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'".
I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby
Fats Waller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh I gotta tell you about it, oh, mercy,
I'm crazy 'bout my baby, listen a-here:
I'm walking, walking on air
For I've left all my blue days behind me
I've learned how to care (yes, yes!)
And there's love, really love on my mind
I'm the world's most happy creature,
Tell me, what can worry me?
I'm crazy 'bout my baby,
Baby's crazy 'bout me!
Mr. Cupid was the teacher,
And the reason we agree,
I'm crazy 'bout my baby,
Baby's crazy 'bout me!
Parson, get that book
Hold it in your hand,
Keep a steady look-out
You can understand
It's an A-one combination,
A perfect he and she,
I'm crazy 'bout my baby,
Baby's crazy 'bout me!
I'm the world's most happy creature,
Tell me, what can worry me?
I'm crazy 'bout my baby,
Baby's crazy 'bout me!
Cupid was the teacher,
And the reason we agree,
I'm crazy 'bout my baby,
Baby's crazy 'bout me!
Parson, get that book
Hold it in your hand
Keep a steady look-out
You can understand
It's an A-one combination,
A perfect he and she:
I'm exasperated 'bout the offspring
And the offspring's exasperated about me!
Yes, yes, yes
Oh-oh, look-a-here!
The lyrics of "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby" by Fats Waller express the overwhelming happiness and love that he feels for his significant other. He begins by stating that he feels light and ephemeral, as though he is walking on air. He then goes on to explain that he has overcome his negative feelings and has learned how to care for someone else deeply. Love is the only thing on his mind, and he feels like he is the happiest person in the world. He doesn't worry about anything because he is so in love with his partner. Cupid is the reason that they are together and they have a perfect relationship, with a great combination of love and happiness.
The lyrics then become more humorous as Fats Waller talks directly to a parson, asking him to take notice of their perfect relationship. The parson should keep a lookout for an offspring because he and his baby are crazy about each other to the point where they may have a baby soon. The song ends with him expressing his excitement and looking forward to what's to come.
Overall, "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby" is a song that expresses the joys of being in love and feeling as though you're on top of the world. It is a simple and lighthearted tune that shows the happiness that love can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
My goodness, I feel so evanescent today,
I feel so fleeting and ethereal today.
Oh I gotta tell you about it, oh, mercy,
I must share this feeling with you, oh my!
I'm crazy 'bout my baby, listen a-here:
I am passionately in love with my significant other, listen to me now.
I'm walking, walking on air
I feel elated and light-hearted.
For I've left all my blue days behind me
I have left all my melancholy days in the past.
I've learned how to care (yes, yes!)
I have learned how to love and care for my partner deeply.
And there's love, really love on my mind
My mind is fully occupied with love, real love.
I'm the world's most happy creature,
I am the happiest person in the world.
Tell me, what can worry me?
What can cause me to worry when I am so happy?
Baby's crazy 'bout me!
My significant other loves me intensely!
Mr. Cupid was the teacher,
Cupid was the instructor of love.
And the reason we agree,
Cupid is the reason we have come to love each other.
Parson, get that book
Pastor, retrieve that book.
Hold it in your hand,
Hold it tight in your hand.
Keep a steady look-out
Stay alert and watchful.
You can understand
You will comprehend it fully.
It's an A-one combination,
We are the perfect match.
A perfect he and she:
A perfect male and female combination.
I'm exasperated 'bout the offspring
I am frustrated with the children.
And the offspring's exasperated about me!
And the children are also frustrated with me!
Yes, yes, yes
Absolutely!
Oh-oh, look-a-here!
Oh my, look at this!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALEXANDER HILL, THOMAS 'FATS' WALLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michaeljayklein500
I wonder just how many recordings he made of this? It's among my very favorite Waller songs and I'd swear I've heard at least 5 different recordings of it--but that's the charm about Waller's recordings. Thanks so very much for sharing it!
@hyperdog67
He'd make a lot of people give up music if he lived longer. By todays standards...he'd mop floors with the lot of em!
@anotherbahamianguitarplayer
@Westrocker 67 not with me I'm an old school guitarists I play this type of music
@ethansavory
I love when Fats monologues between verses
@drfeelgood94
Wow this is sooo beautiful.
Fats you truly were one of a kind!
@IrRrIS1l3nt
What a sweet tune! Thanks a bunch for uploading.
@lindamoramacbeath
July/29/2023
I’m crazy ‘bout my baby and my baby it’s crazy ‘bout me!!
I loved you from the first time we crossed each other on February with that song of yours, you melt my heart with your lovely voice and those “magic fingers” I knew that you’ll become in someone special to me, with that “catchy” song, you make me feel like a fool but at the same time full of joy and happiness and it’s something that I’ve never felt in a long time , thank you for being you and being such an open person with all the disposition that you have of talk to me and… I don’t know but I feel so in love with you, it’s a really magic connection that I feel about you that I never felt before about anybody else… I’m trying to express my feelings but it’s the only thing I can say besides the songs and lyrics that turns me on and makes me feel connected in someway with you and thinking about you all the time!!
From me to you
@moveonupcb
such an amazing pianist as well - perfection
@StrideLatinProgRick
Immenso Fats! La musica fatta persona. :-)
@ilovebobthecat
Thank you! Tis is the same version I used to listen to when I was a teenager. If you have the album ( with the Little Chocolate Dandies!) please post! Hahah! One minute it was Jethro Tull, the next moment was Fats Waller!!