Thomas Wright Waller was the youngest of four children, born in New York to Adeline Locket Waller and Reverend Edward Martin Waller. He started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to the organ of his father's church four years later. At the age of fourteen he was playing the organ at Harlem's Lincoln Theater and within twelve months he had composed his first rag. Waller's first piano solos ("Muscle Shoals Blues" and "Birmingham Blues") were recorded in October 1922 when he was 18 years old.
He was the prize pupil, and later friend and colleague, of stride pianist James P. Johnson. Fats Waller was the son of a preacher and learned to play the organ in church with his mother. Overcoming opposition from his clergyman father, Waller became a professional pianist at 15, working in cabarets and theaters. In 1918 he won a talent contest playing Johnson's "Carolina Shout", a song he learned from watching a player piano play it.
Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Squeeze Me". Fellow pianist and composer Oscar Levant dubbed Waller "the black Horowitz". Waller composed many novelty tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for relatively small sums. When the compositions became hits, other songwriters claimed them as their own. Many standards are alternatively and sometimes controversially attributed to Waller. Waller's son Maurice wrote in his 1977 biography of his father, that once he was playing "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" when he heard his father complaining from upstairs and came down and admonished him never to play that song in his hearing, saying that he had to sell that song when he needed some money. He even made a recording of it in 1938 with Adelaide Hall who, coincidentally, had introduced the song to the world (at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York in 1928), in which he played the tune but made fun of the lyrics. Likewise, Maurice noted his father's objections whenever he heard "On the Sunny Side of the Street" played on the radio.
The anonymous sleeve notes on the 1960 RCA (UK) album Handful of Keys state that Waller copyrighted over 400 new songs, many of which 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".[citation needed] Gene Sedric, a clarinetist who played with Waller on some of his 1930s recordings, is quoted in these same sleeve notes recalling Waller's recording technique with considerable admiration: "Fats was the most relaxed man I ever saw in a studio, and so he made everybody else relaxed. After a balance had been taken, we'd just need one take to make a side, unless it was a kind of difficult number."
Waller played with many performers, from Nat Shilkret (on Victor 21298-A) and Gene Austin to Erskine Tate to Adelaide Hall, but his greatest success came with his own five- or six-piece combo, "Fats Waller and his Rhythm".
His playing once put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone. Waller was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the "surprise guest" at Capone's birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters did not intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.
In 1926, Waller began his recording association with Victor Records, his principal record company for the rest of his life, with the organ solos "St. Louis Blues" and his own composition, "Lenox Avenue Blues". Although he recorded with various groups, including Morris's Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller's Buddies (1929) (one of the earliest interracial groups to record), and McKinney's Cotton Pickers (1929), his most important contribution to the Harlem stride piano tradition was a series of solo recordings of his own compositions: "Handful of Keys", "Smashing Thirds", "Numb Fumblin'", and "Valentine Stomp" (1929). After sessions with Ted Lewis (1931), Jack Teagarden (1931), and Billy Banks's Rhythmakers (1932), he began in May 1934 the voluminous series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. This six-piece group usually included Herman Autrey (sometimes replaced by Bill Coleman or John "Bugs" Hamilton), Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey.
Waller wrote "Squeeze Me" (1919), "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now", "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1929), "Blue Turning Grey Over You", "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" (1929), "Honeysuckle Rose" (1929), and "Jitterbug Waltz" (1942). He collaborated with the Tin Pan Alley lyricist Andy Razaf. He composed stride piano display pieces such as "Handful of Keys", "Valentine Stomp" and "Viper's Drag".[citation needed]
He enjoyed success touring the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1930s. He appeared in one of the first BBC broadcasts. While in Britain, Waller also recorded a number of songs for EMI on their Compton Theatre organ located in their Abbey Road Studios in St John's Wood. He appeared in several feature films and short subject films, most notably "Stormy Weather" in 1943, which was released July 21, just months before his death. For the hit Broadway show, "Hot Chocolates", he and Razaf wrote "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue" (1929), which became a hit for Ethel Waters and Louis Armstrong.
