Boogie Woogie Piano History and Biographies

In the book, “The Story of the Blues,” on page 16 in his chapter titled “Cottonfield Hollers,” 5 historian Paul Oliver wrote:
“When the blues began, the countryside was quiet. Loudest of the sounds to break the stillness was the roar of a steam train as it traced its way through the lowlands, leaving a smudge [...]

The quotations above from E. Simms Campbell and Clarence Williams are among the earliest accounts that attribute an origin of Boogie Woogie music to a specific geographical region, namely Texas. Their comments above are also noteworthy in that neither E. Simms Campbell nor Clarence Williams were from Texas. Campbell was from St. Louis [...]

Photo Above: Steel Gang Laying a Logging Railroad in the Piney Woods of East Texas. The image is from the East Texas Research Center Collection.

“Although the neighboring states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Missouri would also produce boogie-woogie players and their boogie-woogie tunes, and despite the fact that Chicago would become known as the center for [...]

On page 2 of his 1940 “Boogie Woogie and Blues Folio,”63 in his annotation to the reprint of the 1923 sheet music of George W. Thomas, Jr.‘s “New Orleans Hop Scop Blues,” (first published in 1916 by George W. Thomas) Clarence Williams states:
“The ‘Boogie Woogie’ originated in Texas many years ago. It wasn’t called [...]

The photo above was taken in Minglewood, TN in 1920. This photo is contained in the Special Collections Photograph Archives of the University of Louisville.

“Boogie Woogie piano playing originated in the lumber and turpentine camps of Texas and in the sporting houses of that state. A fast, rolling bass — [...]

(The web pages here on the BoogieWoogie.Com web site contain only a fraction of the material that I will eventually publish as a book. Never before published material from my own field research into Boogie Woogie will be in this forthcoming book. If you would like a copy, please contact me using the contact [...]

This CD from Bob Hall has been a long time coming to these pages. I first heard him on the web at his website, way back in 1998 or so. Here you can find out all about Bob Hall.
Here are bits taken from the liner notes of this CD, “At The Window” is the followng [...]

Here’s a talent that will get known around the world in no time. From Angus, Scotland, Kyle Esplin has picked the example of Jerry Lee Lewis to emulate. Friends with the great Jerry Lee, he has even gathered up some of the killers band to record and play with him. In a short time (or [...]

Hello Boogie Lovers. I am your host and webmaster. Boogiewoogie.com has been one of the greatest things to happen to me. I have met the most fantastic people and players from all over the world. Boogie woogie has become a huge part of my playing life. There is nothing that feels as good. It is [...]

Here is what Haybert K. Houston of Jazz Direct Catalog has to say about Wendy DeWittT…
“There is a statement on this CD jacket that states “Industrial Strength Blues,” they should have added “and Boogie.” This release represents some of the most authenic boogie piano I have heard in a long time and I thank Wendy [...]