Jimmy Yancey
| Jimmy Yancey | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James Edwards Yancey |
| Born | February 20, 1894 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | September 17, 1951 (aged 57) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Boogie-woogie |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1939–1950 |
| Labels | Atlantic |
| Associated acts | Jimmy and Mama Yancey |
James Edwards "Jimmy" Yancey (February 20, 1894 – September 17, 1951)[1][2][3] was an African American boogie-woogie pianist, composer, and lyricist. One reviewer noted him as "one of the pioneers of this raucous, rapid-fire, eight-to-the-bar piano style".[2]
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[edit] Biography
Yancey was born in Chicago in (depending on the source) 1894,[2] or 1898.[3] His older brother, Alonzo Yancey (1894 – 1944) was also an pianist, while their father was a guitarist. Yancey started performing as a singer in traveling shows during his childhood. He was a noted pianist by 1915, and influenced younger musicians, such as Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons.[2][1]
While he played in a boogie-woogie style, with a strong-repeated figure in the left hand and melodic decoration in the right hand, his playing was delicate and subtle, rather than hard driving. He popularized a left hand figure which became known as the 'Yancey bass', and was later used in Pee Wee Crayton's "Blues After Hours", Guitar Slim's "The Things That I Used to Know" and many other songs.[4] Part of Yancey's distinctive style was that he played in a variety of keys but always ended every song in E flat.[1]
Most of his recordings were of solo piano, but late in his career he also recorded with vocals by his wife, Estelle Yancey, under the billing 'Jimmy and Mama Yancey'.[4] They appeared in concert at the Carnegie Hall in 1948.[1] In 1951, the twosome recorded the first album that was released by Atlantic Records the following year.[1]
During World War I, Yancey played baseball in a Negro league baseball team, the Chicago All-Americans. Throughout his life, Yancey kept a job as groundskeeper for the Chicago White Sox.[4]
Yancey died of a stroke secondary to diabetes in Chicago on September 17, 1951.[3] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.[3]
[edit] Discography
| Year | Title | Label and Number |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | "Beezum Blues" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "Big Bear Train" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 939 | "Janie's Joys" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "Jimmy’s Stuff" | Solo Art 12008 |
| 1939 | "How Long Blues" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "How Long Blues No. 2" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "Lean Bacon" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "LaSalle Street Breakdown" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "Lucille's Lament" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "P.L.K. Special" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "Rolling The Stone" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "South Side Stuff" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "Steady Rock Blues" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "Two O'Clock Blues" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "The Fives" | Solo Art 12008 |
| 1939 | "Yancy Getaway" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "Yancy Limited" | Solo Art - unissued |
| 1939 | "Five O'Clock Blues" | Victor 26590-A |
| 1939 | "Slow and Easy Blues" | Victor 26591-B |
| 1939 | "State Street Special" | Victor 26589-A |
| 1939 | "Tell 'Em About Me" | Victor 26590-B |
| 1939 | "The Mellow Blues" | Victor 26591-A |
| 1939 | "Yancy Stomp" | Victor 26589-B |
| 1940 | "Bear Trap Blues" | Vocalion 05490 |
| 1940 | "Crying In My Sleep" | Bluebird B-8630 |
| 1940 | "Death Letter Blues" | Bluebird B-8630 |
| 1940 | "I Love To Hear My Baby Call My Name" | Gannet 5138 |
| 1940 | "Old Quaker Blues" | Vocalion 05490 |
| 1940 | "35th and Dearborn" | Victor 27238-B |
| 1940 | "Yancey's Bugle Call" | Victor 27238-A |
| 1943 | "Boodlin'" | Session 10-001 |
| 1943 | "Jimmy's Rocks" | Session 10-001 |
| 1943 | "Yancey's Mixture" | Session - unissued |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "Biography by Chris Kelsey". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p584/biography. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 165. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
- ^ a b c d Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed August 2011
- ^ a b c Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. pp. 193–194. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
