"Fats" Waller

(THOMAS WALLER)

Pianist - Arranger - Leader - Composer


Thomas "Fats" Waller is one of the more important of the modern pianist-composers. Born in New York on May 21, 1904, the son of a minister, "Fats" played the organ and sang in the choir of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, where his father preached until he was fifteen years old. Shortly after, the lure of the stage beckoned him to the interesting field of the Harlem cabaret, and he remained in that gay section of the city until 1924, occasionally doubling as a theatre organist and as a. piano-roll artist for the Q-R-S Company.

Some of "Fats' " other accomplishments include vaudeville appearances with the famous blues singer, Bessie Smith, soon after which he wrote the music to the show "Keep Shufflin'". In 1930, he composed the score for "Hot Chocolates," the hit song of which was "Ain't Misbehavin," and when this production closed, he subsequently appeared in leading supper clubs in London, Paris, Berlin and Vienna.

In 1932, he joined the artist staff of WLW at Cincinnati, where he instituted the famous "Fats" Waller Rhythm Club, which created millions of Waller fans throughout the country.

Mr. Waller is currently considered Victor's best record seller. He has been a feature in RKO films and at the time of this writing is in Hollywood for the filming of "King of Burlesque," a 20th Century--Fox production in which he will have an important role.

"Fats" is generally known as "Radio's Harmful Little Armful," and for many years studied under Godowsky in Vienna and Carl Bohn in New York.


We are happy to present this representation of original piano conceptions by "Fats" Waller, in which the famous piano stylist cleverly interprets, in the current idiom, some of songdom's foremost popular classics.

All of these are available as midi, .pdf sheet music or recorded on tape or CD.

To order anything click here

All midis have been abbreviated on the server (snippets)

Many have two choruses (a) straight piano chorus, and (b) Waller Arrangement. When this is the case, I tried to leave the entire piano chorus + a piece of the Waller solo on the server.


Note: * Sequenced by my friend "Bob Burt". I have the midi file but no sheet music.


midi A Handful Of Keys (Piano Solo)

midi Ain't Misbehavin' (Piano Solo)

* midi Alligator Crawl

midi Annie Laurie (Piano Solo)

midi Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea (Piano Solo)

* midi Black And Blue

* midi Bugle Call Rag

midi China Jumps (Piano Solo)

midi Dinah (Piano Solo)

midi Down Home In Tennessee

midi Falling Castle

* midi Farewell Blues

midi Faust Waltz (Piano Solo)

midi For Me &My Gal (Piano Solo)

midi Girl Of My Dreams (Piano Solo)

midi Happy As The Day Is Long (Piano Solo)

midi Honeysuckle Rose (Piano Solo)

midi How Come You Do Me

* midi How Ya Baby

midi I Can't Give You Anything But Love (Piano Solo)

midi I Surrender Dear (Piano Solo)


midi I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter (Piano Solo)

mp3 I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter (Piano Solo)


midi Intermezzo (Piano Solo)

midi Jealous (Piano Solo)

midi Just A Girl That Men Forget (Piano Solo)

* midi Just A Baby's Prayer

midi Loch Lomond (Piano Solo)


The London Suite (Sequenced by Bob Burt)

Bond Street, Chelsea, Limehouse, Piccadilly, Soho, Whitechapel


* midi Looking Good But

midi Margie (Piano Solo)

midi Mary Lou (Piano Solo)

* midi Mighty Fine

* midi My Very Good Friend The Milkman

* midi Nobody's Sweetheart Now

midi Numb Fumblin' (Piano Solo)

midi Oh, Dem Golden Slippers (Piano Solo)

midi Oh, Susannah (Piano Solo)

midi Shoe Shine Boy (Piano Solo)

midi Smashing Thirds (Piano Solo)

midi Stardust (Piano Solo)

* midi Strut Miss Lizzie

midi Sugar Rose (Piano Solo)

midi Sweet Mama (Piano Solo)

* midi The Joint Is Jumpin'

midi The Old Oaken Bucket (Piano Solo)

* midi Tonight You Belong To Me

midi Truckin'

* midi Viper's Drag

* midi Washboard Blues

midi When It's Sleepy Time Down South (Piano Solo)

midi When You & I Were Young Maggie (Piano Solo)

* midi When You're Smiling

midi Who's Sorry Now? (Piano Solo)

midi Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula


Return To The Main Lobby , Back To The Lounge?
or
To order anything click here