Louis "Putney" Dandridge (January 13, 1902 – February 15, 1946) was an American jazz pianist and singer.

Career

Born in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, United States, Dandridge began performing in 1918 as a pianist in a revue entitled ''The Drake and Walker Show''. In 1930, he worked as accompanist for tap dancer

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...

, including appearances in the musical ''Brown Buddies''. In February 1931, Dandridge appeared in the cast of the musical revue ''Heatin' Up Harlem'', starring

Adelaide Hall Adelaide Louise Hall (20 October 1901 – 7 November 1993) was an American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer. Her long career spanned more than 70 years from 1921 until her death and she was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Hal ...

at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem. In the 1932 American film '' Harlem Is Heaven'', Dandridge, on the piano and reciting lyrics in a "speak set", accompanies Robinson as the dancer sings "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't". After touring in Illinois and the Great Lakes region, Dandridge settled in Cleveland, Ohio, forming a band with guitarist Lonnie Johnson. This period lasted until 1934, when he attempted to perform as a solo act. He took his show to New York City, beginning a series of long residences at the Hickory House on

52nd Street 52nd Street is a -long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A short section of it was known as the city's center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s. Jazz center Following the repeal of ...

and other local clubs. From 1935 to 1936, he recorded numerous sides under his own name, many of which highlighted some major jazz talents of the period, including

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Henry "Red" Allen Henry James "Red" Allen, Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been claimed by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstr ...

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, John Kirby,

Chu Berry Leon Brown "Chu" Berry (September 13, 1908 – October 30, 1941) was an American jazz tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist during the 1930s. According to music critic Gary Giddins, musicians called him "Chu" either because he chewed on the mouthp ...

Cozy Cole William Randolph "Cozy" Cole (October 17, 1909 – January 9, 1981) was an American jazz drummer who worked with Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong among others and led his own groups. Life and career William Randolph Cole was born in East Ora ...

and more. Appearing to vanish from the music scene in the late 1930s, it is speculated that Dandridge may have been forced to retire due to ill health. Dandridge died in

Wall Township, New Jersey Wall Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. It is located in the New York Metropolitan Area and is a bedroom community of New York. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 26,164, refle ...

, in February 1946, at the age of 44.

Discography

* ''Putney Dandridge'' (Timeless, 1994)

References

External links

* Putney Dandridge at AllMusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Dandridge, Putney 1902 births 1946 deaths American jazz singers American jazz pianists American male pianists American jazz bandleaders 20th-century American singers 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians