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{{Short description|American pianist}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
|name =
| name =
|image = Maurice Rocco 1944.jpg
| image = Maurice Rocco 1944.jpg
|caption = Maurice Rocco in 1944
| caption = Maurice Rocco in 1944
|image_size =
| image_size =
|landscape =
| landscape =
⚫
| birth_name = Maurice John Rockhold
|background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
⚫
| birth_date = {{birth date|1915|6|26}}
⚫
|birth_name = Maurice John Rockhold
⚫
| birth_place = [[Oxford, Ohio]], United States
⚫
|birth_date = {{birth date|1915|6|26}}
⚫
| death_date = {{death date and age|1976|3|25|1915|6|26}}
⚫
|birth_place= [[Oxford, Ohio]], United States
⚫
| death_place = [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]]
⚫
|death_date = {{death date and age|1976|3|25|1915|6|26}}
⚫
| genre = {{Flatlist|
⚫
|death_place = [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]]

⚫
|genre = {{Flatlist|
* jazz
* jazz
* stride piano
* stride piano
}}
}}
|years_active = 1931–1974
| years_active = 1931–1974
|label ={{Flatlist|
| label = {{Flatlist|
* Decca
* Decca
* Guild
* Guild
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}}
}}
}}
}}
'''Maurice Rocco''', born '''Maurice John Rockhold''' (June 26, 1915 – March 24, 1976)<ref name="bare">{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues - A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger Publishers| location= Santa Barbara| pages=81 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}</ref> was an African-American pianist, singer, actor, and composer known for playing [[boogie-woogie]] piano and his disdain for using a piano bench. He was a top nightclub and theater draw in the 1940s, and made several film appearances. He toured the United States, Canada, and Europe before becoming a fixture in [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]], where he was murdered.
'''Maurice Rocco''' (born '''Maurice John Rockhold'''; June 26, 1915 – March 24, 1976)<ref name="bare">{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues - A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger Publishers| location= Santa Barbara| pages=81 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}</ref> was an American pianist, singer, and composer known for playing [[boogie-woogie]] piano and his disdain for using a piano bench. He was a top nightclub and theater draw in the 1940s, and made several film appearances. He toured the United States, Canada, and Europe before becoming a fixture in [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]], where he was murdered.


==Biography==
==Biography==
[[File:Maurice Rocco 1960.jpg|thumb|right|Maurice Rocco in 1960]]
[[File:Maurice Rocco 1960.jpg|thumb|right|Maurice Rocco in 1960]]
Maurice Rockhold was born in 1915<ref name="bmansbluesreport">{{cite web |url=http://www.bmansbluesreport.com/2013/03/beat-me-daddy-eight-to-bar-maurice-rocco.html |title=Beat Me Daddy Eight To The Bar – Maurice Rocco |date=March 26, 2013 |website=Bman's Blues Report |publisher= |accessdate=July 7, 2013}}</ref> in [[Oxford, Ohio]] to a music teacher mother.<ref name="news.google_c">{{cite news |title=Mama Didn't Object, so Rocco Went to Town |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HVdGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j-UMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4365,4746770&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Afro American |date=January 29, 1944 |page=8 |accessdate=July 6, 2013}}</ref> His mother taught him classical piano starting at age 10,<ref name="news.google_d">{{cite news |title=Standing Up at Piano Transformed Rocco from Mediocrity to Success |first=Erskine |last=Johnson |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QysaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uiMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1774,4844894&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal |date=August 28, 1944 |accessdate=July 6, 2013}}</ref> but did not interfere with his interest in rhythm playing as long as he finished his lessons.<ref name="news.google_c" />
Maurice Rockhold was born in 1915<ref name="bmansbluesreport">{{cite web |url=http://www.bmansbluesreport.com/2013/03/beat-me-daddy-eight-to-bar-maurice-rocco.html |title=Beat Me Daddy Eight To The Bar – Maurice Rocco |date=March 26, 2013 |website=Bman's Blues Report |access-date=July 7, 2013}}</ref> in [[Oxford, Ohio]] to a music teacher mother.<ref name="news.google_c">{{cite news |title=Mama Didn't Object, so Rocco Went to Town |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HVdGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j-UMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4365,4746770&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Afro American |date=January 29, 1944 |page=8 |access-date=July 6, 2013}}</ref> His mother taught him piano starting at a young age,<ref name="news.google_d">{{cite news |title=Standing Up at Piano Transformed Rocco from Mediocrity to Success |first=Erskine |last=Johnson |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QysaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uiMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1774,4844894&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal |date=August 28, 1944 |access-date=July 6, 2013}}</ref> but did not interfere with his interest in rhythm playing as long as he finished his lessons.<ref name="news.google_c" />


He entered [[Miami University]] as a music student (from where he was later to earn a Master of Music degree,)<ref>{{cite news |title=The Drama Desk |first=Harold V. |last=Cohen |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s5dRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TWoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2336,5514999&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=January 26, 1948 |page=20 |accessdate=July 5, 2013}}</ref> but soon quit to work for radio station [[WLW]].<ref name="news.google_c" /> In addition, he also taught piano harmony at [[Oberlin College]].<ref name="news.google_d" /> His work at WLW impressed [[Noble Sissle]] so much that he hired him to work with the Rogers Sisters at the Kit Kat Club in New York, and the act was renamed The Three Roccos.<ref name="news.google_c" /> He was to later legally change his last name from Rockhold to Rocco.<ref name="news.google_c" /> In 1938, Rocco left the club to participate in two films, ''[[Vogues of 1938]]'' and ''[[52nd Street (film)|52nd Street]]''.<ref name="news.google_c" /> He returned to New York to form his own band,<ref name="news.google_c" /> which included [[Alton Moore]], Arville Harris, and [[Bobby Holmes]] among its members.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chilton |first=John |title=Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street |url=https://books.google.com/?id=ZD4Cusyb5JcC&pg=PA136|year=1985 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306802430 }}</ref> By the early 1940s he was no longer fronting a band, but was working as a solo act.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chilton |first=John |title=Let the Good Times Roll: The Story of Louis Jordan and His Music |url=https://books.google.com/?id=LPkX5djpKmwC&pg=PA83 |year=1997 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=9780472084784 |page=83}}</ref>
He may have entered [[Miami University]] as a music student, though he never earned a degree.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Drama Desk |first=Harold V. |last=Cohen |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s5dRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TWoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2336,5514999&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=January 26, 1948 |page=20 |access-date=July 5, 2013}}</ref> He worked for radio station [[WLW]].<ref name="news.google_c" /> His work at that station impressed [[Noble Sissle]] so much that he hired him to work with the Rogers Sisters at the Kit Kat Club in New York, and the act was renamed The Three Roccos.<ref name="news.google_c" /> He was to later legally change his last name from Rockhold to Rocco.<ref name="news.google_c" /> In 1938, Rocco left the club to participate in two films, ''[[Vogues of 1938]]'' and ''[[52nd Street (film)|52nd Street]]''.<ref name="news.google_c" /> He returned to New York to form his own band,<ref name="news.google_c" /> which included [[Alton Moore]], [[Arville Harris]], and Bobby Holmes among its members.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chilton |first=John |title=Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street |url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoofjazzsto00chilto|url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/whoswhoofjazzsto00chilto/page/136 136] |year=1985 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306802430 }}</ref> By the early 1940s he was no longer fronting a band, but was working as a solo act.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chilton |first=John |title=Let the Good Times Roll: The Story of Louis Jordan and His Music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LPkX5djpKmwC&pg=PA83 |year=1997 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=9780472084784 |page=83}}</ref>


