William Turk (1866 – 1911) was an American

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

pianist. He was reputably so obese that he could not put his left hand in front of his stomach, so he invented techniques playing with his left hand to the side. Eubie Blake claimed to have heard Turk playing in 1896 in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, in a style then known as "sixteen", which Blake said was later renamed " boogie woogie". Blake also stated that Turk "had a left hand like God".

References

1866 births 1911 deaths 19th-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians African-American jazz pianists American male jazz musicians American male pianists Boogie-woogie pianists Ragtime pianists American male jazz pianists {{US-jazz-pianist-stub