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Muscle Shoals
—  City  —
Location in Colbert County and the state of Alabama
Coordinates: 34°45′3″N 87°39′1″W / 34.75083°N 87.65028°W / 34.75083; -87.65028Coordinates: 34°45′3″N 87°39′1″W / 34.75083°N 87.65028°W / 34.75083; -87.65028
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Colbert
Established	March 31, 1923[1]
Incorporated	April 24, 1923[1]
Government
• Type	Mayor/Council
• Mayor	David H. Bradford
Area
• Total	12.2 sq mi (31.5 km2)
• Land	12.2 sq mi (31.5 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	499 ft (152 m)
Population (2007)
• Total	12,846
• Density	977.4/sq mi (378.5/km2)
Time zone	Central Time Zone (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	35660(obsolete), 35661, 35662
Area code(s)	256, 938
FIPS code	01-53016
GNIS feature ID	0152574
Website	http://www.cityofmuscleshoals.com/

Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. In 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846.^[2] The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.

Geography[link]

Muscle Shoals is located at 34°45′03″N 87°39′01″W / 34.750788°N 87.650278°W / 34.750788; -87.650278.^[3]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.2 square miles (32 km²), all land.^[2]

Demographics[link]

At the 2000 census,^[2] there were 11,924 people, 4,710 households and 3,452 families residing in the city. The population density was 979.7 per square mile (378.3/km²). There were 5,010 housing units at an average density of 411.6 per square mile (158.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.88% White, 14.16% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[2]

There were 4,710 households of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95.^[2]

24.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.^[2]

The median household income was $40,21, and the median family income was $48,113. Males had a median income of $38,063 versus $21,933 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,113. About 5.4% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.^[2]

Music[link]

The city is one of four municipalities known as the Quad Cities, the others being Florence, Sheffield and Tuscumbia, all in Alabama. Muscle Shoals is known for recording many hit songs from the 1960s to today at FAME Studios, where Aretha Franklin recorded, and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio which developed work for Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, the Rolling Stones and countless others. While the music from the area is often referred to as the "Muscle Shoals Sound", all four of the Quad Cities have significantly contributed to the area's musical history.

In addition to being home to country music band Shenandoah, a number of artists have made successful pilgrimages to Muscle Shoals in an effort to escape the limelight, and write and record their signature works. Both FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios are still in operation in the city. While famous for classic recordings from Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Rolling Stones and The Allman Brothers, recent hit songs such as "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood and "I Loved Her First" by Heartland continue the city's musical legacy. George Michael recorded an early, unreleased version of "Careless Whisper" with Jerry Wexler in Muscle Shoals in 1983.

Fans of Muscle Shoals music frequently make trips to the area to visit local landmarks. While most of the city's recording studios are still active, the majority will allow tours with an appointment. Further, a number of rock, R&B and country music celebrities have homes in the area surrounding Muscle Shoals (Tuscumbia), or riverside estates along the Tennessee River, and often perform in area nightclubs, typically rehearsing new material to an audience of locals. Among the musical celebrities with homes in the area are George Strait, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

What is most unusual about the area, musically speaking, is the cross-pollination of musical styles that originated in Muscle Shoals. Black artists from the area such as Arthur Alexander and James Carr utilized white country music styles in their work and white artists from the Shoals frequently borrowed from the blues/gospel influences of their black contemporaries, creating a distinct sound.

Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records, lived in the area and stated in his autobiography that Muscle Shoals (primarily radio station WLAY (AM), which had both "white" and "black" music on its playlist) influenced his merging of these sounds at Sun Records with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.