Between 1940 and 1941 he cut 14 sides for Decca,<ref name="news.google_c" /> most of which were released on their "Sepia" series.<ref name="78discography_b">{{cite web |url=http://78discography.com/Dec8500.htm |title=Decca 8500 series Numerical Listing |last1=Abrams |first1=Steve |last2=Settlemier |first2=Tyrone |date=December 7, 2011 |website=Online Discographical Project |accessdate=July 7, 2013}}</ref> He did not join active military service because his poor eyesight classified him as 4-F,<ref name="news.google_d" /> but during [[World War II]] he entertained American troops, both in person<ref name="books.google_a">{{cite book |last=Ambrose |first=Hugh |title=The Pacific |url=https://books.google.com/?id=zuTGM9XgosgC&pg=PT195|year=2010 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=1101185848}}</ref> and as part of the [[AFRS|American Forces Network]] Jubilee radio program.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lotz|first1=Rainer E. |last2=Neuert |first2=Ulrich |authorlink= |title=The AFRS "Jubilee" transcription programs: an exploratory discography, Volume 1 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=rj05AQAAIAAJ|year=1985 |publisher=N. Ruecker}}</ref> Rocco spent most of the 1940s headlining at nightclubs and theaters (where his engagements would extend into months) and participating in vaudeville revues.<ref name="books.google_c">{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ggwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT16|title= Profiles|work=Billboard |date= April 3, 1943|page=17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=NvYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA43 |title= Vaudeville Reviews|work=Billboard |date= March 5, 1949|page= 43}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_RkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT32|title= Total Stem Trade Tapers; MH Fair 142½G, Others Dive|work=Billboard |date= October 26, 1945|page= 43}}</ref><ref name="books.google_b">{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rwwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT25|title= Night Club Reviews – Chez Paree, Chicago|work=Billboard |date= August 5, 1944|page= 26}}</ref> By 1944 he had a US $500,000 insurance policy on his hands.<ref name="news.google_d" /> Alongside [[Mary Lou Williams]], he represented the United States in the second African Dance Festival at [[Carnegie Hall]] in April 1945.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archive.danceheritage.org/html/treasures/dafora_essay_perpener.pdf |title=Asadata Dafora Horton (1890–1965) |last1=Perpener |first1=John O. III |year=2012 |work=Danceheritage.org |publisher=The Dance Heritage Coalition |accessdate=July 4, 2013}}</ref> He was married to Iantha on July 3 of that year.<ref name="news.google_a">{{cite news |title=Rocco Stomped Her, Says Wife in Separation Suit |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yRomAAAAIBAJ&sjid=of0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3518,5712444&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Afro American |date=October 26, 1946|page=3|accessdate=July 6, 2013}}</ref> Later in 1945, he appeared in his most famous role in the film ''Incendiary Blond''. His earnings in 1945 topped U.S. $250,000.<ref>{{cite news |title=N.Y. Columnists Last Week|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6SUmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xP0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5127,3961105&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Afro American |location=Baltimore, Maryland|date=December 22, 1945|page=10 |accessdate=July 6, 2013}}</ref> Despite all the professional success, this marriage was short lived. Iantha filed for divorce before their first anniversary amid allegations of physical and mental abuse.<ref name="news.google_a" /> He signed to [[RCA Victor Records]] in 1949.<ref name="news.google_b">{{cite news |title=The Record Parade |first=Otto |last=Mack |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FfolAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JvUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6469,3076872&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=Baltimore African-American |date=May 24, 1949 |accessdate=July 6, 2013}}</ref>
Between 1940 and 1941 he cut 14 sides for Decca,<ref name="news.google_c" /> most of which were released on their "Sepia" series.<ref name="78discography_b">{{cite web |url=http://78discography.com/Dec8500.htm |title=Decca 8500 series Numerical Listing |last1=Abrams |first1=Steve |last2=Settlemier |first2=Tyrone |date=December 7, 2011 |website=Online Discographical Project |access-date=July 7, 2013}}</ref> He did not join active military service because his poor eyesight classified him as 4-F,<ref name="news.google_d" /> but during [[World War II]] he entertained American troops, both in person<ref name="books.google_a">{{cite book |last=Ambrose |first=Hugh |title=The Pacific |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zuTGM9XgosgC&pg=PT195|year=2010 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1101185841}}</ref> and as part of the [[American Forces Network]] Jubilee radio program.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lotz|first1=Rainer E. |last2=Neuert |first2=Ulrich |title=The AFRS "Jubilee" transcription programs: an exploratory discography, Volume 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rj05AQAAIAAJ|year=1985 |publisher=N. Ruecker|isbn=9783923397013 }}</ref> Rocco spent most of the 1940s headlining at nightclubs and theaters (where his engagements would extend into months) and participating in vaudeville revues.<ref name="books.google_c">{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ggwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT16|title= Profiles|magazine=Billboard |date= April 3, 1943|page=17}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=NvYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA43 |title= Vaudeville Reviews|magazine=Billboard |date= March 5, 1949|page= 43}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_RkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT32|title= Total Stem Trade Tapers; MH Fair 142½G, Others Dive|magazine=Billboard |date= October 26, 1945|page= 43}}</ref><ref name="books.google_b">{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rwwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT25|title= Night Club Reviews – Chez Paree, Chicago|magazine=Billboard |date= August 5, 1944|page= 26}}</ref> By 1944 he had a US $500,000 insurance policy on his hands.<ref name="news.google_d" /> Alongside [[Mary Lou Williams]], he represented the United States in the second African Dance Festival at [[Carnegie Hall]] in April 1945.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archive.danceheritage.org/html/treasures/dafora_essay_perpener.pdf |title=Asadata Dafora Horton (1890–1965) |last1=Perpener |first1=John O. III |year=2012 |work=Danceheritage.org |publisher=The Dance Heritage Coalition |access-date=July 4, 2013}}</ref> He married a woman named Iantha on July 3 of that year.<ref name="news.google_a">{{cite news |title=Rocco Stomped Her, Says Wife in Separation Suit |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yRomAAAAIBAJ&sjid=of0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3518,5712444&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Afro American |date=October 26, 1946|page=3|access-date=July 6, 2013}}</ref> Later in 1945, he appeared in his most famous role in the film ''Incendiary Blond''. His earnings in 1945 topped U.S. $250,000.<ref>{{cite news |title=N.Y. Columnists Last Week|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6SUmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xP0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5127,3961105&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Afro American |location=Baltimore, Maryland|date=December 22, 1945|page=10 |access-date=July 6, 2013}}</ref> Despite all the professional success, this marriage was short lived. Iantha filed for divorce before their first anniversary amid allegations of physical and mental abuse.<ref name="news.google_a" /> He signed to [[RCA Victor Records]] in 1949.<ref name="news.google_b">{{cite news |title=The Record Parade |first=Otto |last=Mack |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FfolAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JvUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6469,3076872&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=Baltimore African-American |date=May 24, 1949 |access-date=July 6, 2013}}</ref>


