Skip to content
Fats Waller

File:Fats_Waller_edit.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ310476· pop 43· linked from 1,093 articles

Fats Waller

Sign in to save

Also known as Thomas Wright Waller, Thomas Fats Waller

American jazz pianist and composer (1904–1943)

OverviewAI-generated

Thomas Wright Waller, known by his pseudonym Fats Waller, was an American pianist, composer, singer, and songwriter. Born in New York City on May 21, 1904, he began his professional work period in 1918. Waller was educated at DeWitt Clinton High School and performed in the jazz genre, utilizing the piano, organ, and voice. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to music.

Waller’s recorded output includes works such as *The genius of Thomas 'Fats' Waller*, *Ain't Misbehaving Vocal Selections PVG*, and *The great solos, 1929-1941*. His musical style is frequently associated with jazz, swing, piano, and blues. He died of pneumonia in Kansas City on December 15, 1943.

Synthesized by Vinony from 39 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, Europeana Sparql, TMDb, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Works
7

Top works

  • The genius of Thomas 'Fats' Waller
  • Ain't Misbehaving Vocal Selections PVG
  • Thomas "Fats" Waller
  • Thomas Fats Waller
  • The great solos, 1929-1941

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Acting · New York, New York, U.S

Known for

  • The Harlem Nocturne — Fats Waller2018
  • Howard — Self (archive footage)2018
  • This Joint Is Jumpin': Jazz Musician Fats Waller — Self (archive footage)2008
  • The Harlem Renaissance — Self (archive footage)2004
  • It's Black Entertainment — Self (archive footage)2002
  • The Glass Box — Self (archival footage)1985
  • Your Feet's Too Big — Singer1983
  • Ain't Misbehavin' — Self (archive footage)1974
  • Take It or Leave It — (archive footage) (uncredited)1944
  • Stormy Weather — 'Fats' Waller1943

via TMDB

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
412,115
Total plays
3,526,907

Tags

jazzswingpianobluesjazz piano

Fats Waller (Thomas Wright Waller, May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer. His greatest success came with "Fats Waller & his Rhythm". 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. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Fats+Wa

via Last.fm · Fats Waller

Key facts

Born
Thomas Wright Waller , ( 1904-05-21 ) May 21, 1904, New York City, U.S.
Died
December 15, 1943 (1943-12-15) (aged 39), Kansas City, Missouri , U.S.
Occupations
Jazz pianist organist composer singer
Years active
1918–1943
Spouses
Edith Hatch ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1920 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1923 ) ​ Anita Rutherford ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1926 ) ​
Relatives
Darren Waller (great-grandson)

via Wikipedia infobox

Works in European collections

1 object attributed to Fats Waller, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

~24 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star in the jazz and swing eras, he toured internationally, achieving critical and commercial success in the United States and Europe. His best-known compositions, "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose", were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1984 and 1999, respectively.

Waller copyrighted over 400 songs, many of them 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". It is likely that he composed many more popular songs than he has been credited with. When in financial difficulties, he had a habit of selling songs to other writers and performers who claimed them as their own. He died from pneumonia, aged 39.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Fats Waller” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (5)