On January 6, 2010, Muscle Shoals was added to the Mississippi Blues Trail.^[4]

In music[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals by Carol M. Highsmith

Sister city Florence, Alabama is frequently referred to as "the birthplace of the Blues". W.C. Handy was born in Florence and is generally regarded as the "Father of the Blues". Every year since 1982, the W. C. Handy Music Festival is held in the Florence/Sheffield/Muscle Shoals area, featuring blues, jazz, country, gospel, rock music and R & B. The roster of jazz musicians known as the "Festival All-Stars", or as the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars, includes noted musicians from all over the United States, such as guitarist Mundell Lowe, drummer Bill Goodwin, pianist/vocalist Johnny O'Neal, vibraphone player Chuck Redd, pianist/vocalist Ray Reach and flautist Holly Hofmann.

Rolling Stone editor David Fricke wrote that if one wanted to play a single recording that would "epitomize and encapsulate the famed Muscle Shoals Sound", that record would be "I'll Take You There" by The Staple Singers.^{[citation needed]}

After hearing that very song, American songwriter Paul Simon phoned his manager and asked him to arrange a recording session with the musicians who had performed it. Simon was surprised to be told that he would have to travel to Muscle Shoals to work with the artists. After arriving in the small town, he was introduced to the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section ("The Swampers") who had recorded this song with Mavis Staples. Expecting black musicians (the original Rhythm Section consists only of white musicians), and assuming that he had been introduced to the office staff, Simon politely asked to "meet the band". Once things were sorted out, Simon recorded a number of tracks with the group, including "Loves Me Like a Rock", "Kodachrome" and "Still Crazy After All These Years".^{[citation needed]}

Duane Allman, later of Allman Brothers Band fame, once pitched a tent and camped out in the parking lot of FAME studios in an effort to be near the recording sessions occurring there. He soon befriended the studio's owner, Rick Hall, and Wilson Pickett (who was recording at FAME at the time). During a lunch break, Allman taught Pickett The Beatles' song "Hey Jude". Duane and Wilson's version of the song was eventually recorded with Allman on lead guitar. On hearing the session, people at Pickett's label (Atlantic Records) asked who had played the guitar solos. Hall responded with a hand-written note that read "some hippie cat who's been living in our parking lot." Shortly afterward, Allman was offered a recording contract. Auditions for the Allman Brothers Band were later held at FAME Studios. Duane Allman loved the area, and frequently returned to The Shoals for session work throughout his life.^{[citation needed]}

When Bob Dylan told his record label that he intended to record Christian music, the initially dismayed label executives insisted that if he planned to pursue the project, he must, at least, record the work in Muscle Shoals, as they felt it would provide the work "some much-needed credibility". (Dylan was not previously known for his overtly religious pronouncements, and many worried that his efforts would be taken as satirical; recording in the Bible Belt, it was thought, might avert a disaster.) Dylan was happy to oblige the label, and recorded not one, but two genuine Christian albums in The Shoals. The resulting albums (Slow Train Coming and Saved) were recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. The records were, at first, received poorly by critics (perhaps because of their sincerity).^{[citation needed]}

In the song "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, a verse states that:

"Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers
And they've been known to pick a song or two
Lord, they get me off so much
They pick me up when I'm feelin' blue."

The Swampers, a local group of first-call studio musicians who were available if back-up was needed, were given this name by jazz artist Leon Russell and pretty much constituted the Alabama version of The Wrecking Crew in Los Angeles.^{[citation needed]}

When Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios once early in their career, they saw the various gold and platinum records on the walls bearing the words "To The Swampers", and later included it in the song as a tribute. By definition, a "swamper" is a helper, such as a waitress or truck driver's assistant. The musicians were "hired guns", hence the nickname.^{[citation needed]}

Muscle Shoals Sound was one of the hottest tracking rooms of the day, while FAME was a full production studio working on entire projects to completion.

The members of the Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section were Pete Carr (lead guitar), Jimmy Johnson (guitar), Roger Hawkins (drums), David Hood (bass guitar) and Barry Beckett (keyboards).

