A Shade of Odds...and all that jazz. (standard:non fiction, 712 words)
Author: pjt	Added: Feb 18 2001	Views/Reads: 3386/11	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Just for fun, I offer you a shade of odds about the chances of a certain character rising from a state of genteel poverty to achieve enduring fame as an entertainer. You sensibly decline. Read the story and find out why....

This is not just another rags to riches story. It's about one of the
greatest of all show biz characters who went from genteel poverty to 
riches and enduring fame in defiance of the circumstances from which he 
sprang and in spite of his lovable, larrikin ways. I tell you, my 
friend, if I had been a betting man and had lived in those times (the 
early 20th century) I'd have been willing to lay New York to a brick on 
that this son of a poor preacher would never rise above the class of 
his birth to become a brimming-with-talent piano man with a unique jazz 
touch, a raspy vocal style with an ultra-engaging cheekiness of tone 
and  presentation that won the hearts of several generations of jazz 
buffs. Add to these accomplishments the fact that he was a brilliant 
composer  of catchy tunes and musicals and you haven't even got half 
the story. 

The tale becomes all the more incredible when we find that he was born
into a family of eleven children. They were not a well-off family, but 
they got by. Unfortunately, six of the children died, but fortunately 
for himself, his family and the world the subject of our story was one 
of the survivors. They were a deeply religious family whose members 
(including our hero) attended a Baptist church regularly. In fact, the 
patriarch of the family was a lay preacher who was so "full of the 
spirit" that he often did his preaching on street corners using a soap 
box as a pulpit. 

So far, so good!  Here we have a member of a devout religious family, a
bit of a musical prodigy who often played the organ in his father's 
church at quite an early age. Seems as though our hero's destiny was 
all laid out : to follow in his father's footsteps to become a 
preacher, or, at least a church organist. So, even given a shade of 
odds, wouldn't you be reluctant to place a bet on the chances of his 
breaking out of genteel poverty to become an internationally famous 
all-round entertainer based on a piano and vocal style that were so 
unique that they have never been successfully emulated? 

Well, your reluctance to take the shade of odds would show you to be a
person of intuitive wisdom, because the hero of our story is the late, 
great Mr. Thomas ("Fats") Waller, jazz pianist, vocalist and 
entertainer extraordinaire. He also wrote most of the songs that 
brought him universal fame and riches beyond his early dreams  -in 
conjunction with a brilliant lyricist called Andy Razaf. 

"Fats" Waller was born in New York in 1904. He quite early showed an
aptitude for music and a capacity for long hours of practice on a piano 
bought for him from the proceeds of contributions from the entire 
family. In his mid-teens he was fortunate enough to come to the 
attention of James P. Johnson, "the king" of ragtime music in those 
days. Johnson, who was very impressed with his talents, encouraged and 
assisted him in many ways, including getting gigs for him in 
prestigious New York clubs. 

During his progress along the pathway to fame and fortune, "Fats"
developed a love of "the high life" and became notorious for his heavy 
drinking. However, these drinking habits and his high living did not 
stem the flow of his musical production. By the end of the 1930s he was 
also writing musical shows, one of which included what is, perhaps, his 
best-known song, "Ain't Misbehavin". Another of his many compositions 
which has ignored the ravages of time is "Honeysuckle Rose". He also 
appeared in a couple of films including "Stormy Weather" in which he 
co-starred with the great female jazz vocalist, Lena Horne. 

Sadly, in 1943, he contracted pneumonia, and died on 15th December in
New York. 

Finally, my friend, let me make a suggestion as to how you can spend the
money you saved through your reluctance to accept the shade of odds I 
might have offered you. Go to your nearest music store and buy a CD 
featuring "Fats" Waller and his music (yes, they are still available 
fifty odd years after his death!). You won't regret it, I can 
confidently assure you! 


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