Waller performed Bach organ pieces for small groups on occasion. Waller influenced many pre-bop jazz pianists; Count Basie and Erroll Garner have both reanimated his hit songs (notably, "Ain't Misbehavin'"). In addition to his playing, Waller was known for his many quips during his performances.
Between 1926 and the end of 1927, Waller recorded a series of pipe organ solo records. These represent the first time syncopated jazz compositions were performed on a full sized church organ.
Waller contracted pneumonia and died on a cross country train trip near Kansas City, Missouri on December 15, 1943, after making a final recording session with an interracial group in Detroit that included white trumpeter Don Hirleman. He was on his way back to Hollywood for more film work, after the smash success of "Stormy Weather". Coincidentally, as the train with the body of Waller stopped in Kansas City, so stopped a train with his dear friend Louis Armstrong on board.
Revival and awards
2008 Gennett Records Walk of Fame
2005 Jazz at Lincoln Center: Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame
1993 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
1989 Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame
1970 Songwriters Hall of Fame
Recordings of Fats Waller were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honour recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance".
Fats Waller: Grammy Hall of Fame Awards
1934 "Honeysuckle Rose" Jazz (Single) Victor in 1998
1929 "Ain't Misbehavin'" Jazz (Single) Victor in 1984 Listed in the National Recording Registry
by the Library of Congress in 2004.
Subject of the Irish poet Michael Longley's "Elegy for Fats Waller".
Waller's organ music is prominently featured in the David Lynch film Eraserhead.
He was caricatured in several Warner Brothers animated shorts, most notably Tin Pan Alley Cats.
In the 2008 film, Be Kind Rewind Fats Waller was a major theme and influence for the storyline.
Italian comics book artist Igort published a comic book about Waller entitled Fats Waller on Coconino Press in 2009.
Some of Waller's music ("Jitterbug Waltz") is used in the video game series BioShock.
Waller's version of "Louisiana Fairytale" was used for many years as the theme song to This Old House.
A Broadway musical revue showcasing Waller tunes entitled Ain't Misbehavin' was produced in 1978. (The show and a star of the show, Nell Carter, won Tony Awards.) The show opened at the Longacre Theatre and ran for over 1600 performances. It was revived on Broadway in 1988. Performed by five African American actors, it included such songs as "Honeysuckle Rose", "This Joint Is Jumpin'", and "Ain't Misbehavin'".
Hallelujah (
Fats Waller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just a lonely man inspired
Hoping God would send the water down
To quench this burning fire
If I left here for the mountain
A monastery man
Things are still the same so I remain
To show just who I am
Bonnie and Clyde
Graffiti with no message
Doctors medicine and pride
But it doesn't really matter
They're blowin' in the wind
On the cover of a magazine
[Chorus:]
Hallelujah
Babylon is falling
Babylon is falling
Hallelujah
Babylon is falling
Babylon is falling
I try to wash my dirty hands
But they won't come off with water
Hoping truth will make me clean and then
Redeem my sons and daughters
Though they're not we're very happy
Vast along the nose
That's why I left my memories far behind on nature's road
Seems so simple, the future's the past
The present are the things we holdin' on to make those last
But it doesn't really matter
[Chorus:]
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
The lyrics to Fats Waller's song "Hallelujah" are about a man walking through the city, feeling lonely and hoping for relief from his inner turmoil. He prays for God to send him water to put out the burning fire that he feels inside. The man contemplates leaving for the mountains to become a monastery man, but ultimately decides to stay and show the world who he really is. He has seen different things around him, such as Bonnie and Clyde, graffiti with no message, doctors' medicine, and pride. However, these things do not really matter to him as they are just passing by like the wind or a magazine cover.
The man believes that Babylon is falling, and he sings "Hallelujah" as a form of praise and worship to God. He tries to wash his dirty hands, but he realizes that water alone cannot cleanse him; he needs the truth to make him clean and to redeem his sons and daughters. He remembers leaving his memories behind on nature's road and how the future is just a reflection of the past. Finally, he concludes that it doesn't really matter what happens in the end because he has his "Hallelujah" to sing.
Line by Line Meaning
I walked down these city streets
As a solitary man, I walked with a purpose through the bustling city streets.
Just a lonely man inspired
I may have been alone, but my spirit was filled with inspiration and hope.