More recently, Florence native Patterson Hood, son of "Swamper" David Hood, has found fame in his own right as a member of the alternative rock group Drive-By Truckers. The top two finishing finalists on the 2007 season of country-music singing competition Nashville Star, siblings Zac Hacker (second place) and Angela Hacker (winner), are from Muscle Shoals. In 2008, State Line Mob, a Southern rock duo group formed by singer and songwriters Phillip Crunk (Florence native) and Dana Crunk (Rogersville native), released their first CD, Ruckus and won two Muscle Shoals Music Awards for 2008 for (Best New Artist) and Best New Country Album) of the year.^{[citation needed]}

Although Muscle Shoals has receded somewhat from its 1960s and 1970s status as "Hit Recording Capital of the World", (as a sign near the airport once read), there is a group of young, local musicians that are making waves again in the musical world. These include Drive-By Truckers, The Civil Wars, Dylan LeBlanc, Hannah Aldridge], Gary Nichols, Jason Isbell, State Line Mob, Eric "Red Mouth" Gebhardt, Fiddleworms, Jamie Barrier and The Pine Hill Haints, Sons of Roswell, Lauderdale, Barrelmouth, Angela Hacker, Zac Hacker, Mike Pyle, The Ugli Stick, Jami Grooms, James LeBlanc, Scufflegrit, Archie Hubbard and BoomBox.

In 2006, the group Heartland recorded their number-one award winning song "I Loved Her First",produced and penned by Shoals' legend Walt Aldridge.

In 2007, Bettye Lavette's Grammy nominated CD "The Scene of the Crime" was recorded at FAME Recording Studios, produced by Patterson Hood and Drive-By Truckers. The Truckers also backed Lavette on the record, with contributions from David Hood and Spooner Oldham.

In 2010, two Grammy nominated albums were recorded in the Shoals at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. Band Of Horses' third CD, Infinite Arms was recorded in part at the studio. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Alternative Album category. The Black Keys' sixth album' Brothers' was also recorded at 3614 Jackson Highway. The album was nominated for a 2011 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Two songs from the album, "Tighten Up" and "Black Mud", have been nominated for Grammys; "Tighten Up" for Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song;. "Black Mud" for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Rolling Stone magazine placed the album at #2 on the Best Albums of 2010 and "Everlasting Light" at #11 on the Best Singles of 2010. The album was also featured on Spin (magazine)'s Top 40 Albums of 2010.^{[citation needed]}

The second Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, located at 1000 Alabama Avenue in Sheffield, closed in 2005 and now houses a movie production company.

The original Muscle Shoals Sound Studios building at 3614 Jackson Highway is now open daily for tours as a historic museum. It has been restored to its 1970s state.

Schools[link]

The Muscle Shoals City school system enjoys a reputation for its rigorous academic standards.^[5] In March 2008, after an intense evaluation, Muscle Shoals High School and Howell-Graves Preschool were awarded the Lighthouse Award by the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence.^[6] The system is currently led by Superintendent Dr. Jeff Wooten. There are seven schools in the district:

• Muscle Shoals High School.........Principal H.L. Noah
• Muscle Shoals Center for Technology...Principal Sylvia Coleman
• Muscle Shoals Middle School...........Principal Mary Ann Stegall
• McBride Elementary School.............Principal Brian Lindsey
• Highland Park Elementary School.......Principal Hal Horton
• Webster Elementary School.............Principal Dan Starkey
• Howell Graves Preschool...............Principal Sheneta F. Smith

Notable past and current residents[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

• Dennis Homan, Alabama All-America wide receiver and Dallas Cowboys' standout
• Rece Davis, ESPN commentator (QB for the Trojans' football squad)
• John Carter, CEO Carter Oil Co.
• John Paul White, musician The Civil Wars
• Ozzie Newsome, American football player, General Manager & Executive VP for the Baltimore Ravens

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official web site of the City of Muscle Shoals
• Muscle Shoals City Schools
• FAME Recording Studios
• Shoals Music Magazine Publication dedicated to covering the Muscle Shoals Sound

v t e Municipalities and communities of Colbert County, Alabama, United States County seat: Tuscumbia Cities Muscle Shoals Sheffield Tuscumbia Towns Cherokee Leighton Littleville Unincorporated communities Allsboro Barton Buzzard Roost Ford City Hatton Spring Valley

Alan Walden
Background information
Born	(1943-05-23) May 23, 1943 (age 69) Macon, Georgia
Origin	Macon, Georgia, USA
Occupations	Manager
Associated acts	Otis Redding, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Outlaws, September Hase

Alan Walden was born May 23, 1943 in Macon, Georgia to C.B. and Carolyn Walden.^[1] He is an American manager, publisher, booking agent, and promoter.

