Fats Waller - His Life and Times

fats Waller (1904-1943) was an outsize man in all respects. He was the greatest of the Harlem `stride' pianists, he composed hundreds of songs, he led a band which made over 400 recordings and he wrote several Broadway shows. Waller's gargantuan appetites have been celebrated in anecdotes and earlier biographies. He is seen by jazz historians as a man of immense musical talent which was never fulfilled, in the interests of his career as a popular and humurous entertainer. Shipton sheds new light on Waller's career, arguing that his talents as a songwriter, show composer and brilliant recording and broadcasting artist have not been fully appreciated. Many of the events and dates of the Waller legend are examined and revised in the light of new evidence about the `harmful little armful' who came to be loved by millions...