Hoping God would send the water down
I yearned for divine intervention to calm the fiery passion that raged within me.
To quench this burning fire
I wanted to extinguish the flames of my intense desires.
If I left here for the mountain
I could have retreated to a monastic life in the mountains to escape my inner turmoil.
A monastery man
I could have taken a vow of silence and living in the company of fellow monks for solace.
Things are still the same so I remain
Despite the tempting possibility of a peaceful mountain existence, the situation I left behind had not changed, so I opted to stay put.
To show just who I am
I wanted to remain true to myself and carry on with my current lifestyle, despite my inner struggle.
Seen things around me
Looking outwards, I noticed many things that caught my attention.
Bonnie and Clyde
I saw infamous criminals like Bonnie and Clyde amongst the hustle and bustle of city life.
Graffiti with no message
I noticed meaningless scribbles on walls, a representation of society's lack of direction and purpose.
Doctors medicine and pride
I also observed people who placed their trust solely in doctors' medications and who were excessively prideful.
But it doesn't really matter
Despite the negative observations, ultimately these things were insignificant and unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
They're blowin' in the wind
These trivial matters were like bits of dust that were carried away by the wind.
On the cover of a magazine
These insignificant details were little more than features on the cover of a glossy magazine.
[Chorus:]
The chorus repeats the phrase 'Babylon is falling' along with 'Hallelujah.'
I try to wash my dirty hands
Metaphorically, I tried to rid myself of any shame or guilt that rubbed off on me.
But they won't come off with water
My efforts were futile, and simply washing my hands wasn't enough to cleanse my soul.
Hoping truth will make me clean and then
I held onto the hope that by discovering the truth, I would finally be able to purify myself fully.
Redeem my sons and daughters
Additionally, achieving enlightenment or truth would somewhat wash away the wrongs of my children and descendants.
Though they're not we're very happy
Despite the mistakes of themselves and their ancestors, people were still content with their lot in life.
Vast along the nose
I left memories far behind and focused on what nature and life had to offer.
Seems so simple, the future's the past
The future seemed so simple and predictable because it would merely be a continuation of the past.
The present are the things we holdin' on to make those last
The present was thus all the more precious and valuable as it was where memories were being made, memories which would last a lifetime.
But it doesn't really matter
Despite the importance of the present, ultimately those past memories held no significant influence on the future and did not matter in the grand scheme of things.
[Chorus:]
The chorus repeats the phrase 'Babylon is falling' along with 'Hallelujah.'
Hallelujah
The song ends with a final joyful 'Hallelujah' praising God or the ultimate power that has finally made 'babylon fall.'
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, CARLIN AMERICA INC, MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: CLIFFORD GREY, LEO ROBIN, VINCENT YOUMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jazzlars7122
One of the greatest pianists who ever lived!
@paullut9014
JazzLars many pianoplayers try to play like Fatsie Wetsie but there is only one original Fats and the others take a lot of his notea
@SELMER1947
One of the most beautiful piano touch ever
@davehunter9
Thank you for sharing this. What an amazingly talented musician he was. I always know when I'm hearing his music, because he makes his mark on whatever he plays. I can think of very few musicians whose music makes me happier. When I was young, one of my happiest moments was when I put on a Fats Waller album for my grandma, who grew up in New York, and she burst with happiness at the sound of his music, I had always wondered where she got the saying, "Mercy!" from, but after that, I knew. His music has had a hold on me ever since, and I am constantly amazed at how his music moves me. He is, and always will be, one of the greatest., in my opinion,
@jimthompson606
Dave, you hit the nail on the head about what made Fats Waller so great. No other musician gives me so much joy.
@derkwissink1286
Dittos
@barrygordon5323
Just so terrific, nobody played tenths in the bass as good As fats and it gave his playing a rhythmic solidarity that was really great,add to that his right hand figures ,and you have this masterpiece,and it's just fun .
@SELMER1947
Génial pianiste, génial compositeur, génial showman !!!
@vnrhoades
Great find! Have NEVER heard this one---FATS is in RARE form on this recording! And amazing sound for an acetate! One Never Knows Do One?!
@jimthompson606
Another Fats Waller gem I've never heard before! Thank you