He has worked with musical acts including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge, Johnnie Taylor, Clarence Carter, Arthur Conley, Al Green, Joe Tex, Z. Z. Hill, Candi Staton, Albert King, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Etta James, Boz Scaggs, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Outlaws, and September Hase.^[2] He opened Redwal Music with his brother Phil Walden in 1965, publishing hit songs like "Respect", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Sweet Soul Music", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay". He also co-founded Capricorn Records with his brother and later went on to form Hustler's Inc., a management and publishing company.^[3]

He has two children from a previous marriage, Jessica and Georgeanna. He is currently married to model Tosha Walden and together they have one child, Christian.

History[link]

Early career and Capricorn Records[link]

Walden graduated from Lanier High School in Macon, Georgia in 1961.^[4] He was a sophomore at Mercer University in Macon when his older brother Phil Walden graduated from college and moved to Germany as a lieutenant in the US Army. He was made a full-time partner in Phil Walden Artists and Promotions, and handled the business affairs of the company until his brother returned in 1965. It was during this time that Walden managed up-and-coming artist Otis Redding and 44 other black recording artists, breaking racial barriers and helping the agency to become one of the largest black artist management companies in the South. In 1965, Redding, Walden, and his brother created Redwal Music, a publishing company to house such songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman", "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and "Soul Man". All three of these songs went on to win awards for the number one Rhythm and Blues Single of the Year in Billboard, Cashbox, and Record World.^[2]

When Redding died suddenly in 1967, Walden, his brother and Frank Fenter founded Capricorn Records in Macon, the label that was responsible for bringing The Allman Brothers Band and Southern rock into mainstream America.^[2] During his stint with Capricorn, Walden signed blues rock singer and guitarist Boz Scaggs.^[3]

Hustler's Inc.[link]

In 1970, Walden resigned from Capricorn and started Hustler's Inc, a publishing and management company. He auditioned 187 bands before settling on Lynyrd Skynyrd, the 13th band he'd seen. "I changed my lucky number from 5 to 13," Walden later said. Walden worked with Lynyrd Skynyrd until 1974, during which time he published the Southern Rock classics "Freebird", "Sweet Home Alabama", "Gimme Three Steps", and "Simple Man". During his time with Lynyrd Skynyrd, vocalist Ronnie Van Zant introduced Walden to up-and-coming Southern rock band Outlaws. Walden signed The Outlaws shortly before his separation with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and went on to get The Outlaws signed to Arista Records. He helped them achieve three gold records and one platinum record between 1974 and 1999, and published their hits "There Goes Another Love Song" and "Green Grass and High Tides".^[3]

Retirement and September Hase[link]

Alan Walden in 2008 with Blackbird at the signing of their management contract

After Outlaws disbanded in 1999, Walden represented southern artists Night Train and Chris Hicks before officially retiring to Macon to spend time with his wife Tosha and their son Christian, and his daughters Jessica and Georgeanna. While he missed the buzz of the music industry, he took up several hobbies, including raising chickens.

In 2003, Walden was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for his contributions to music.^[2]

In 2008, at the urging of a friend that worked as a sound technician at the 550 Blues club in Macon, Walden set up an audition for local rock band September Hase with the intent of giving them pointers about the music industry. Upon seeing them perform, however, he was blown away by their talent and potential and felt that they had everything he'd been looking for in a band for the last 25 years. "The first time I heard them play, I literally cried," Walden later said. "I had tears going down my face." He immediately decided to come out of retirement to manage the band, and signed them at the Red Tomato restaurant in Macon in July 2008.^[5] In September 2009, Walden and September Hase amicably parted ways.

