Ralph Earl Sutton (November 4, 1922 – December 30, 2001) was an American jazz pianist born in

Hamburg, Missouri Hamburg was a small town in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. Hamburg was one of three towns, along with nearby Howell and Toonerville, that were evacuated and terminated in 1940–1941 when the area was taken over by the United States D ...

. He was a

stride pianist Stride jazz piano, often shortened to stride, is a jazz piano style that arose from ragtime players. Prominent stride pianists include James P. Johnson, Willie "the Lion" Smith, Fats Waller, Luckey Roberts, Mrs Mills and Mary Lou Williams. ...

in the tradition of

James P. Johnson James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key ...

and

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 ...

Biography

Sutton was born in

, United States, the son of Earl and Edna Sutton. His younger sister

Barbara Sutton Curtis Barbara Sutton Curtis (September 16, 1930 – October 30, 2019) was an American jazz pianist. Early life Barbara Sutton was born in Howell, Missouri, the daughter of Earl Sutton and Edna Sutton.

was also a jazz pianist."Barbara Sutton Curtis"
''Ukiah Daily Journal'' (November 24, 2019). Sutton had a stint as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

with

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 19 ...

's band, before joining the US Army during World War II. After the war, he played at various venues in Missouri, eventually ending up at Eddie Condon's club in Greenwich Village. In 1956, he relocated to San Francisco, California, where he recorded several albums with

Bob Scobey Robert Alexander Scobey Jr. (December 9, 1916 – June 12, 1963) was an American jazz trumpet player of traditional or Dixieland music based originally in the San Francisco area and later in Chicago, Illinois. He was born in Tucumcari, New Mex ...

's dixieland band. From the 1960s onward, he worked mostly on his own. However, when the World's Greatest Jazz Band was established in 1968, he was the natural choice for piano. He left that band in 1974 due to the extensive travel involved, and joined an old sidekick, Peanuts Hucko, in a quartet in Denver, near his home in Evergreen, Colorado. Fellow jazz pianist Jess Stacy said this about Ralph Sutton: "He is a superb piano player and a great guy. There's nothing upstage about him. I really admire the way he plays. He's one of the few piano players who uses both hands, and it's sure nice to know that a player like Ralph is still around. I can't say enough good things about him. He's one of the greats, and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves." Sutton died of a stroke in

Evergreen, Colorado Evergreen is an unincorporated town, a post office, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Jefferson County, Colorado, U.S. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Everg ...

, at the age of 79.

Discography

As leader

* ''Piano Solos in the Classic Jazz Tradition'' (

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, 1949, 1952) * ''Piano Moods'' (

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 ...

), 1950 * ''Backroom Piano'' ( Down Home, 1955) * ''Wondrous Piano, the Private Family Recordings,'' ( Arbors, 1961) * ''Ragtime U.S.A.'' (

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

, 1963) * ''Off the Cuff'' ( Audiophile, 1976 982 * ''Ralph Sutton – Live'' ( Flyright, 1978) * ''Ralph Sutton at St. George Church, England'' (Arbors, 1992) * ''

Ralph Sutton at Maybeck ''Ralph Sutton at Maybeck: Maybeck Recital Hall Series Volume Thirty'' is an album of solo performances by jazz pianist Ralph Sutton. Music and recording The album was recorded at the Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, California in August 1993. T ...

'' ( Concord, 1993) * ''The Joint is Jumpin': the Music of Fats Waller'' ( Sackville 1999

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with Bob Barnard)

As co-leader

With Ruby Braff * ''Remembered'' (Arbors) * ''Ralph Sutton & Ruby Braff'' 1980 (Chaz Jazz Records inc.) CJ101 * ''Ralph Sutton & Ruby Braff'' 1980 (Chaz Jazz Records inc.) CJ102 With

Dick Cary Richard Durant Cary (July 10, 1916 – April 6, 1994) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Cary earned a bachelor's degree in music from Wesleyan University in 1938 and start ...

* ''Rendezvous at Sunnie's 1969'' (Arbors) With Kenny Davern * ''Ralph Sutton and Kenny Davern Vol. I'' 1980 (Chaz Jazz Records inc.) CJ105 * ''Ralph Sutton and Kenny Davern Vol. II'' 1980 (Chaz Jazz Records inc.) CJ106 With

Dick Hyman Richard Hyman (born March 8, 1927) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Over a 70-year career, he has worked as a pianist, organist, arranger, music director, electronic musician, and composer. He was named a National Endowment for the Art ...

* ''Dick Hyman/Ralph Sutton'' 1993 (Concord) With Jay McShann * '' Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players'' (Chaz Jazz, 1980) - originally released on 2 LPs as ''The Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players: Two Pianos Vol. I & Vol. II'' * '' Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players'' (Chiaroscuro, 1989) With Johnny Varro * *''A Pair of Kings'' (Arbors)

References

External links

* * *
Ralph Sutton Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (1994) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Ralph E. 1922 births 2001 deaths American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Chiaroscuro Records artists Riverside Records artists Stride pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians World's Greatest Jazz Band members Sackville Records artists Arbors Records artists Columbia Records artists Concord Records artists Roulette Records artists