Jimmy Yancey › Similar Artists

Meade Lux Lewis - 100% match to Jimmy Yancey

Meade Anderson Lewis, 4 September 1905, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 7 June 1964, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Although he was popular in Chicago bars in the 20s, Lewis was little known elsewhere and made his living running a taxicab firm with fellow-pianist Albert Ammons. A record he made in 1927, ‘Honky Tonk Train Blues’, but which was not released until 1929, even Read more

Pete Johnson - 75% match to Jimmy Yancey

25 March 1904, Kansas City, Missouri, USA, d. 23 March 1967, Buffalo, New York, USA. After playing drums when a teenager, Johnson switched to piano in 1926 and swiftly became a leading exponent of the blues. He was also an excellent accompanist to blues singers; especially Joe Turner, with whom he established a partnership that lasted for the rest of his life. In 1936 the ub Read more

Cow Cow Davenport - 64% match to Jimmy Yancey

Charles Edward Davenport, 23 April 1894, Anniston, Alabama, USA, d. 3 December 1955, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. One of the most distinctive themes utilized in boogie-woogie is the train imitation ‘Cow Cow Blues’ from which this consummate performer derived his nickname. Davenport’s father, a preacher, wanted to see his son follow him to a career in the church but i Read more

Albert Ammons - 51% match to Jimmy Yancey

23 September 1907, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 2 December 1949, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Ammons began playing piano as a small child and worked in Chicago clubs while still a youth. In the late 20s and early 30s he played in a number of small bands but his real forte was as a soloist. After establishing himself as an important blues piano player in Chicago in the mid-30s, a pe Read more

Will Bradley - 41% match to Jimmy Yancey

Wilbur Schwichtenberg, 12 July 1912, Newton, New Jersey, USA, d. 15 July 1989, Flemington, New Jersey, USA. Bradley played trombone with various bands in New York in the late 20s and at the beginning of the next decade established the working pattern for his whole career, combining studio work with playing in name bands. In the early 30s he recorded with Red Nichols and in 1 Read more

James P. Johnson - 32% match to Jimmy Yancey

James Price Johnson, 1 February 1894, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, d. 17 November 1955, New York City, New York, USA. Taught piano by his mother, Johnson assimilated a wide range of musical styles. In the years following his family’s relocation to New York, he continued his studies and by his late teens was working in clubs in the Hell’s Kitchen district. Johnso Read more

Earl Hines - 29% match to Jimmy Yancey

Jimmy Blythe - 28% match to Jimmy Yancey

James Louis Blythe, January 1901, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, d. 21 June 1931, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Growing up in Chicago, Blythe was taught to play piano and made his first records in 1924. He recorded extensively, if often anonymously, being first-call accompanist for numerous record sessions by singers. He also formed and led many pick-up bands for record dates, using s Read more

Kokomo Arnold - 26% match to Jimmy Yancey

15 February 1901, Lovejoy’s Station, Georgia, USA. d. 8 November 1968, Chicago, Illinois, USA. ‘Kokomo’ Arnold was a left-handed slide blues guitarist who learned the basics of his style from his cousin, James Wigges. After working in steel mills in Illinois and Pennsylvania he became a dedicated fisherman and moonshiner, who looked upon his musical success as Read more

Bob Zurke - 23% match to Jimmy Yancey

Robert Allen Zurke, 17 January 1912, Detroit, Michigan, USA, d. 17 February 1944, Los Angeles, California, USA. Learning piano as a child, Zurke displayed a remarkable talent and by his teenage years was playing semi-professionally. He worked regularly in and around Philadelphia in the late 20s and 30s, playing in numerous small bands and also as a single. In 1937 he joined Read more

Willie "The Lion" Smith - 22% match to Jimmy Yancey

William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith, 25 November 1897, Goshen, New York, USA, d. 18 April 1973, New York City, New York, USA. Smith began playing piano at the age of six, encouraged by his mother. He continued with his informal musical education and by his mid-teenage years had established a formidable reputation in New York as a ragtime pianist. During World War Read more

Ralph Sutton - 21% match to Jimmy Yancey

Champion Jack Dupree - 20% match to Jimmy Yancey

William Thomas Dupree, 4 July 1910, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, d. 21 January 1992, Hanover, Germany. (Dupree’s birth date is the matter of some conjecture and is sometimes listed as 23 July 1909). Orphaned in infancy, Dupree was raised in the Colored Waifs Home for Boys until the age of 14. After leaving, he led a marginal existence, singing for tips, and learning pia Read more

Little Brother Montgomery - 20% match to Jimmy Yancey

Eurreal Wilford Montgomery, 18 April 1906, Kentwood, Louisiana, USA, d. 6 September 1985, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Impressed by the piano players who visited his parents’ house, including Jelly Roll Morton and Cooney Vaughan, Montgomery began playing at the age of five. At the age of 11 he ran away, and worked as a musician for the rest of his life. He played the southe Read more

Art Hodes - 19% match to Jimmy Yancey

Arthur W. Hodes, 14 November 1904, Nikoliev, Ukraine, d. 4 March 1993, Harvey, Illinois, USA. A few months after Hodes was born, his family emigrated from Russia and settled in Chicago, Illinois. He began playing piano and by his late teenage years was working in dancehalls and clubs. He played with several local bands, including Wingy Manone’s, but also established him Read more