magnifier
Image
magbottom
 
Earle "Fatha" Hines, circa 1947.
Close Window

Image of Earl Hines playing the piano. He is wearing a suit, hat, and dark sunglasses.

Credit: Photo by William P. Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress

One of jazz's greatest pianists, Earle Hines (1903-1983) was born and raised in Duquesne, PA, where his father played cornet in a brass band. After playing piano with Louis Armstrong in the early 1920s, Hines led his own big band, which for years was based at Al Capone's Terrace Café in Chicago. In the early 1940s Hines featured Billy Eckstine as his lead vocalist, then put together a bebop orchestra, which included Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sarah Vaughan.

Back to Top