Complete List of Artists[link]

Walden has worked with the following artists:

• Otis Redding
• Sam & Dave
• Percy Sledge
• Johnnie Taylor
• Clarence Carter
• Booker T & The M.G.'s
• Joe Simon
• Bobby Womack
• Albert Collins
• John Lee Hooker
• Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
• James Carr
• Tyrone Davis
• Arthur Conley
• Al Green
• Joe Tex
• Z. Z. Hill
• Candi Staton
• Albert King
• William Bell
• Eddie Floyd
• Etta James
• Boz Scaggs
• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Outlaws
• Night Train
• Chris Hicks
• September Hase

References[link]

External links[link]

• September Hase's Myspace page

Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham (born June 14, 1943)^[1] is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett and "I Never Loved a Man" by Aretha Franklin.

As a songwriter, Spooner Oldham teamed with Dan Penn to write such hits as "Cry Like a Baby" (The Box Tops), "I'm Your Puppet" (James and Bobby Purify), "A Woman Left Lonely" and "It Tears Me Up" (Percy Sledge).

Career[link]

A native of Center Star, Alabama, Oldham started out playing piano in bands during high school. He then attended classes at the University of North Alabama but turned instead to playing at FAME Studios. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1967 and teamed up with Penn at Chips Moman's American Studios.

Oldham later moved to Los Angeles and has continued to be a sought-after backing musician, recording and performing with such artists as Bob Dylan, Delaney Bramlett, Willy DeVille, Joe Cocker, the Hacienda Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, the Everly Brothers, Dickey Betts, J. J. Cale and Frank Black.

Frequently a backing musician for Neil Young, he played on Young's critically acclaimed 1992 album Harvest Moon,^[2] which was the follow-up to Young's 1972 album Harvest released 20 years previous. Oldham also appeared in the concert film, Neil Young: Heart of Gold and backed up Crosby Stills Nash & Young on their 2006 "Freedom of Speech" tour.

In 2007, Oldham toured with the Drive-By Truckers on their "The Dirt Underneath" Tour. In 2008, Oldham played on Last Days at the Lodge, the third album released by folk/soul singer Amos Lee.

On April 4, 2009, Oldham was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a sideman.

In May 2011, Oldham backed Pegi Young on a six-show tour of California.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Spooner Oldham at Allmusic
• Alabama Music Hall of Fame
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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Tony Joe White
Background information
Birth name	Tony Joe White
Born	(1943-07-23) July 23, 1943 (age 68)
Origin	Oak Grove, Louisiana, United States
Genres	Swamp Rock
Occupations	Musician Songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, Stomp Box
Years active	1968–present
Labels	Monument Records Warner Brothers Polydor
Website	www.tonyjoewhite.com

Tony Joe White (born July 23, 1943, Oak Grove, Louisiana, United States) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989. "Polk Salad Annie" was also recorded by Elvis Presley and Tom Jones.

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Tony Joe White was born one of seven children and raised on a cotton farm near the small town of Oak Grove, Louisiana. When Tony Joe was 16, Charles, the oldest of the White children, brought home a Lightnin' Hopkins album and started teaching blues guitar to his younger brother.

As a child, he listened to not only local bluesmen and country singers but also to the distinctive cajun music of Louisiana, a hybrid of traditional musical styles introduced by French-Canadian settlers at the turn of the nineteenth century.

White began performing at school dances, and after graduating, started playing in nightclubs in Louisiana and Texas.

He formed his first band, Tony White & His Combo, while still in his teens. The three youngsters (White, 20, bassist Robert McGuffie, 19 and Jim Griffith, 22) played a nightclub in Kingsville, Texas for an uninterrupted engagement of eight months (six nights a week) in 1964.