In the early 1950s he made tours of Europe and Southeast Asia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jazzpianist Rocco overleden |url=http://kranten.kb.nl/view/article/id/ddd%3A010375812%3Ampeg21%3Ap003%3Aa0079 |newspaper=De Waarheid|location=Amsterdam|date=March 26, 1976 |page=3|accessdate=July 7, 2013}}</ref> Alongside [[Slim Gaillard]], he was in 1953 solicited to play a lead role in a film to be entitled "Two Joes from Georgia".<ref>{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=v7sDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64 |title= New York Beat|work=[[Jet Magazine]] |date= April 16, 1953|page= 64}}</ref> Rocco fell into legal difficulties in the late 1950s regarding bad checks: he was jailed over Christmas 1957 in [[Cleveland]],<ref>{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=E7gDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56|title= Pianist Maurice Rocco Jailed on Check Charge|work=[[Jet Magazine]] |date= January 9, 1958|page= 56}}</ref> and was accused of the same offense in July 1958.<ref>{{cite news |title=Walter Winchell of New York |first=Walter |last=Winchell |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D4EwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I_oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3776,1330696&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Lakeland Ledger |location=Lakeland, Florida |date=July 14, 1958 |page=4 |accessdate=July 5, 2013}}</ref> He moved to Europe before spending the last 15 years of his life performing in Thailand,<ref name="news.google">{{cite news |title=Pianist Killed |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19760326&id=NfUhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=taEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5822,2774715 |newspaper=The Montreal Gazette |date=March 26, 1976 |accessdate=July 5, 2013}}</ref> where he was a regular tourist attraction at the Bamboo Bar in the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.<ref>{{cite book |last=Orgibet |first=Jorges |title=From Siam to Thailand: backdrop to the land of smiles |year=1982 |publisher=Kofco |location=Thailand |isbn= |page=135}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ellington |first=Duke |authorlink=Duke Ellington |title=Music Is My Mistress |url=https://books.google.com/?id=RFNcxttbE2wC&pg=PA383&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22#v=onepage&q=%22Maurice%20Rocco%22&f=false |year=1976 |publisher=De Capo Press |isbn=9780306800337 |page=381}}</ref> He was found slashed to death in his apartment, death having occurred on March 24, 1976. The murder weapon was his own Malaysian knife.<ref name="news.google" /> At the time of his death he was married to Mary Arlene Rocco (1914–1994).<ref>{{cite news |title=Compass area obituaries|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fS1YAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bkUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1580,61251&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=Rochester Sentinel – Compass edition |date=January 19, 1994|page=2|accessdate=July 6, 2013}}</ref> He is buried at Woodside Cemetery in Oxford.<ref name="bmansbluesreport" />
In the early 1950s he made tours of Europe and Southeast Asia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jazzpianist Rocco overleden |url=http://kranten.kb.nl/view/article/id/ddd%3A010375812%3Ampeg21%3Ap003%3Aa0079 |newspaper=De Waarheid|location=Amsterdam|date=March 26, 1976 |page=3|access-date=July 7, 2013}}</ref> Alongside [[Slim Gaillard]], he was in 1953 solicited to play a lead role in a film to be entitled "Two Joes from Georgia".<ref>{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=v7sDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64 |title= New York Beat|work=[[Jet Magazine]] |date= April 16, 1953|page= 64}}</ref> Rocco fell into legal difficulties in the 1950s regarding bad checks: he was jailed over Christmas 1957 in [[Cleveland]],<ref>{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=E7gDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56|title= Pianist Maurice Rocco Jailed on Check Charge|work=[[Jet Magazine]] |date= January 9, 1958|page= 56}}</ref> and was accused of the same offense in July 1958.<ref>{{cite news |title=Walter Winchell of New York |first=Walter |last=Winchell |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D4EwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I_oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3776,1330696&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Lakeland Ledger |location=Lakeland, Florida |date=July 14, 1958 |page=4 |access-date=July 5, 2013}}</ref> He moved to Europe before spending the last 12–15 years of his life performing in Thailand,<ref name="news.google">{{cite news |title=Pianist Killed |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19760326&id=NfUhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=taEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5822,2774715 |newspaper=The Montreal Gazette |date=March 26, 1976 |access-date=July 5, 2013}}</ref> where he had a residency at the Bamboo Bar in the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.<ref>{{cite book |last=Orgibet |first=Jorges |title=From Siam to Thailand: backdrop to the land of smiles |year=1982 |publisher=Kofco |location=Thailand |page=135}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ellington |first=Duke |author-link=Duke Ellington |title=Music Is My Mistress |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RFNcxttbE2wC&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22&pg=PA383 |year=1976 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306800337 |page=381}}</ref> He was found slashed to death in his apartment. The murder occurred on March 24, 1976. The murder weapon was his own Malaysian knife.<ref name="news.google" /> He is buried at Woodside Cemetery in Oxford.<ref name="bmansbluesreport" />


==Performance style==
==Performance style==
Rocco was billed as "Maurice Rocco and His Rockin' Rhythm" in nightclubs and his recordings.<ref name="books.google_c" /> Maurice was most famous for standing while playing, not using a piano bench.<ref name="books.google_a" /> The origin of his playing posture has been credited to different sources. In 1944 Rocco claimed that he started standing in 1941, when a customer was sitting on his piano bench and Rocco, intimidated by the heft of this customer, decided that it would be best to play without the customary seat. He eschewed a piano bench from this point on because of the positive reaction from the crowd that night.<ref name="news.google_d" /> While playing, he would alternately beat out the rhythm with his feet, or perform dance moves.<ref>{{cite news |title=''Incendiary Blonde'' finds Rocco Up to Old Tricks |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4SUmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xP0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3538,2062609&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The African American |date=October 20, 1945 |page=11 |accessdate=July 6, 2013}}</ref> [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] described his playing as "Rocking and Riotous" but panned his singing ability.<ref name="books.google">{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vBoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT30#v=onepage&q&f=false |title= Advance Record Releases|work=Billboard |date= December 7, 1946|page= 119}}</ref> His nightclub performances were known to be uncommonly boisterous for the period,<ref name="books.google_b" /> even moving the piano from one end of the stage to the other with "violent energy,"<ref>{{cite news |title=Well-known Pianist Stars at Chez Paree |newspaper=[[The Montreal Gazette]] |date=March 23, 1951 |page=9}}</ref> but [[Duke Ellington]] and [[Mabel Mercer]] praised his ability to perform in a sophisticated manner.<ref name="news.google" /> His showmanship was as recognized as his piano playing,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Selchow |first1=Manfred |last2=Lohmann |first2=Karsten |title=Profoundly blue: a bio-discographical scrapbook on Edmond Hall |url=https://books.google.com/?id=oTY5AQAAIAAJ&q=%22Maurice+Rocco%22&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22 |year=1988 |publisher=M. Selchow|page=207}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=O'Day|first=Anita |authorlink=Anita O'Day |title=High Times, Hard Times |url=https://books.google.com/?id=LUNsQC-iKw0C&pg=PA278&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22#v=onepage&q=%22Maurice%20Rocco%22&f=false |year=1989 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=9781617744426 |page=278}}</ref> and he was known to favor wearing a pea-green dinner jacket.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dent|first=Alan|title=Nocturnes and Rhapsodies|year=1950 |publisher=H. Hamilton |location= |isbn= |page=154}}</ref> His performance style is said to have influenced [[Little Richard]] and [[Jerry Lee Lewis]].<ref name="bare"/> Critic Peter Silvester describes Rocco's boogie-woogie style as "technically slick" but "devoid of genuine boogie-woogie tone coloring."<ref name="books.google_d">{{cite book |last=Silvester |first=Peter J. |title=The Story of Boogie-Woogie: A Left Hand Like God |url=https://books.google.com/?id=tk8KcGuzPcYC&pg=PA322&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22#v=onepage&q=%22Maurice%20Rocco%22&f=false|year=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810869332}}</ref>
Rocco was billed as "Maurice Rocco and His Rockin' Rhythm" in nightclubs and his recordings.<ref name="books.google_c" /> He was most famous for standing while playing, without using a piano bench.<ref name="books.google_a" /> The origin of his playing posture has been credited to different sources. In 1944 Rocco claimed that he started standing in 1941, when a customer was sitting on his piano bench and Rocco, intimidated by the heft of this customer, decided that it would be best to play without the customary seat. He eschewed a piano bench from this point on because of the positive reaction from the crowd that night.<ref name="news.google_d" /> However, Rocco told the story very differently at various times, and he was known to stand while playing as early as the 1930s, rendering the story about 1941 all but impossible. While playing, Rocco would alternately beat out the rhythm with his feet, or perform dance moves.<ref>{{cite news |title=''Incendiary Blonde'' finds Rocco Up to Old Tricks |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4SUmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xP0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3538,2062609&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The African American |date=October 20, 1945 |page=11 |access-date=July 6, 2013}}</ref> [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] described his playing as "Rocking and Riotous" but panned his singing ability.<ref name="books.google">{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vBoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT30 |title= Advance Record Releases|magazine=Billboard |date= December 7, 1946|page= 119}}</ref> His nightclub performances were known to be uncommonly boisterous for the period,<ref name="books.google_b" /> even moving the piano from one end of the stage to the other with "violent energy,"<ref>{{cite news |title=Well-known Pianist Stars at Chez Paree |newspaper=[[The Montreal Gazette]] |date=March 23, 1951 |page=9}}</ref> but [[Duke Ellington]] and [[Mabel Mercer]] praised his ability to perform in a sophisticated manner.<ref name="news.google" /> His showmanship was as recognized as his piano playing,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Selchow |first1=Manfred |last2=Lohmann |first2=Karsten |title=Profoundly blue: a bio-discographical scrapbook on Edmond Hall |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oTY5AQAAIAAJ&q=%22Maurice+Rocco%22 |year=1988 |publisher=M. Selchow|page=207}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=O'Day|first=Anita |author-link=Anita O'Day |title=High Times, Hard Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LUNsQC-iKw0C&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22&pg=PA278 |year=1989 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=9781617744426 |page=278}}</ref> and he was known to favor wearing a pea-green dinner jacket.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dent|first=Alan|title=Nocturnes and Rhapsodies|year=1950 |publisher=H. Hamilton |page=154}}</ref> His performance style is said to have influenced [[Little Richard]] and [[Jerry Lee Lewis]].<ref name="bare"/> Critic Peter Silvester describes Rocco's boogie-woogie style as "technically slick" but "devoid of genuine boogie-woogie tone coloring."<ref name="books.google_d">{{cite book |last=Silvester |first=Peter J. |title=The Story of Boogie-Woogie: A Left Hand Like God |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tk8KcGuzPcYC&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22&pg=PA322|year=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810869332}}</ref>


