Fats Waller: - A Cheerful Little Earful

Fats Waller (1904-1943) was an outsize man in all respects: five feet, eleven inches tall, he weighed 285 pounds. The greatest of the Harlem "stride" pianists, he composed hundreds of songs, he led a band that made over 400 recordings, and he wrote several Broadway shows. Waller''s gargantuan appetites have been celebrated in anecdotes and earlier biographies. He is seen by jazz historians as a man of immense musical talent that was never fulfilled. In this fully revised and updated biography of Waller, Alyn Shipton re-examines his career, arguing that his talents as a songwriter, show composer, and brilliant recording and broadcasting artist have not been fully appreciated. In a newly written final chapter, there is a comprehensive survey of Waller''s recordings as they have been reissued for the CD era.>

About the author

Alyn Shipton presents jazz radio programs for the BBC and is a critic for The Times in London. He is the author of several books on music, as well as a music publisher and editor. He divides his time between Oxford and the French countryside. In 2010, he was voted UK Jazz Broadcaster of the Year.

Product details

• Authors: Alyn Shipton, Alyn L Shipton, Alyn L. Shipton, Shipton Alyn
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.01.2005
• EAN: 9780826476197
• ISBN: 978-0-8264-7619-7
• No. of pages: 194
• Dimensions: 138 mm x 220 mm x 14 mm
• Subjects: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs; Humanities, art, music > Art; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Entertainment & Performing Arts, Biography: arts & entertainment, Biography: arts and entertainment