Born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania on December 28, 1903, Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines was one
of the most important and influential pianists in the history of jazz. His
father, Joseph, played the cornet in and, as a child, Earl looked set to follow
suit until the age of nine when his mother persuaded him a to take up piano. In
1923, he relocated to Chicago, Illinois and worked with Sammy Stewart and
Erskine Tate’s Vendome Theatre Orchestra. Three years later, he began a
long-term collaboration with Louis Armstrong that would continue for years. Earl
Hines was an exceptional soloist but also sp...