==Legacy and influence==
==Legacy and influence==
Rocco was a headlining act for much of the 1940s, both in the United States and England.<ref name="news.google_b" /> His stand-up piano playing became a byline.<ref>{{cite news |title=Actor Insures Bob Hope to Insure Gag Supply |first=Milton |last=Berle |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hqwyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KeoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4686,996866&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Miami Herald |date=August 19, 1949 |accessdate=July 6, 2013}}</ref> Because of his appearances in Hollywood musicals and "soundies" (musical short films) that were exported to Britain during the Second World War, Rocco's playing style was to influence several European post-war boogie-woogie specialists.<ref name="books.google_d" /> He was an early influence on [[Ramsey Lewis]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Stokes |first=W. Royal |title=Living the Jazz Life: Conversations With Forty Musicians About Their Careers in Jazz |url=https://books.google.com/?id=M8uoi3JV6T0C&pg=PA83&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22#v=onepage&q=%22Maurice%20Rocco%22&f=false |year=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195152494|page=83}}</ref> and [[Bobby Short]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Celebrating The Man Who Casts a Spell At the Carlyle |first=Stephen |last=Holden |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/04/arts/celebrating-the-man-who-casts-a-spell-at-the-carlyle.html |newspaper=New York Times |date=May 4, 1997 |accessdate=July 5, 2013}}</ref>
Rocco was a headlining act for much of the 1940s, both in the United States and England.<ref name="news.google_b" /> His stand-up piano playing became a byline.<ref>{{cite news |title=Actor Insures Bob Hope to Insure Gag Supply |first=Milton |last=Berle |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hqwyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KeoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4686,996866&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Miami Herald |date=August 19, 1949 |access-date=July 6, 2013}}</ref> Because of his appearances in Hollywood musicals and "soundies" (musical short films) that were exported to Britain during the Second World War, Rocco's playing style was to influence several European post-war boogie-woogie specialists.<ref name="books.google_d" /> He was an early influence on [[Ramsey Lewis]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Stokes |first=W. Royal |title=Living the Jazz Life: Conversations With Forty Musicians About Their Careers in Jazz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8uoi3JV6T0C&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22&pg=PA83 |year=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195152494|page=83}}</ref> and [[Bobby Short]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Celebrating The Man Who Casts a Spell At the Carlyle |first=Stephen |last=Holden |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/04/arts/celebrating-the-man-who-casts-a-spell-at-the-carlyle.html |newspaper=New York Times |date=May 4, 1997 |access-date=July 5, 2013}}</ref>


==Recordings==
==Recordings==
Rocco made his first recordings, for [[Decca Records|Decca]], recording 12 sides in 1940 and '41. Some of his most popular recordings first appeared on the Guild label, where he recorded 8 sides, with [[Cozy Cole]] on drums and Mack Stewart on bass. When this label went out of business, its catalog was sold to [[Musicraft Records]]<ref>{{cite book |last=McGrath |first=Bob |title=Volume 2 of The R & B Indies: An Encyclopedic Exploration of African American Music and Independent Record Labels from 1940 to 1980 |year= 2007|publisher=Eyeball Productions |isbn=9780968644546 |page=272}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Gart|first=Galen |title=The American Record Label Directory and Dating Guide, 1940–1959 |year=1989 |publisher=Big Nickel Publications |location=Milford, New Hampshire |isbn=0-936433-11-6 |page=99}}</ref> in 1946,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/IJS/collections/MUSICRAFTf.html |title=Guide to the Musicraft Records, Inc., Records 1937–1960 |last1=Gorder |first1=Erika |year=1998 |website=Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University Libraries |publisher=Rutgers University |accessdate=July 7, 2013}}</ref> which re-issued all 8 of them. He cut 10 new sides for Musicraft in September, 1946, 7 of which were re-issued by Allegro on a vinyl 10 inch LP in 1957. A Musicraft album of 78's numbered 449-452 was issued in 1946.<ref>http://hyzercreek.com/RoccoAlbum78s.jpg</ref>
Rocco made his first recordings, for [[Decca Records|Decca]], recording 12 sides in 1940 and '41. Some of his most popular recordings first appeared on the Guild label, where he recorded 8 sides, with [[Cozy Cole]] on drums and Mack Stewart on bass. When this label went out of business, its catalog was sold to [[Musicraft Records]]<ref>{{cite book |last=McGrath |first=Bob |title=Volume 2 of The R & B Indies: An Encyclopedic Exploration of African American Music and Independent Record Labels from 1940 to 1980 |year= 2007|publisher=Eyeball Productions |isbn=9780968644546 |page=272}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Gart|first=Galen |title=The American Record Label Directory and Dating Guide, 1940–1959 |year=1989 |publisher=Big Nickel Publications |location=Milford, New Hampshire |isbn=0-936433-11-6 |page=99}}</ref> in 1946,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/IJS/collections/MUSICRAFTf.html |title=Guide to the Musicraft Records, Inc., Records 1937–1960 |last1=Gorder |first1=Erika |year=1998 |website=Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University Libraries |publisher=Rutgers University |access-date=July 7, 2013}}</ref> which re-issued all 8 of them. He cut 10 new sides for Musicraft in September, 1946, 7 of which were re-issued by Allegro on a vinyl 10 inch LP in 1957. A Musicraft album of 78's numbered 449-452 was issued in 1946.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hyzercreek.com/RoccoAlbum78s.jpg|format=JPG|title=Photographic image of album cover|website=Hyzercreek.com|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref>


