Porter Grainger ( Granger; October 22, 1891 − October 30, 1948) was an American pianist, songwriter, playwright, and music publisher.

Biography

When Grainger was born in

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, the Granger family name did not include an "i". Although the exact date at which Grainger changed his name is unknown, he registered for the World War I draft by signing his name "Grainger". At that time, he was living in Chicago, and by 1916, he had begun his professional career. In the spring of 1920 he left Chicago for New York City, and by 1924, he was living in Harlem. Working with another pianist and composer

Bob Ricketts Robert Williams Ricketts (March 15, 1885 – November 25, 1936) was an American musician, composer, lyricist, bandleader, song arranger and music publisher. Bob Ricketts was associated with fellow musician and songwriter Porter Grainger and toge ...

, in 1926, Grainger wrote and published the book ''How to Play and Sing the Blues Like the Phonograph and Stage Artists''. Though he would never really be known as an exceptional soloist in his own right, Grainger thrived as an accompanist, working with singers such as Fannie May Goosby, Viola McCoy,

Clara Smith Clara Smith (March 13, 1894 – February 2, 1935) was an American classic female blues singer, billed as the "Queen of the Moaners", although she had a lighter and sweeter voice than many of her contemporaries. Clara Smith was not related to ...

, and

Victoria Spivey Victoria Regina Spivey (October 15, 1906 – October 3, 1976), sometimes known as Queen Victoria, was an American blues singer and songwriter. During a recording career that spanned 40 years, from 1926 to the mid-1960s, she worked with Louis A ...

. From 1924 to 1928, he worked with blues singer

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and ...

to record more than a dozen sides for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. Amongst the height of his career was the 1928 stage production, '' Mississippi Days'', which also featured Smith. He was also

Mamie Smith Mamie Smith (née Robinson; May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist, and actress. As a vaudeville singer she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues histor ...

's accompanist in the 1929 film short '' Jailhouse Blues'' and regularly appeared with her in stage shows. Other female blues singers for whom he wrote songs included

Gladys Bryant Gladys Lillian Bryant (December 21, 1901 – date of death unknown) was an American blues singer and vaudeville performer She was born in Aiken, South Carolina, in 1901 or possibly 1902. She first came to notice as a singer in 1922, in the ch ...

Dolly Ross Dolly may refer to: Tools *Dolly (tool), a portable anvil * A posser, also known as a dolly, used for laundering * A variety of wheeled tools, including: **Dolly (trailer), for towing behind a vehicle **Boat dolly or launching dolly, a device fo ...

, Ada Brown, and his own wife,

Ethel Finnie Ethel V. Finnie (January 7, 1898 – May 1, 1981) was an American classic female blues singer. Her most notable recording is "You're Gonna Wake Up Some Morning, but Your Papa Will Be Gone". Information about her life outside music is sketchy. L ...

. As a bandleader, Grainger made eight recordings. Four of these sides, made with his ensemble the Get Happy Band, featured performances by

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic temp ...

(soprano saxophone),

Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton (February 1, 1904 – July 20, 1946) was an American trombonist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Early life Joe Nanton was born Joseph Irish Nanton in New York City, United States. His parents were John Barzly Nanton an ...

(trombone) (Duke Ellington sidemen), and

Elmer Snowden Elmer Chester Snowden (October 9, 1900 – May 14, 1973) was an American banjo player of the jazz age. He also played guitar and, in the early stages of his career, all the reed instruments. He contributed greatly to jazz in its early days as b ...

(banjo). "(In) Harlem's Araby" also appeared on these recordings. The composition was co-written with Jo Trent and

Thomas "Fats" Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

, and is still considered one of Grainger's best works. His last known recording appears to have been in 1932, although he performed and composed into the 1940s. His latter years were undocumented. A death certificate for him, misfiled under the name "Granger Porter", shows that he died on October 30, 1948, at the age of 57, at home in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, as a result of accidentally choking on his

dentures Dentures (also known as false teeth) are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and are supported by the surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable (removable partial denture or ...

. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in

Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania Sharpsburg is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, northeast of downtown Pittsburgh, along the Allegheny River. In 1900, nearly 7,000 people lived here; in 1920, the population peaked at just over 8,900 people. The population was 3, ...

. A copyright renewal application for the ''How to Play and Sing the Blues'' book was filed in his name in 1954, but this is believed to have been actioned by his daughter.

Notable songs

Two of Grainger's songs have endured as

blues standard Blues standards are blues songs that have attained a high level of recognition due to having been widely performed and recorded. They represent the best known and most interpreted blues songs that are seen as standing the test of time. Blues ...

s: "

Tain't Nobody's Business if I Do "Ain't Nobody's Business" (originally "Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do") is a 1920s blues song that became one of the first blues standards. It was published in 1922 by Porter Grainger and Everett Robbins. The song features a lyrical theme of f ...

" (co-authored with Everett Robbins, who had also played piano in Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds), and "Dying Crapshooter's Blues" (1927). The former has been performed and recorded by several artists, including

, Alberta Hunter,

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

and the

Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely ac ...

. The latter was performed by Martha Copeland, Viola McCoy, and

Rosa Henderson Rosa Henderson (November 24, 1896 – April 6, 1968) was an American jazz and classic female blues singer and vaudeville entertainer of the Harlem Renaissance era. Life and career Born Rosa Deschamps in Henderson, Kentucky, she is remembered as ...

, before passing into folk-blues repertoire. Other songs include the following: * "What's the Matter Now" (1921) * "Prescription for the Blues" (1924) * "Heart Breakin' Joe" (1923) * "Honey" (1924, with Bob Ricketts) * "Fortune Teller Blues" (1926) * "Wylie Avenue Blues" (1927, Joe Davis, co-author) * "Soul and Body" (1927) * "Good Time Mama" (1927) * "Fat and Greasy" (1936) * "Give It to Him" (1937) * "I've Got to Have My Ashes Hauled" (1937) * "One Hour Mama" (1937) * "Can't You Take a Little Joke" (1939) * "By an Old Southern River" (1943)

References

External links

Porter Grainger recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Grainger, Porter 1891 births 1948 deaths African-American pianists Songwriters from Kentucky American blues pianists American male pianists 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Writers from Bowling Green, Kentucky Musicians from Bowling Green, Kentucky Blues musicians from Kentucky 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians African-American songwriters 20th-century African-American writers American male songwriters