Fats Waller was one of the greatest of jazz pianists and one of the first to introduce the organ to jazz ensembles. He was also a consummate showman with an irrepressible sense of fun. Compositions such as “Ain't Misbehavin',
” “Honeysuckle Rose,
” and the London Suite inspired generations of jazz musicians.
Thomas Wright Waller was born on , in New York. His mother was an organist and pianist and his father a Harlem Baptist lay...