===Discography===
===Discography===
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{| class=wikitable
{| class=wikitable
|-
|-
! Title !! Recording Date !! Issue !! Notes
! Title !! Recording Date !! Issue !! Notes
|-
|-
| Rhumboogie || September 27, 1940 || Decca 8504 || <ref name="78discography_b" />
| Rhumboogie || September 27, 1940 || Decca 8504 || <ref name="78discography_b" />
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| Jungle Drums || September 27, 1940 || Decca 8533 || <ref name="78discography_b" />
| Jungle Drums || September 27, 1940 || Decca 8533 || <ref name="78discography_b" />
|-
|-
| Java Jive || March 11, 1941 || Decca 8544 || <ref name="78discography_b" />
| [[Java Jive]] || March 11, 1941 || Decca 8544 || <ref name="78discography_b" />
|-
|-
| Little Rock Getaway || March 11, 1941 || Decca 8544 || <ref name="books.google_e">{{cite book |last=Jasen |first=David A. |title=Ragtime: An Encyclopedia, Discography, and Sheetography |url=https://books.google.com/?id=WNuwiKJPtnwC&pg=PT388&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22 |accessdate=July 5, 2013 |year=2007 |publisher=CRC Press |location= |isbn=9780415978620 |page=368}}</ref>
| Little Rock Getaway || March 11, 1941 || Decca 8544 || <ref name="books.google_e">{{cite book |last=Jasen |first=David A. |title=Ragtime: An Encyclopedia, Discography, and Sheetography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WNuwiKJPtnwC&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22&pg=PT388 |access-date=July 5, 2013 |year=2007 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=9780415978620 |page=368}}</ref>
|-
|-
| Hold Me Baby || March 11, 1941 || Decca 8558 || <ref name="78discography_b" />
| Hold Me Baby || March 11, 1941 || Decca 8558 || <ref name="78discography_b" />
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| [[The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)|One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else), The]] || March 11, 1941 || Decca 8574 || <ref name="books.google_e" />
| [[The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)|One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else), The]] || March 11, 1941 || Decca 8574 || <ref name="books.google_e" />
|-
|-
| [[Saint Louis Blues (song)|St. Louis Blues]] *|| 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99">Gart, Galen (1989). The American Record Label Directory and Dating Guide, 1940–1959. Milford, New Hampshire: Big Nickel Publications. p. 99. {{ISBN|0-936433-11-6}}.</ref> || Guild 102, Musicraft 353* || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
| [[Saint Louis Blues (song)|St. Louis Blues]] *|| 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99">Gart, Galen (1989). The American Record Label Directory and Dating Guide, 1940–1959. Milford, New Hampshire: Big Nickel Publications. p. 99. {{ISBN|0-936433-11-6}}.</ref> || Guild 102, Musicraft 353* || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
|-
|-
| [[Begin the Beguine]] *|| 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 102, Musicraft 353* || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a">{{cite web |url=http://78discography.com/Guild.htm |title=GUILD 78rpm numerical listing discography |last1=Abrams |first1=Steve |last2=Settlemier |first2=Tyrone |date=April 20, 2010 |website=Online Discographical Project |accessdate=July 8, 2013}}</ref>
| [[Begin the Beguine]] *|| 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 102, Musicraft 353* || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a">{{cite web |url=http://78discography.com/Guild.htm |title=GUILD 78rpm numerical listing discography |last1=Abrams |first1=Steve |last2=Settlemier |first2=Tyrone |date=April 20, 2010 |website=Online Discographical Project |access-date=July 8, 2013}}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree]] || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 103, Musicraft 368 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
| [[In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree]] || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 103, Musicraft 368 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
|-
|-
| Tunke Blues || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 103, Musicraft 368 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
| Tunke Blues || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 103, Musicraft 368 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
|-
|-
| [[Cocktails for Two]] || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 117, Musicraft 364 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
| [[Cocktails for Two]] || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 117, Musicraft 364 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
|-
|-
| Sugar || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 117, Musicraft 364 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
| Sugar || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 117, Musicraft 364 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
|-
|-
| [[I Can't Get Started]] || – || Musicraft 427 || <ref name="books.google" />
| [[I Can't Get Started]] || – || Musicraft 427 || <ref name="books.google" />
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| [[Lullaby of Broadway (song)|Lullaby of Broadway]] || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 148 || <ref name="78discography_a" />
| [[Lullaby of Broadway (song)|Lullaby of Broadway]] || 1945 <ref name="Gart, Galen 1989 p. 99"/> || Guild 148 || <ref name="78discography_a" />
|-
|-
| [[At Sundown]] || September 1946 || Musicraft 443, Allegro 4110 (LP) || <ref>{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vBoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT30#v=onepage&q&f=false |title= Advance Record Releases|work=Billboard |date= December 7, 1946|page= 31}}</ref><ref name="78discography">{{cite web |url=http://78discography.com/Musicraft200.htm |title=Musicraft 78rpm numerical listing discography – 200 through 600 |last1=Abrams |first1=Steve |last2=Settlemier |first2=Tyrone |date=December 6, 2012 |website=Online Discographical Project |accessdate=July 8, 2013}}</ref>
| [[At Sundown]] || September 1946 || Musicraft 443, Allegro 4110 (LP) || <ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vBoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT30 |title= Advance Record Releases|magazine=Billboard |date= December 7, 1946|page= 31}}</ref><ref name="78discography">{{cite web |url=http://78discography.com/Musicraft200.htm |title=Musicraft 78rpm numerical listing discography – 200 through 600 |last1=Abrams |first1=Steve |last2=Settlemier |first2=Tyrone |date=December 6, 2012 |website=Online Discographical Project |access-date=July 8, 2013}}</ref>
|-
|-
| My Tzatzkela || September 1946 || Musicraft 443 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref>{{cite news |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vBoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT30#v=onepage&q&f=false |title= Advance Record Releases|work=Billboard |date= December 7, 1946|page= 112}}</ref>
| My Tzatzkela || September 1946 || Musicraft 443 || <ref name="78discography" /><ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vBoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT30 |title= Advance Record Releases|magazine=Billboard |date= December 7, 1946|page= 112}}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[Somebody Loves Me]] || September 1946 || Musicraft 449 || <ref name="78discography" />
| [[Somebody Loves Me]] || September 1946 || Musicraft 449 || <ref name="78discography" />
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|-
|-
| [[Easter Parade (song)|Easter Parade]] || September 1946 || Musicraft 452, Allegro 4110 (LP) || <ref name="78discography" />
| [[Easter Parade (song)|Easter Parade]] || September 1946 || Musicraft 452, Allegro 4110 (LP) || <ref name="78discography" />
|}*There are two versions of each of these sides. St. Louis Blues, matrix A.G.634-A recorded by Guild and issued as Guild 102. Re-issued as Musicraft 353 B, some with matrix A.G.634-A and some simply with 634-A. Re-recorded by Musicraft, matrix 5391-B, and issued also as Musicraft 353 B.<ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" /><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpWoplQLeS8</ref> Begin The Beguine, matrix A.G.633-A recorded by Guild and issued as Guild 102. Re-issued as Musicraft 353 A, some with matrix A.G.633-A and some with just 633-A. Re-recorded by Musicraft, matrix 5390-B, and also issued as 353 A.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6xy9CzIuQI</ref> For both songs, the Musicraft paper labels all say 5390 and 5391, only the matrix numbers on the shellac distinguish the takes.<ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />
|}*There are two versions of each of these sides. St. Louis Blues, matrix A.G.634-A recorded by Guild and issued as Guild 102. Re-issued as Musicraft 353 B, some with matrix A.G.634-A and some simply with 634-A. Re-recorded by Musicraft, matrix 5391-B, and issued also as Musicraft 353 B.<ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpWoplQLeS8|title=YouTube|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Begin The Beguine, matrix A.G.633-A recorded by Guild and issued as Guild 102. Re-issued as Musicraft 353 A, some with matrix A.G.633-A and some with just 633-A. Re-recorded by Musicraft, matrix 5390-B, and also issued as 353 A.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6xy9CzIuQI|title=YouTube|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> For both songs, the Musicraft paper labels all say 5390 and 5391, only the matrix numbers on the shellac distinguish the takes.<ref name="78discography" /><ref name="78discography_a" />

