Fats Waller Emerges as Harlem's Greatest Stride Pianist

By 1922, Thomas 'Fats' Waller—a student of James P. Johnson—had established himself as Harlem's most gifted stride pianist and the first to master jazz organ for popular music. He tutored Duke Ellington at the Kentucky Club and began recording piano rolls. His compositions including 'Ain't Misbehavin'' and 'Honeysuckle Rose' would come in the latter part of the decade, and his exuberant showmanship influenced virtually every jazz pianist who followed.