September 23,1907 – December 2, 1949
Albert Ammons was born into a musical family in Chicago, IL. Both parents were pianists and he learned the family business well! His close childhood friend, Mead Lux Lewis, helped encourage his interest in boogie-woogie. They would practice together on the Ammons family pianola. As a young teen, he played percussion in a Drum and Bugle Corp. But it was the piano that he was known for.
He was playing in Chicago clubs in the early 1920s, when his “day job” was taxi driver, along with his friend Mead Lux Lewis; and the Silver Taxicab Company had to make a driver’s lounge, complete with a piano, so they could find Albert and Mead when someone needed a ride. By 1934, he started his own band The Rhythm Kings and they played at the Club De Lisa for a couple of years.
His band’s first recording was in 1936, and their recording of “Boogie Woogie Stomp” has been noted to be the first 12-bar boogie-woogie. He continued to perform and record in New York City, where he teamed up with pianist Pete Johnson, playing at the Cafe Society. In 1938, he was part of the “From Spirituals to Swing” concert at Carnegie Hall dedicated to Bessie Smith, which helped bring boogie-woogie to the forefront of popular music for the next decade.
Albert was a popular player in the 40s, with many recordings and he was even showcased in a couple of movies.
In January 1949, he played at Harry Truman’s inaugural ball. He died at the end of the year after a short illness.
Happy Birthday Albert! We love the boogie and the woogie!
Albert Ammons and His Rhythm Kings – Boogie Woogie Stomp (1936)