|
==Compositions==
==Compositions==
* Boogie Woogie<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vahistorical.org/research/sheetmusic.htm |title=Index to African American material in the Sheet Music Collection |website=Research Guide |publisher=Virginia Historical Society|accessdate=July 7, 2013}}</ref>
* Boogie Woogie<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vahistorical.org/research/sheetmusic.htm |title=Index to African American material in the Sheet Music Collection |website=Research Guide |publisher=Virginia Historical Society|access-date=July 7, 2013}}</ref>
* Rocco's Boogie Woogie<ref>{{cite AV media |people= |year=1940 |title=Rocco's Boogie Woogie |trans-title=|medium=78rpm |url= |accessdate= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |format= |time= |location= |publisher=Decca Records |id=8523A |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |ref= }}</ref>
* Rocco's Boogie Woogie<ref>{{cite AV media |year=1940 |title=Rocco's Boogie Woogie |medium=78rpm |publisher=Decca Records |id=8523A }}</ref>
* Tonky Blues<ref>{{cite AV media |people= |year=1940 |title=Tonky Blues |trans-title=|medium=78rpm |url= |accessdate= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |format= |time= |location= |publisher=Decca Records |id=8523B |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |ref= }}</ref>
* Tonky Blues<ref>{{cite AV media |year=1940 |title=Tonky Blues |medium=78rpm |publisher=Decca Records |id=8523B }}</ref>
* Tunke Blues<ref name="78discography_a" />
* Tunke Blues<ref name="78discography_a" />


Line 123: Line 122:
Rocco appeared in numerous Hollywood musicals in the 1940s and 1950s.<ref name="news.google" />
Rocco appeared in numerous Hollywood musicals in the 1940s and 1950s.<ref name="news.google" />


*1938 – ''Vogues of 1938'' – "Rocco" (pianist)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stearns |first1=Marshall Winslow|last2=Stearns |first2=Jean |title=Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance |url=https://books.google.com/?id=CGs1DDtMVL8C&pg=PA412&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22#v=onepage&q=%22Maurice%20Rocco%22&f=false |year=1968 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306805530 |page=412}}</ref>
*1938 – ''Vogues of 1938'' – "Rocco" (pianist)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stearns |first1=Marshall Winslow|last2=Stearns |first2=Jean |title=Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance |url=https://archive.org/details/jazzdancestoryof0000stea |url-access=registration |quote=Maurice Rocco. |year=1968 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306805530 |page=[https://archive.org/details/jazzdancestoryof0000stea/page/412 412]}}</ref>
*1938 – ''52nd Street'' – himself<ref>{{cite news |title=Nightclub Cavalcade in "52nd St., Studio |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7DYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LVADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4787,2679975&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=Prescott Evening Courier |date=February 28, 1938 |accessdate=July 5, 2013}}</ref>
*1938 – ''52nd Street'' – himself<ref>{{cite news |title=Nightclub Cavalcade in "52nd St., Studio |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7DYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LVADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4787,2679975&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=Prescott Evening Courier |date=February 28, 1938 |access-date=July 5, 2013}}</ref>
*1943 – ''Rhumboogie'' (short) – himself<ref>{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Larry |title=African American films through 1959: a comprehensive, illustrated filmography |year=1998 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=0786403071 |page=143}}</ref>
*1943 – ''Rhumboogie'' (short) – himself<ref>{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Larry |title=African American films through 1959: a comprehensive, illustrated filmography |year=1998 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=0786403071 |page=143}}</ref>
*1945 – ''[[Incendiary Blonde]]''<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/?id=q0kEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA102&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22#v=onepage&q=%22Maurice%20Rocco%22&f=false |title=Incendiary Blonde (advertisement) |work=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |date=September 3, 1945 |page=102}}</ref> – himself (waiter/pianist)
*1945 – ''[[Incendiary Blonde]]''<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q0kEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22&pg=PA102 |title=Incendiary Blonde (advertisement) |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |date=September 3, 1945 |page=102}}</ref> – himself (waiter/pianist)
*1947 – ''Rocco Blues'' (short) – himself<ref>{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Larry |title=African American films through 1959: a comprehensive, illustrated filmography |year=1998 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=0786403071 |page=146}}</ref>
*1947 – ''Rocco Blues'' (short) – himself<ref>{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Larry |title=African American films through 1959: a comprehensive, illustrated filmography |year=1998 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=0786403071 |page=146}}</ref>
*1947 – ''[[Sunny Side of the Street (film)|Sunny Side of the Street]]'' <ref>{{cite news |title=Maurice Rocco Stars Chez Paree Tonight |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NowjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mJgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7343,514952&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Montreal Gazette |date=August 5, 1952 |page=10 |accessdate=July 6, 2013}}</ref>
*1947 – ''[[Sunny Side of the Street (film)|Sunny Side of the Street]]'' <ref>{{cite news |title=Maurice Rocco Stars Chez Paree Tonight |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NowjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mJgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7343,514952&dq=maurice-rocco&hl=en |newspaper=The Montreal Gazette |date=August 5, 1952 |page=10 |access-date=July 6, 2013}}</ref>


==Radio==
==Radio==
Rocco appeared regularly on network radio programs. Besides the usual guest spots, he was featured regularly on [[Duffy's Tavern]] and ''The Radio Hall of Fame.''<ref>{{cite book |last=Dunning |first=John |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |url=https://books.google.com/?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&pg=PA565&dq=%22Maurice+Rocco%22#v=onepage&q=%22Maurice%20Rocco%22&f=false |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195076783|page=565}}</ref>
Rocco appeared regularly on network radio programs. Besides the usual guest spots, he was featured regularly on [[Duffy's Tavern]] and ''The Radio Hall of Fame.''<ref>{{cite book |last=Dunning |first=John |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |url=https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn |url-access=registration |quote=Maurice Rocco. |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195076783|page=[https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn/page/565 565]}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:People murdered in Thailand]]
[[Category:American boogie musicians]]
[[Category:American boogie musicians]]
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[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:Male jazz musicians]]

Latest revision as of 09:17, 11 April 2024

Maurice Rocco
Maurice Rocco in 1944
Maurice Rocco in 1944
Background information
Birth nameMaurice John Rockhold
Born(1915-06-26)June 26, 1915
Oxford, Ohio, United States
DiedMarch 25, 1976(1976-03-25) (aged 60)
Bangkok, Thailand
Genres
  • jazz
  • stride piano
Years active1931–1974
Labels
  • Decca
  • Guild
  • Musicraft

Maurice Rocco (born Maurice John Rockhold; June 26, 1915 – March 24, 1976)[1] was an American pianist, singer, and composer known for playing boogie-woogie piano and his disdain for using a piano bench. He was a top nightclub and theater draw in the 1940s, and made several film appearances. He toured the United States, Canada, and Europe before becoming a fixture in Bangkok, Thailand, where he was murdered.

