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'".
Tea for Two
Fats Waller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darling this place is a lover's oasis
Where lights where we chase is unknown
Far from the cry of the city where flowers pretty caress the stream
Cozy to hide in,
To live side by side in, don't let it abide in my dream
Picture you upon my knee, just tea for two and two for tea
Nobody near us to see us or hear us
No friends or relations or weekend vacations
We won't have it known, dear, that we own a telephone, dear
They will brake and you'll awake and start to bake a sugar cake
For me to take for all the boys to see
We will raise a family, a boy for you and a girl for me
Can't you see how happy we will be
The song "Tea for Two" by Fats Waller is a love song that emphasizes the imagination and simplicity that is necessary for a fulfilling relationship. The verse highlights the singer's distaste for temporary homes, and how he's created a lover's oasis for himself and his partner. He describes it as a place where they can be cozy and live life side by side, without any interference from the outside world. The lyrics paint a picture of a utopian-like place, where peacefulness and love reign supreme. The singer dreams of sharing simple pleasures with his partner such as tea for two, and baking cakes for each other.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of having privacy in a relationship. The singer imagines a world where he and his partner are free from the influence of other people, including friends and relations. He even imagines a future for them where they can raise a family and be happy together. The song emphasizes that true love is about sharing simple moments with each other, without the need for lavish lifestyle or material possessions.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm discontented with homes that are rented so I have invented my own
I am unhappy with living in someone else's home, so I have created my ideal place
Darling this place is a lover's oasis
My love, this place is a paradise for us
Where lights where we chase is unknown
A place where we will explore and discover new things together
Far from the cry of the city where flowers pretty caress the stream
A place far from the noise and commotion of the city, where flowers adorn the stream
Cozy to hide in, To live side by side in, don't let it abide in my dream
A place where we can be comfortable and live together, not just a dream but a reality
Picture you upon my knee, just tea for two and two for tea
Imagining you sitting on my lap, enjoying a cup of tea together
Just me for you and you for me alone
Just the two of us, sharing our love exclusively
Nobody near us to see us or hear us
No one around to observe or eavesdrop on our private moments
No friends or relations or weekend vacations
No interruptions from friends or family or weekend getaways
We won't have it known, dear, that we own a telephone, dear
We don't want anyone to know that we have a telephone
They will brake and you'll awake and start to bake a sugar cake
When our imaginary visitors leave, you will wake up and start making a cake
For me to take for all the boys to see
A cake for me to take to share with our friends and show that we are happy together
We will raise a family, a boy for you and a girl for me
We will start a family - a son for you and a daughter for me
Can't you see how happy we will be
Can't you see the joy and happiness that our life together will bring us?
Writer(s): IRVING CAESAR, VINCENT YOUMANS
Contributed by Madelyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Santosificationable
My God at 3:07 Fats accelerates the tempo yet it STILL swings...meanwhile when anyone else does it it begins to lose track lol. Bloody awesome pianist.
Jacob Zimmermann
No-one could swing like Fats, not before him and not since (Erroll Garner comes close though).
joey7wps
This is a marvelous tune and it moves to romance, joy and energetic moods. It is also demonstrative of the noble essence of the piano as a musical instrument; for its resilience it goes from a subtle romantic passage into powerful rhythmic sounds of percussion.... As if it was created for these american musicians to discharge their intricate rhythms and musical poetry persuasively loaded into it. I believe this relatively young musical instrument found its best, most fruitful and resplendent use in Jazz...When this piece is played by Tatum, Costa, or O. Peterson; you can hear fabulous PIANISTS, master keyboardists of rhythm... When it is for Fats Waller, or T. Monk, then you hear subtle poetry and pure ART coming from their senses at every particular moment and mood.... All of them are good and fabulous: JAZZ PIANISTS OR JAZZ ARTISTS!!!!!
Janice Lara
0 dislikes because you simply cannot dislike this. THIS IS MUSIC, real music.
Dave Hunter
Drunk or not, Fats plays with dynamics not heard of in this day and age. He's the mostest!
DrCrabfingers
I would think various powders were consumed on a frequent basis...along with amphetamines, Champagne etc...it was a wild crazy time. The account of his abduction by Al Capone to play at one of Capone's soirees that lasted for 3 days is very interesting...
George McClinchy
He was the first great pianist of jazz that all the others built upon. Tatum, Peterson, Garner etc. should tip their hats to this man!
Investing for Tomorrow
A solved mystery - didn't know Fats played Tea for Two. Terrific and inspiring.
Joseph Ippolito
SmashCorporateGreed Hey, but see that Art Tatum; he never played Fats Handful of Keys. Aint that a bloody shame? I like your handle dude...
Peder D Muri
I got this recording of Tea for two on an LP some 60 years ago. Still a favourite. And Fats was always drunk.