meade lux lewis

Biography

Meade 'Lux' Lewis, born Anderson Meade Lewis on September 4, 1905, in Chicago, Illinois, grew up in a musical family; his father, a guitarist who recorded twice, introduced him to music and arranged violin lessons, but after his father's death, Lewis switched to piano at age 16, becoming self-taught by emulating Chicago blues pianists like Jimmy Yancey.[1][4][5][6] He earned the nickname 'Lux' from boyhood friends and began playing professionally in the 1920s, recording his signature 'Honky Tonk Train Blues' in 1927 for Paramount Records, inspired by the trains near his childhood home on South La Salle Street.[1][5][6][7] Alongside friends Albert Ammons and Pine Top Smith, with whom he jammed and shared an apartment, Lewis helped pioneer boogie-woogie as a rollicking blues piano style blending fast rhythms, charging solos, and train-like motifs.[1][3][6]

Lewis's career surged with the 1938 'From Spirituals to Swing' concert at Carnegie Hall, organized by John Hammond, where he performed with Ammons and Pete Johnson, catapulting boogie-woogie to national prominence and sparking a craze that influenced rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and big-band swing versions by artists like Tommy Dorsey.[1][2][5][6] The trio headlined at Café Society in New York through 1941, inspiring Blue Note Records' formation in 1939, and Lewis innovated by doubling on celesta starting in 1936, the first jazz pianist to do so, while also playing harpsichord and appearing in films like an uncredited role in 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946).[2][4][6] As boogie-woogie's popularity waned post-World War II, he relocated to Los Angeles, gigging in clubs and recording sporadically until a 1952 'Piano Parade' tour with Johnson, Erroll Garner, and Art Tatum.[1][4]

Lewis remained active in small venues through the 1950s and early 1960s, preserving boogie-woogie's legacy despite its decline, until his death in a car crash—sources vary between Minneapolis on February 7 and June 7, 1964.[1][6] His powerful, rhythmic style, marked by pieces like 'Chicago Flyer' and 'Yancey Special,' established him as a boogie-woogie master whose work bridged blues, jazz, and early rock.

Fun Facts

• Lewis's nickname 'Lux' came from boyhood friends, and his signature 'Honky Tonk Train Blues' mimicked the up to 100 daily trains rumbling past his Chicago childhood home on South La Salle Street.[5][7]
• He was the first jazz pianist to double on celesta starting in 1936 and also played harpsichord, appearing uncredited in the film 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946).[2][4]
• Along with Ammons and Johnson, their 1938 Carnegie Hall appearance inspired Blue Note Records' launch in 1939.[2][6]
• Lewis drove taxis with Albert Ammons around 1924 to supplement his piano income during boogie-woogie's early decline.[1][7]

Associated Acts

• The Boogie Woogie Trio (1938–1938)
• Edmond Hall Celeste Quartet
• Albert, Meade, Pete and Their Three Pianos - eponymous, original, piano

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Jimmy Yancey - Primary stylistic influence and model for self-taught piano playing (Emulated in 'Yancey Special') [1920s]
• Pine Top Smith - Friend and jamming partner who shared apartment and ideas (Influenced 'Honky Tonk Train Blues' resembling 'Pine Top's Boogie Woogie') [Late 1920s]

Key Collaborators

• Albert Ammons - Boyhood friend, apartment mate, taxi driver colleague, and frequent trio partner (Carnegie Hall 1938 concert, Café Society engagement, Blue Note sessions) [1920s-1940s]
• Pete Johnson - Trio partner in boogie-woogie performances and tours ('From Spirituals to Swing' concert, Café Society, 1952 Piano Parade tour) [1938-1952]
• Louis Armstrong - Collaborated on recordings (Various sessions) [1930s-1940s]

Artists Influenced

• Tommy Dorsey - Inspired big-band swing boogie-woogie arrangements (Orchestral boogie versions) [Late 1930s-1940s]
• Will Bradley - Inspired full-on orchestral swing boogie treatments (Boogie-woogie swing recordings) [Late 1930s-1940s]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Honky Tonk Train Blues (The Very Best Of Boogie Woogie)
2. The Blues, Part One (The First Day)
3. Boogie Woogie Prayer (The Boogie Woogie Trio vol. 1)
4. Boogie Woogie Prayer - (Alternate Version) (Shout For Joy)
5. Meade'S Blues (The Very Best Of Boogie Woogie)
6. Twos And Fews (The First Day)
7. Roll 'em Pete (The Original Boogie Woogie Piano Giants)
8. Boogie Woogie Prayer
9. The Blues Part 1
10. Honky Tonk Train Blues (Meade "Lux" Lewis (1939 to late 1940s))

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #2008-universal-fire-victim, #blues, #boogie-woogie