Biography[edit]

Maurice Rocco in 1960

Maurice Rockhold was born in 1915[2] in Oxford, Ohio to a music teacher mother.[3] His mother taught him piano starting at a young age,[4] but did not interfere with his interest in rhythm playing as long as he finished his lessons.[3]

He may have entered Miami University as a music student, though he never earned a degree.[5] He worked for radio station WLW.[3] His work at that station impressed Noble Sissle so much that he hired him to work with the Rogers Sisters at the Kit Kat Club in New York, and the act was renamed The Three Roccos.[3] He was to later legally change his last name from Rockhold to Rocco.[3] In 1938, Rocco left the club to participate in two films, Vogues of 1938 and 52nd Street.[3] He returned to New York to form his own band,[3] which included Alton Moore, Arville Harris, and Bobby Holmes among its members.[6] By the early 1940s he was no longer fronting a band, but was working as a solo act.[7]

Between 1940 and 1941 he cut 14 sides for Decca,[3] most of which were released on their "Sepia" series.[8] He did not join active military service because his poor eyesight classified him as 4-F,[4] but during World War II he entertained American troops, both in person[9] and as part of the American Forces Network Jubilee radio program.[10] Rocco spent most of the 1940s headlining at nightclubs and theaters (where his engagements would extend into months) and participating in vaudeville revues.[11][12][13][14] By 1944 he had a US $500,000 insurance policy on his hands.[4] Alongside Mary Lou Williams, he represented the United States in the second African Dance Festival at Carnegie Hall in April 1945.[15] He married a woman named Iantha on July 3 of that year.[16] Later in 1945, he appeared in his most famous role in the film Incendiary Blond. His earnings in 1945 topped U.S. $250,000.[17] Despite all the professional success, this marriage was short lived. Iantha filed for divorce before their first anniversary amid allegations of physical and mental abuse.[16] He signed to RCA Victor Records in 1949.[18]

In the early 1950s he made tours of Europe and Southeast Asia.[19] Alongside Slim Gaillard, he was in 1953 solicited to play a lead role in a film to be entitled "Two Joes from Georgia".[20] Rocco fell into legal difficulties in the 1950s regarding bad checks: he was jailed over Christmas 1957 in Cleveland,[21] and was accused of the same offense in July 1958.[22] He moved to Europe before spending the last 12–15 years of his life performing in Thailand,[23] where he had a residency at the Bamboo Bar in the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.[24][25] He was found slashed to death in his apartment. The murder occurred on March 24, 1976. The murder weapon was his own Malaysian knife.[23] He is buried at Woodside Cemetery in Oxford.[2]

Performance style[edit]

Rocco was billed as "Maurice Rocco and His Rockin' Rhythm" in nightclubs and his recordings.[11] He was most famous for standing while playing, without using a piano bench.[9] The origin of his playing posture has been credited to different sources. In 1944 Rocco claimed that he started standing in 1941, when a customer was sitting on his piano bench and Rocco, intimidated by the heft of this customer, decided that it would be best to play without the customary seat. He eschewed a piano bench from this point on because of the positive reaction from the crowd that night.[4] However, Rocco told the story very differently at various times, and he was known to stand while playing as early as the 1930s, rendering the story about 1941 all but impossible. While playing, Rocco would alternately beat out the rhythm with his feet, or perform dance moves.[26] Billboard described his playing as "Rocking and Riotous" but panned his singing ability.[27] His nightclub performances were known to be uncommonly boisterous for the period,[14] even moving the piano from one end of the stage to the other with "violent energy,"[28] but Duke Ellington and Mabel Mercer praised his ability to perform in a sophisticated manner.[23] His showmanship was as recognized as his piano playing,[29][30] and he was known to favor wearing a pea-green dinner jacket.[31] His performance style is said to have influenced Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.[1] Critic Peter Silvester describes Rocco's boogie-woogie style as "technically slick" but "devoid of genuine boogie-woogie tone coloring."[32]

Legacy and influence[edit]

Rocco was a headlining act for much of the 1940s, both in the United States and England.[18] His stand-up piano playing became a byline.[33] Because of his appearances in Hollywood musicals and "soundies" (musical short films) that were exported to Britain during the Second World War, Rocco's playing style was to influence several European post-war boogie-woogie specialists.[32] He was an early influence on Ramsey Lewis[34] and Bobby Short.[35]

Recordings[edit]

Rocco made his first recordings, for Decca, recording 12 sides in 1940 and '41. Some of his most popular recordings first appeared on the Guild label, where he recorded 8 sides, with Cozy Cole on drums and Mack Stewart on bass. When this label went out of business, its catalog was sold to Musicraft Records[36][37] in 1946,[38] which re-issued all 8 of them. He cut 10 new sides for Musicraft in September, 1946, 7 of which were re-issued by Allegro on a vinyl 10 inch LP in 1957. A Musicraft album of 78's numbered 449-452 was issued in 1946.[39]

Discography[edit]

Decca 8574, Tea for Two
Title Recording Date Issue Notes
Rhumboogie September 27, 1940 Decca 8504 [8]
Rocco Blues September 27, 1940 Decca 8504 [8]
Rocco's Boogie Woogie September 27, 1940 Decca 8523 [8]
Tonky Blues September 27, 1940 Decca 8523 [8]
Donkey Serenade, The September 27, 1940 Decca 8533 [8]
Jungle Drums September 27, 1940 Decca 8533 [8]
Java Jive March 11, 1941 Decca 8544 [8]
Little Rock Getaway March 11, 1941 Decca 8544 [40]
Hold Me Baby March 11, 1941 Decca 8558 [8]
How Come You Do Me Like You Do? March 11, 1941 Decca 8558 [8]
Tea for Two March 11, 1941 Decca 8574 [40]
One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else), The March 11, 1941 Decca 8574 [40]
St. Louis Blues * 1945 [41] Guild 102, Musicraft 353* [42][43]
Begin the Beguine * 1945 [41] Guild 102, Musicraft 353* [42][43]
In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree 1945 [41] Guild 103, Musicraft 368 [42][43]
Tunke Blues 1945 [41] Guild 103, Musicraft 368 [42][43]
Cocktails for Two 1945 [41] Guild 117, Musicraft 364 [42][43]
Sugar 1945 [41] Guild 117, Musicraft 364 [42][43]
I Can't Get Started – Musicraft 427 [27]
Blue Skies 1945 [41] Guild 148, Musicraft 427 [27][43]
Lullaby of Broadway 1945 [41] Guild 148 [43]
At Sundown September 1946 Musicraft 443, Allegro 4110 (LP) [44][42]
My Tzatzkela September 1946 Musicraft 443 [42][45]
Somebody Loves Me September 1946 Musicraft 449 [42]
Invitation to the Blues September 1946 Musicraft 449, Allegro 4110 (LP) [42]
You Can Depend of Me September 1946 Musicraft 450, Allegro 4110 (LP) [42]
On the Sunny Side of the Street September 1946 Musicraft 450, Allegro 4110 (LP) [42]
Hour of Parting, The September 1946 Musicraft 451 [42]
Rose Room September 1946 Musicraft 451, Allegro 4110 (LP) [42]
Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams September 1946 Musicraft 452, Allegro 4110 (LP) [42]
Easter Parade September 1946 Musicraft 452, Allegro 4110 (LP) [42]

*There are two versions of each of these sides. St. Louis Blues, matrix A.G.634-A recorded by Guild and issued as Guild 102. Re-issued as Musicraft 353 B, some with matrix A.G.634-A and some simply with 634-A. Re-recorded by Musicraft, matrix 5391-B, and issued also as Musicraft 353 B.[42][43][46] Begin The Beguine, matrix A.G.633-A recorded by Guild and issued as Guild 102. Re-issued as Musicraft 353 A, some with matrix A.G.633-A and some with just 633-A. Re-recorded by Musicraft, matrix 5390-B, and also issued as 353 A.[47] For both songs, the Musicraft paper labels all say 5390 and 5391, only the matrix numbers on the shellac distinguish the takes.[42][43]

