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In the early to mid-1920s Ammons worked as a cab driver for the Silver
Taxicab Company. In 1924 he met up with his boyhood friend Meade Lux Lewis, who was also then a taxi driver. Soon the two players began working as a team, performing at club parties. Ammons started his own band at the
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in 1936. The Rhythm Kings' version of "Swanee River Boogie" sold a million copies, and their 1936 recording of "Boogie Woogie Stomp" has been described as "the first 12-bar piano based boogie-woogie, was imitated by many jazz bands."
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and also his father's interest in the style. Both Albert and Meade would practice together on the piano in the Ammons household. From the age of ten, Ammons learned about chords by marking the depressed keys on the family
361:. Although the boogie-woogie fad began to die down in 1945, Ammons had no difficulty securing work. He continued to tour as a solo artist, and between 1946 and 1949 recorded his last sides, for
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During his last years, Ammons played mainly at the
Beehive Club and the Tailspin Club in Chicago. Four days before he died, he had been at the Yancey apartment listening to
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as a teenager and was soon performing with bands in clubs in
Chicago. After World War I he became interested in the blues, learning by listening to the Chicago pianists
314:, recording nine Ammons solos, including "The Blues" and "Boogie Woogie Stomp", eight by Lewis and two duets in a one-day session in a rented recording studio.
228:. His parents were pianists, and he had learned to play by the age of ten. His interest in boogie-woogie is attributed to his close friendship with
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and Jimmy Yancey play. Ammons could play only one song, having just regained the use of his hands after a temporary paralysis.
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in 1934 and remained at the club for the next two years. During that time he played with a five-piece band that included
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237:(player piano) with a pencil and repeated the process until he had mastered it. He also played percussion in a
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Ammons died of natural causes on
December 2, 1949, in Chicago, at age 42. He was interred at the
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Ammons moved from
Chicago to New York City, where he teamed up with another pianist,
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in the 1940s Ammons recorded a session with his son, the tenor saxophonist
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204:(March 1, 1907 – December 2, 1949) was an American pianist and player of
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All Music Guide to the Blues: The
Definitive Guide to the Blues
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Ammons has had a wide influence on countless pianists, such as
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Jazz Police article on Albert Ammons
Centennial Celebration
265:. Ammons also recorded as Albert Ammons's Rhythm Kings for
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The story of his life is retold in the 1949 radio drama "
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In 1941, Ammons's boogie-woogie music was accompanied by
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Albert Ammons: King of Blues and Boogie Woogie 1907–1949
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Orchestra. In 1949 he played at the inauguration of
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style popular from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s.
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American jazz pianist, recording artist (1907–1949)
694:. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 64.
630:Boogie Woogie Stomp: Albert Ammons & His Music
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963:King of Blues and Boogie Woogie 1907–1949 Vol. 2
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578:King of Blues and Boogie Woogie 1907–1949 Vol. 2
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741:A Left Hand Like God: A Study of Boogie-Woogie
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929:Before Elvis: The Prehistory of Rock 'n' Roll
785:The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray
390:, at Kedzie Avenue in Blue Island, Illinois.
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932:. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 113.
912:Olderen, Martin van (1975). Liner notes,
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561:King of Blues and Boogie Woogie 1907–1949
292:On December 23, 1938, Ammons appeared at
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310:, who had attended the concert, started
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719:. London: Penguin Books. p. 12.
690:Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013).
339:. Ammons played himself in the movie
277:. The two performed regularly at the
261:, Dalbert Bright, Jimmy Hoskins, and
1541:20th-century American male musicians
787:. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 88.
714:
1431:Gene Ammons and Friends at Montreux
708:
678:
13:
1112:Jammin' in Hi Fi with Gene Ammons
860:Elliott, Michael (June 12, 2010).
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14:
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610:The Boogie Woogie Trio, Vols. 1–2
529:King of Boogie Woogie (1939–1949)
321:Ammons' grave at Lincoln Cemetery
1371:Together Again for the Last Time
1245:The Soulful Moods of Gene Ammons
717:Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia
461:" (1939) (Columbia 35958, C44-2)
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666:List of Mercury Records artists
656:List of boogie woogie musicians
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1536:20th-century American pianists
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1:
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628:Page, Christopher I. (1997).
882:Feather, Leonard G. (1960).
862:"Boogie-Woogie Dream (1944)"
832:The Oxford Companion to Jazz
829:Kirchner, Bill, ed. (2005).
692:Blues: A Regional Experience
245:and the brothers Alonzo and
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1511:Jazz musicians from Chicago
1506:American male jazz pianists
1210:Brother Jack Meets the Boss
807:Vladimir, Bogdanov (2003).
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296:with Johnson and Lewis in
1521:Blue Note Records artists
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886:. Horizon Press. p. 101.
811:. Backbeat Books. p. 14.
752:Santelli, Robert (2001).
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1526:Vocalion Records artists
1417:God Bless Jug and Sonny
926:Birnbaum, Larry (2012).
756:. Penguin Books. p. 13.
