522591 (last visited May 24, 2012).
Profile
Born May 21, 1904, in New York City, Fats Waller became a professional pianist at 15, working in cabarets and theatres, and soon became deeply influenced by James P. Johnson, the founder of the stride school of jazz piano. By the late 1920s he was also an established songwriter whose work often appeared in Broadway revues. From 1934 on he made hundreds of recordings with his own small band.© 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
Profile Connections
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Musical Monikers
View groupWhen musicians land big fame, there typically comes a moment of reinvention in which the 'Rock Star' identity is born. This new persona often requires a new name, a way to differentiate between the private and public versions of themselves. Musical monikers take different forms, from the simple, one-word name—like Madonna—to the glamorized version of a childhood nickname—like Jay-Z. As artists change and grow, these nicknames begin to represent a new self, as full of personality as the artist it represents.
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Jazz Singers
View groupJazz vocalists have made immeasurable contributions to the American songbook. Not only was Louis Armstrong renowned for his innovations as a trumpet soloist, but he also had a distinctive, gravelly voice that incorporated swing and humor. A host of other jazz singers enjoyed great popularity in the mid-20th century, including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne and Nina Simone. Several established careers in film and television as well. Contemporary artists like Harry Connick Jr. and Diana Krall continue to carry the musical baton.
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