Fats Waller

Pianist / Bandleader / Jazz Musician

Born: 21 May 1904
Died: 15 December 1943(Pneumonia)
Birthplace: New York, New York
Best known as: Joyous piano player who wrote "Ain't Misbehavin'"

Name at birth: Thomas Wright Waller

Fats Waller played stride piano and pipe organ, beginning his career making player piano rolls in the 1920s. He accompanied singers on the vaudeville stage (including Bessie Smith) and wrote hit songs such as "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose." Waller's rollicking style and sense of humor made him a popular star, and his output was tremendous. He had a reputation for wild living, and it eventually caught up to him: he developed pneumonia and died on a train near Kansas City at the age of 39.

Extra credit: Waller's last performance was in the 1943 film Stormy Weather.

Copyright © 1998-2006 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved.

More on Fats Waller from Fact Monster:

  • Fats Waller - Waller, Fats Waller, Fats, 1904–43, American jazz musician, singer, and composer, whose ...
  • Count Basie Biography (Pianist/Bandleader/Jazz Musician) - Biography of Count Basie, Swing bandleader and performer of "One O'Clock Jump"
  • Diana Krall - Diana Krall jazz musician Born: 11/16/1964 Birthplace: Nanaimo, Canada Touted as the hottest ...
  • Black Musicians - Notable African-American Musicians Bessie Smith Browse more African-American biographies by ...
  • May 21 Birthdays: Alexander Pope - May 21 birthdays: Alexander Pope, Albrecht Dürer, Andrei Sakharov, Fats Waller, Henri Rousseau, Glenn Curtiss, Elizabeth Fry

Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2000–2008 Pearson Education, publishing as Fact Monster