302:, a concert produced by
299:From Spirituals to Swing
1531:Delmark Records artists
1516:Mercury Records artists
1501:American blues pianists
1025:", a presentation from
1023:Of Blood and the Boogie
837:Oxford University Press
651:List of blues musicians
327:drawn-on-film animation
84:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1496:American jazz pianists
1486:Boogie-woogie pianists
1438:Gene Ammons in Sweden
990:E-Notes: Albert Ammons
916:. Oldie Blues OL 2807.
783:Russell, Tony (1997).
715:Cook, Richard (2005).
544:Boogie Woogie Classics
451:"Boogie Woogie Prayer"
322:
40:Background information
1217:Boss Tenors in Orbit!
754:The Big Book of Blues
661:List of jazz pianists
448:"Boogie Woogie Stomp"
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202:Albert Clifton Ammons
50:Albert Clifton Ammons
884:Encyclopedia of Jazz
239:drum and bugle corps
1329:You Talk That Talk!
1028:Destination Freedom
342:Boogie-Woogie Dream
220:Ammons was born in
1231:Soul Summit Vol. 2
1098:Jammin' with Gene
995:BBC: Albert Ammons
903:Silvester, p. 186.
739:Silvester, Peter.
520:With Pete Johnson
432:Axel Zwingenberger
349:and Johnson. As a
329:in the short film
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1424:Left Bank Encores
1396:Groovin' with Jug
1301:The Boss Is Back!
1238:Late Hour Special
1084:All Star Sessions
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312:Blue Note Records
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1448:Related articles
1203:Twisting the Jug
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1005:1941 short film
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1140:The Swingin'est
1091:The Happy Blues
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466:Selected albums
454:"Shout for Joy"
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416:Johnnie Johnson
400:Jerry Lee Lewis
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374:Harry S. Truman
363:Mercury Records
304:John H. Hammond
230:Meade Lux Lewis
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216:Life and career
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593:The First Day
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443:Notable songs
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428:Katie Webster
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424:Erroll Garner
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332:Boogie-Doodle
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294:Carnegie Hall
290:
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283:Benny Goodman
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267:Decca Records
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263:Israel Crosby
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243:Hersal Thomas
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1308:Brother Jug!
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1126:Groove Blues
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969:. Retrieved
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945:December 20,
943:. Retrieved
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866:. Retrieved
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743:. pp. 91–92.
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623:Bibliography
609:
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582:Oldie Blues
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512:8 to the Bar
510:
502:Compilation
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412:Hadda Brooks
397:
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279:Café Society
275:Pete Johnson
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247:Jimmy Yancey
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132:Years active
80:(1949-12-02)
18:
1481:1949 deaths
1476:1907 births
1388:Live albums
1357:Big Bad Jug
1273:Velvet Soul
1252:Blue Groove
1224:Soul Summit
1175:Boss Tenors
1147:Boss Tenor
1069:Gene Ammons
868:January 20,
614:Storyville
566:Oldie Blues
517:RCA Victor
438:Discography
359:Gene Ammons
308:Alfred Lion
287:Harry James
255:Club DeLisa
1470:Categories
1403:The Chase!
1364:Brasswind
1350:Got My Own
1343:Free Again
1280:Angel Eyes
1196:Boss Soul!
892:081801203X
817:0879307366
794:185868255X
762:0141001453
726:0141006463
672:References
420:Ray Bryant
347:Lena Horne
136:1920s–1949
123:Instrument
115:Occupation
61:1907-03-01
46:Birth name
1259:Preachin'
1189:Up Tight!
1133:Blue Gene
598:Blue Note
549:Blue Note
381:Don Ewell
371:President
259:Guy Kelly
188:Commodore
148:Blue Note
1182:Just Jug
1168:Dig Him!
645:See also
498:Columbia
408:Dr. John
226:Illinois
168:Solo Art
163:Vocalion
118:Musician
1378:Goodbye
971:May 13,
459:Woo-Woo
351:sideman
235:pianola
222:Chicago
158:Mercury
153:Delmark
68:Chicago
1336:My Way
1105:Funky
936:
890:
864:. IMDb
843:
815:
791:
760:
723:
698:
636:
482:Notes
479:Label
476:Title
394:Legacy
183:V-Disc
173:Victor
141:Labels
89:Genres
1287:Sock!
606:2004
589:1992
574:1982
557:1975
540:1951
525:1948
507:1941
487:1941
353:with
335:, by
210:blues
178:Decca
126:Piano
101:blues
1017:IMDb
973:2013
947:2018
934:ISBN
888:ISBN
870:2015
841:ISBN
813:ISBN
789:ISBN
758:ISBN
721:ISBN
696:ISBN
634:ISBN
430:and
285:and
208:, a
96:Jazz
75:Died
55:Born
1161:Jug
1015:at
1472::
835:.
769:^
680:^
632:.
434:.
426:,
422:,
418:,
414:,
410:,
406:,
402:,
376:.
289:.
249:.
224:,
1061:e
1054:t
1047:v
975:.
965:"
949:.
894:.
872:.
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819:.
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457:"
63:)
59:(
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