Pinetop Smith

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Clarence "Pinetop" Smith (* 11. June 1904 in Troy , Alabama ; † 15. March 1929 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an American jazz - pianist .

Life

He was nicknamed Pinetop in his childhood because of his love for climbing trees. At first he appeared in vaudeville shows a. a. with Ma Rainey . For a while he lived with Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis in an accommodation. On December 29, 1928 his Pine Top's Boogie Woogie was written for Vocalion Records , one of the first successful pieces of Boogie-Woogie , which got its name after this title. The pianist did not live to see the piece's chart success in February 1929 (20th place); he was killed in a shooting in a dance hall. Tommy Dorsey had a million dollar hit with a big band version of the piece (dubbed Boogie Woogie ) in 1938.

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