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Earl Hines

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Earl Hines is featured in a 1960's television performance on "Jazz Casual" backed by sidemen Johnny Green bass, and Earl Watkins drums.

Following his 1964 comeback Earl Hines won the 1966 International Critics Poll for Down Beat Magazine's Hall of Fame. Down Beat also elected him the world's "No. 1 Jazz Pianist" that year an honor they would bestow upon him five more times. Jazz Journal awarded him the title "Jazzman of the Year", and voted Earl number one and two in their category for piano recordings two years in a row. All of the positive attention got him appearances on television programs including "The Johnny Carson Show."

Born just outside of Pittsburgh in Duquesne, Pennsylvania on December 28th 1903, Earl Kenneth Hines started his life in music playing classical piano and the organ in the Baptist Church.

Blessed with a good ear and an outstanding memory playing came easily to the gifted student and when he was seventeen Earl began playing piano with saxophonist Lois Deppe's "Symphonian Serenaders" at a local nightclub.

It was with Deppe's band that the budding young jazz pianist would travel to New York to make his first recordings before moving to Chicago in 1925 where he would appear on record with Louis Armstrong.

Far afield from his classical and spiritual roots, Hines was responsible for the development of an entirely new style of piano playing in which his left hand was released from its usual mundane constraints and given freedom to roam the key board. -This revolutionary technique would completely transform jazz piano into the modern sound of today.