That band was followed by Tony Joe and the Mojos and Tony's Twilights, and for the next seven years White worked the small clubs of the South before deciding to embark on a solo career singing his own compositions.

1960s–1970s[link]

In 1967, White signed with Monument Records, which operated from a recording studio in the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and produced a variety of sounds, including rock and roll, country and Western, and rhythm and blues. Billy Swan was his producer.

Over the next three years, White released four singles with no commercial success stateside, although "Soul Francisco" was a hit in France. "Polk Salad Annie" had been released for nine months and written off as a failure by his record label when it finally entered the U.S. charts in July 1969. It climbed into the Top Ten by early August, eventually reaching No. 8, becoming White's biggest hit.

White's first album, 1969's Black and White,^[1] was recorded with Muscle Shoals/Nashville musicians David Briggs, Norbert Putnam, and Jerry Carrigan, and featured "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" and "Polk Salad Annie", along with covers of Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman".

Three more singles quickly followed, all minor hits, and White toured with Steppenwolf, Sly & the Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival and other major rock acts of the 1970s, playing in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and England.

In 1973, White appeared in the film Catch My Soul, a rock-opera adaption of Shakespeare's Othello. It was directed by Patrick McGoohan and produced in the UK by Richard Rosenbloom and Jack Good. The cast included Richie Havens, Season Hubley, Susan Tyrrell, Bonnie Bramlett, Lance LeGault, Delaney Bramlett, and Family Lotus. White played and sang four and composed seven songs for the musical.

In late September 1973, White was recruited by record producer Huey Meaux to sit in on the legendary Memphis sessions that became Jerry Lee Lewis's landmark Southern Roots album.^{[citation needed]} By all accounts,^{[citation needed]} these sessions were a three-day, around-the-clock party, which not only reunited the original MGs (Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson, Jr. of Booker T. and the MGs fame) for the first time in three years, but also featured Carl Perkins, Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere & the Raiders), and Wayne Jackson plus The Memphis Horns.

1980s[link]

Between 1976 and 1983, White released three more albums, each on a different label. Trying to combine his own swamp-rock sound with the popular disco music at the time, the results were not met with success, and White gave up his career as a singer and concentrated on writing songs.

1990s comeback[link]

In 1989, White produced Tina Turner's Foreign Affair album. Playing a variety of instruments on the album, he also wrote four songs,^[1] including the title song and the hit single "Steamy Windows". As a result of this he became managed by Roger Davies, who was Turner's manager at the time, and he obtained a new contract with Polydor.

The resulting album, 1991's Closer to the Truth was a commercial success and put White back in the spotlight. He released two more albums for Polydor; The Path of a Decent Groove and Lake Placid Blues which was co-produced by Roger Davies.

In the 1990s, White toured Germany and France with Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton, and in 1992 he played the Montreux Festival.

2000s[link]

In 2000, Hip-O Records released One Hot July in the U.S., giving White his first new major-label domestic release in 17 years. The critically acclaimed The Beginning appeared on Swamp Records in 2001, followed by Heroines, featuring several duets with female vocalists including Jessi Colter, Shelby Lynne, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Michelle White, on Sanctuary in 2004, and a live Austin City Limits concert, Live from Austin, TX, on New West Records in 2006. In 2007, White released another live recording, Take Home the Swamp, as well as the compilation Introduction to Tony Joe White. Singer Elkie Brooks recorded one of Whites songs "Out of The Rain" on her 2005 album " Electric Lady "

One of his more recent performances was on July 14, 2006 in Magny-Cours, France, as a warm-up act for Roger Waters' The Dark Side of the Moon concert. White's album entitled Uncovered was released in September 2006 and featured collaborations with Mark Knopfler, Michael McDonald, Eric Clapton, and J. J. Cale.

The song "Elements and Things" from the 1969 album "...Continued" features prominently during the horse-racing scenes in the 2012 HBO television series "Luck".

