Lofton, Cripple Clarence

Lofton, Cripple Clarence 28 March 1887; Kingsport, TN – 9 January 1957; Chicago, IL Aka Albert Clemens. An early boogie-woogie originator, along with his fellow contemporaries Cow-Cow Davenport, Meade “Lux” Lewis, Pine Top Smith, and Jimmy Yancey, he helped popularize the style in Chicago in the early 1920s. His nickname stemmed from a congenital lameness in his leg that made him walk with a pronounced limp. This did not inhibit his style, as he was an all-around entertainer who sang…