Sale 2105 - Lot 312
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Estimate: $ 40,000 - $ 60,000
AN HISTORIC ARCHIVE OF MATERIAL FROM THE FILES OF THOMAS "FATS" WALLER'S MANAGER (MUSIC.) WALLER, THOMAS "FATS." Very large archive of material from the files of Fats Waller's manager, Phil Ponce. Over 2500 items, organized into 17 extra-large ring binders and two smaller notebook binders. Includes: signed contracts, copyrights, and receipts, correspondence to and from Phil Ponce (retained copies), biographical material, radio scripts (mimeograph and hand-written by Waller), posters, flyers, programs, photographs, music and ephemera; covering nearly a decade of the pianist/composer's career from 1932-1942. Condition generally very good. should be seen. Vp, vd [1932-42]
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Thomas "Fats" Waller (1902-43) was born in Harlem, the son of Edward, a Baptist street preacher, and his wife Adeline Waller, who came to New York from Virginia in 1888. Adeline taught the young Waller to play the piano, and "Fats," as he was nicknamed, played the harmonium at his parents' street corner services. At 15, Waller became the house organist for the Lincoln Theatre on 135th Street. He made his recording debut as a soloist in 1922 on the Okeh label with a tune called "Muscle Shoals Blues," and in the same year accompanied blues artists Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, and Maude Mills. In 1927, Waller, already somewhat of a local star, made the first recording of one of his own compositions, the "Whiteman Stomp," with the legendary Fletcher Henderson orchestra. Through the late 1920s Waller recorded and played with numerous groups.
In late 1932, Waller hired Phil Ponce as his manager. The original letter of agreement, signed by Waller, is contained in this archive. Ponce immediately arranged for Waller to travel to Cincinnati to broadcast a series of programs called the "Rhythm Club" on WLW, a powerful midwest radio station. In a long letter in pencil (Waller apologizes,"I am broke and cannot afford pen and ink"), he expresses how unhappy he is with the racial prejudice of the midwest and explains how he was forced to take cabs to the station, because the nearest hotel that would allow blacks was miles away.
The archive contains numerous letters and Western Union Telegrams to Phil Ponce from Ed Melcher, the band's road manager, discussing in intimate detail the band's day-to-day issues as well as the drinking problems that would later cost Waller his health. The "Rhythm Club" radio show was a tremendous success and when Waller returned to New York, it was picked up by CBS. The archive contains dozens of scripts (over one hundred pages), mostly typed, some mimeographed and many of them with jokes and routines written in pencil in Waller's hand. Included is the complete script from the 1937 radio program, The Shell Show, a variety hour that included Babe Ruth, "Tarzan" star Johnny Weismuller and Fats Waller, a bizarre combination worthy of the later Ed Sullivan Show. In 1935, Phil Ponce negotiated an exclusive RCA record contract for Waller, and the recordings he made are considered by many jazz historians to be some of his best.
There is one original piece of music in Fats Waller's hand, "Hopeless Love Affair." There is also a copyist's "chop sheet"--melody and chord changes--for "The Joint is Jumpin" with a note at the bottom of the page "Eli!- Fats changed the melody on 1st four bars of changes. See if you have any preference. The manuscript matched with an arrow is the way he recorded it. My piano copy is between the two, Len."
By the mid-1930's many of Waller's songs such as "Ain't Misbehaving" and "Honeysuckle Rose" had become classics. There are many signed contracts and copyrights for musical compositions in the archive, including "The Joint is Jumpin," co-written with Andy Razaff and J. C. Johnson. Contracts for other compositions include "What's the Matter with You," "Old Man Noah," "Black Raspberry," "On Rainy Days," and "Lost Love." In 1938, Waller and his orchestra toured Europe and there are numerous posters, flyers and photographs from this tour in the archive. A second tour in 1939 was cut short by the onset of World War II. Also included are a number of signed contracts for performances, among them one for Harlem's famous Apollo Theatre dated January 20, 1939.
The last years of Fats Waller's life were spent making frequent recordings and touring the United States. His legendary eating and drinking had continued to be a health problem and his work schedule was exhausting. On December 14, 1943, while en route to New York from a difficult West Coast tour, Waller fell ill with pneumonia and passed away on the train. His funeral, held in Harlem, was attended by over four thousand people.
Show moreShow lessIn late 1932, Waller hired Phil Ponce as his manager. The original letter of agreement, signed by Waller, is contained in this archive. Ponce immediately arranged for Waller to travel to Cincinnati to broadcast a series of programs called the "Rhythm Club" on WLW, a powerful midwest radio station. In a long letter in pencil (Waller apologizes,"I am broke and cannot afford pen and ink"), he expresses how unhappy he is with the racial prejudice of the midwest and explains how he was forced to take cabs to the station, because the nearest hotel that would allow blacks was miles away.
The archive contains numerous letters and Western Union Telegrams to Phil Ponce from Ed Melcher, the band's road manager, discussing in intimate detail the band's day-to-day issues as well as the drinking problems that would later cost Waller his health. The "Rhythm Club" radio show was a tremendous success and when Waller returned to New York, it was picked up by CBS. The archive contains dozens of scripts (over one hundred pages), mostly typed, some mimeographed and many of them with jokes and routines written in pencil in Waller's hand. Included is the complete script from the 1937 radio program, The Shell Show, a variety hour that included Babe Ruth, "Tarzan" star Johnny Weismuller and Fats Waller, a bizarre combination worthy of the later Ed Sullivan Show. In 1935, Phil Ponce negotiated an exclusive RCA record contract for Waller, and the recordings he made are considered by many jazz historians to be some of his best.
There is one original piece of music in Fats Waller's hand, "Hopeless Love Affair." There is also a copyist's "chop sheet"--melody and chord changes--for "The Joint is Jumpin" with a note at the bottom of the page "Eli!- Fats changed the melody on 1st four bars of changes. See if you have any preference. The manuscript matched with an arrow is the way he recorded it. My piano copy is between the two, Len."
By the mid-1930's many of Waller's songs such as "Ain't Misbehaving" and "Honeysuckle Rose" had become classics. There are many signed contracts and copyrights for musical compositions in the archive, including "The Joint is Jumpin," co-written with Andy Razaff and J. C. Johnson. Contracts for other compositions include "What's the Matter with You," "Old Man Noah," "Black Raspberry," "On Rainy Days," and "Lost Love." In 1938, Waller and his orchestra toured Europe and there are numerous posters, flyers and photographs from this tour in the archive. A second tour in 1939 was cut short by the onset of World War II. Also included are a number of signed contracts for performances, among them one for Harlem's famous Apollo Theatre dated January 20, 1939.
The last years of Fats Waller's life were spent making frequent recordings and touring the United States. His legendary eating and drinking had continued to be a health problem and his work schedule was exhausting. On December 14, 1943, while en route to New York from a difficult West Coast tour, Waller fell ill with pneumonia and passed away on the train. His funeral, held in Harlem, was attended by over four thousand people.

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