The Alabama-born son of a Baptist preacher, Big Joe Duskin grew up to become one of the stalwarts of the Cincinnati blues scene. Although he honored a promise to his father that he would not play the "Devil's music" until his father's death (at the age of 104, in the 1970s), Duskin quickly made up for lost time. Although he's recorded... [+] Read More

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Cripple Clarence Lofton is one of those colorful names that adorned many an album collection of early boogie-woogie piano 78s in the early days of the '60s folk-blues revival. An early practitioner of the form, along with his fellow contemporaries Cow Cow Davenport, Meade Lux Lewis, Pine Top Smith, and Jimmy Yancey, Lofton was one of the... [+] Read More

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Not only was Fats Waller one of the greatest pianists jazz has ever known, he was also one of its most exuberantly funny entertainers -- and as so often happens, one facet tends to obscure the other. His extraordinarily light and flexible touch belied his ample physical girth; he could swing as hard as any pianist alive or dead in his classic... [+] Read More

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One of the great jazz pianists of all time, James P. Johnson was the king of stride pianists in the 1920s. He began working in New York clubs as early as 1913 and was quickly recognized as the pacesetter. In 1917 Johnson began making piano rolls. Duke Ellington learned from these (by slowing them down to half-speed) and a few years later Johnson... [+] Read More

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Luckey Roberts was considered one of the all-time great stride pianists, but unfortunately he left very few records behind, and none from his early years. Roberts actually predated stride, publishing "Pork and Beans" and "Junk Man Rag" as early as 1913. He spent most of his career leading society bands and writing for musical comedies; his... [+] Read More

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An amazingly prolific artist who brought a brisk air of urban sophistication to his frequently stunning presentation, John "Peter" Chatman -- better known as Memphis Slim -- assuredly ranks with the greatest blues pianists of all time. He was smart enough to take Big Bill Broonzy's early advice about developing a style to call his own to heart,... [+] Read More

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Pete Johnson was one of the three great boogie-woogie pianists (along with Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis) whose sudden prominence in the late '30s helped make the style very popular. Originally a drummer, Johnson switched to piano in 1922. He was part of the Kansas City scene in the 1920s and '30s, often accompanying singer Big Joe Turner.... [+] Read More

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Sammy Price had a long and productive career as a flexible blues and boogie-woogie-based pianist. He studied piano in Dallas and was a singer and dancer with Alphonso Trent's band during 1927-1930. In 1929, he recorded one solitary side under the title of "Sammy Price and His Four Quarters." After a few years in Kansas City, he spent time in... [+] Read More

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Willie "The Lion" Smith in the 1920s was considered one of the big three of stride piano (along with James P. Johnson and Fats Waller) even though he made almost no recordings until the mid-'30s. His mother was an organist and pianist, and Smith started playing piano when he was six. He earned a living playing piano as a teenager, gained his... [+] Read More

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