Discography[link]

• 1968 - Black and White (Monument #18114)
• 1969 - Continued (Monument #18133)
• 1970 - Tony Joe (Monument #18142)
• 1971 - Tony Joe White (Warner Brothers #1900)
• 1972 - The Train I'm On (Warner Brothers #2580)
• 1973 - Homemade Ice Cream (Warner Brothers #92274)
• 1973 - Catch My Soul - movie soundtrack (Metromedia) (released RCA in Europe)
• 1975 - The Best of Tony Joe White (Warner Brothers)
• 1976 - Eyes (20th Century)
• 1980 - The Real Thang (Casablanca)
• 1983 - Dangerous (Columbia)
• 1991 - Closer to the Truth (Remark/Polydor #LC 0309 / 511 386-2)
• 1993 - The Path of a Decent Groove (Remark/Polydor #LC 6298 / 519 938-2)
• 1993 - The Best of Tony Joe White (Warner Brothers)
• 1995 - Lake Placid Blues (Remark/Polydor #LC 6298 / 527 530-2)
• 1997 - Collection (RDM #D31737 - Australian) A collection from his '91 -'95 releases.
• 1998 - Tony Joe White Live in Europe 1971 (WeeBuy #885972) - a reissue of earlier live and possibly bootleg live concert releases
• 1998 - One Hot July (Mercury - no #)
• 2000 - Tony Joe White In Concert (Brilliant BT 33053) - a reissue of earlier live and possibly bootleg material live concert releases
• 2001 - The Beginning (Swamp Records, no #)
• 2003 - Snakey (Munich Records, no # & Dock Records)
• 2003 - Dangerous Eyes (Reissue of '76's Eyes & '83's Dangerous) (Raven RVCD-159 - Australian)
• 2004 - The Heroines (Sanctuary Records, #06076-88366-2)
• 2005 - Hard to Handle (Live) (Fruit Tree Italy ASIN: B00070HA10)
• 2006 - Live from Austin, Texas (New West #NW6092)
• 2006 - Uncovered (Swamp Records, No #)
• 2006 - Swamp Music: The Complete Monument Recordings (Rhino Handmade #RHM2 7731)
• 2008 - Deep Cuts (Swamp Records, No #)
• 2010 - The Shine (Swamp Records)
• 2010 - That On The Road Look "Live" (Rhino Handmade)
• 2010 - Live in Amsterdam [CD/DVD]
• 2012 - Collected (Universal)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official web site

Fats Waller
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Wright Waller
Born	(1904-05-21)May 21, 1904
Origin	New York, New York, U.S.A.
Died	December 15, 1943(1943-12-15) (aged 39)
Genres	Dixieland, jazz, swing, stride, ragtime
Occupations	Pianist, singer, organist
Instruments	Piano, vocals, organ
Years active	1918–1943

Fats Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943), born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer.

Early life[link]

Thomas Wright Waller was the youngest of four children born to Adaline Locket Waller and the 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.

Career[link]

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".^[1] Waller composed many novelty swing 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.

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."

	You Got Everything A Sweet Mama Needs But Me You Got Everything A Sweet Mama Needs But Me, sung by Sara Martin with piano accompaniment by Fats Waller in 1922.
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	'tain't Nobody's Bus'ness If I Do 'tain't Nobody's Bus'ness If I Do, sung by Sara Martin with piano accompaniment by Fats Waller in 1922.
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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 didn't 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.^[2]

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 (1930), 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.

Death[link]

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". Ironically, 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[link]

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'".

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".

In popular culture[link]

• Subject of the Irish poet Michael Longley's "Elegy for Fats Waller".^[4]
• 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 over 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.

Key recordings[link]

^[5]

Filmography[link]

^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Fats Waller piano rollography
• Red Hot Jazz, a selection of Fats Waller's Recordings
• Fats Waller Forever, a digital exhibit of Fats Waller's musical career
• Fats Waller memorabilia
• Fats Waller, a tribute to the King of Stride Piano (French and English)
• Fats Waller Stride Piano & Sheet Music
• Allmusic
• Fats Waller selection on a Grand Piano