Compositions[edit]

Film[edit]

Rocco appeared in numerous Hollywood musicals in the 1940s and 1950s.[23]

Radio[edit]

Rocco appeared regularly on network radio programs. Besides the usual guest spots, he was featured regularly on Duffy's Tavern and The Radio Hall of Fame.[57]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 81. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  2. ^ a b "Beat Me Daddy Eight To The Bar – Maurice Rocco". Bman's Blues Report. March 26, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Mama Didn't Object, so Rocco Went to Town". The Afro American. January 29, 1944. p. 8. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Johnson, Erskine (August 28, 1944). "Standing Up at Piano Transformed Rocco from Mediocrity to Success". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  5. ^ Cohen, Harold V. (January 26, 1948). "The Drama Desk". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 20. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  6. ^ Chilton, John (1985). Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street. Da Capo Press. p. 136. ISBN 9780306802430.
  7. ^ Chilton, John (1997). Let the Good Times Roll: The Story of Louis Jordan and His Music. University of Michigan Press. p. 83. ISBN 9780472084784.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Abrams, Steve; Settlemier, Tyrone (December 7, 2011). "Decca 8500 series Numerical Listing". Online Discographical Project. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Ambrose, Hugh (2010). The Pacific. Penguin. ISBN 978-1101185841.
  10. ^ Lotz, Rainer E.; Neuert, Ulrich (1985). The AFRS "Jubilee" transcription programs: an exploratory discography, Volume 1. N. Ruecker. ISBN 9783923397013.
  11. ^ a b "Profiles". Billboard. April 3, 1943. p. 17.
  12. ^ "Vaudeville Reviews". Billboard. March 5, 1949. p. 43.
  13. ^ "Total Stem Trade Tapers; MH Fair 142½G, Others Dive". Billboard. October 26, 1945. p. 43.
  14. ^ a b "Night Club Reviews – Chez Paree, Chicago". Billboard. August 5, 1944. p. 26.
  15. ^ Perpener, John O. III (2012). "Asadata Dafora Horton (1890–1965)" (PDF). Danceheritage.org. The Dance Heritage Coalition. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Rocco Stomped Her, Says Wife in Separation Suit". The Afro American. October 26, 1946. p. 3. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  17. ^ "N.Y. Columnists Last Week". The Afro American. Baltimore, Maryland. December 22, 1945. p. 10. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  18. ^ a b Mack, Otto (May 24, 1949). "The Record Parade". Baltimore African-American. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  19. ^ "Jazzpianist Rocco overleden". De Waarheid. Amsterdam. March 26, 1976. p. 3. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  20. ^ "New York Beat". Jet Magazine. April 16, 1953. p. 64.
  21. ^ "Pianist Maurice Rocco Jailed on Check Charge". Jet Magazine. January 9, 1958. p. 56.
  22. ^ Winchell, Walter (July 14, 1958). "Walter Winchell of New York". The Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. p. 4. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  23. ^ a b c d "Pianist Killed". The Montreal Gazette. March 26, 1976. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  24. ^ Orgibet, Jorges (1982). From Siam to Thailand: backdrop to the land of smiles. Thailand: Kofco. p. 135.
  25. ^ Ellington, Duke (1976). Music Is My Mistress. Da Capo Press. p. 381. ISBN 9780306800337.
  26. ^ "Incendiary Blonde finds Rocco Up to Old Tricks". The African American. October 20, 1945. p. 11. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  27. ^ a b c "Advance Record Releases". Billboard. December 7, 1946. p. 119.
  28. ^ "Well-known Pianist Stars at Chez Paree". The Montreal Gazette. March 23, 1951. p. 9.
  29. ^ Selchow, Manfred; Lohmann, Karsten (1988). Profoundly blue: a bio-discographical scrapbook on Edmond Hall. M. Selchow. p. 207.
  30. ^ O'Day, Anita (1989). High Times, Hard Times. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 278. ISBN 9781617744426.
  31. ^ Dent, Alan (1950). Nocturnes and Rhapsodies. H. Hamilton. p. 154.
  32. ^ a b Silvester, Peter J. (2009). The Story of Boogie-Woogie: A Left Hand Like God. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810869332.
  33. ^ Berle, Milton (August 19, 1949). "Actor Insures Bob Hope to Insure Gag Supply". The Miami Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  34. ^ Stokes, W. Royal (2002). Living the Jazz Life: Conversations With Forty Musicians About Their Careers in Jazz. Oxford University Press. p. 83. ISBN 9780195152494.
  35. ^ Holden, Stephen (May 4, 1997). "Celebrating The Man Who Casts a Spell At the Carlyle". New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  36. ^ McGrath, Bob (2007). Volume 2 of The R & B Indies: An Encyclopedic Exploration of African American Music and Independent Record Labels from 1940 to 1980. Eyeball Productions. p. 272. ISBN 9780968644546.
  37. ^ Gart, Galen (1989). The American Record Label Directory and Dating Guide, 1940–1959. Milford, New Hampshire: Big Nickel Publications. p. 99. ISBN 0-936433-11-6.
  38. ^ Gorder, Erika (1998). "Guide to the Musicraft Records, Inc., Records 1937–1960". Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University Libraries. Rutgers University. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  39. ^ "Photographic image of album cover" (JPG). Hyzercreek.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  40. ^ a b c Jasen, David A. (2007). Ragtime: An Encyclopedia, Discography, and Sheetography. CRC Press. p. 368. ISBN 9780415978620. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  41. ^ a b c d e f g h Gart, Galen (1989). The American Record Label Directory and Dating Guide, 1940–1959. Milford, New Hampshire: Big Nickel Publications. p. 99. ISBN 0-936433-11-6.
  42. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Abrams, Steve; Settlemier, Tyrone (December 6, 2012). "Musicraft 78rpm numerical listing discography – 200 through 600". Online Discographical Project. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Abrams, Steve; Settlemier, Tyrone (April 20, 2010). "GUILD 78rpm numerical listing discography". Online Discographical Project. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  44. ^ "Advance Record Releases". Billboard. December 7, 1946. p. 31.
  45. ^ "Advance Record Releases". Billboard. December 7, 1946. p. 112.
  46. ^ "YouTube". YouTube.
  47. ^ "YouTube". YouTube.
  48. ^ "Index to African American material in the Sheet Music Collection". Research Guide. Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  49. ^ Rocco's Boogie Woogie (78rpm). Decca Records. 1940. 8523A.
  50. ^ Tonky Blues (78rpm). Decca Records. 1940. 8523B.
  51. ^ Stearns, Marshall Winslow; Stearns, Jean (1968). Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance. Da Capo Press. p. 412. ISBN 9780306805530. Maurice Rocco.
  52. ^ "Nightclub Cavalcade in "52nd St., Studio". Prescott Evening Courier. February 28, 1938. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  53. ^ Richards, Larry (1998). African American films through 1959: a comprehensive, illustrated filmography. McFarland. p. 143. ISBN 0786403071.
  54. ^ "Incendiary Blonde (advertisement)". Life. September 3, 1945. p. 102.
  55. ^ Richards, Larry (1998). African American films through 1959: a comprehensive, illustrated filmography. McFarland. p. 146. ISBN 0786403071.
  56. ^ "Maurice Rocco Stars Chez Paree Tonight". The Montreal Gazette. August 5, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  57. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 565. ISBN 9780195076783. Maurice Rocco.
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