Spencer Williams, a jazz pianist and composer, was born in New Orleans on Oct 14, 1889. He studied at St. Charles University in New Orleans before moving to Chicago in 1907. A decade later he was in New York City, teaming with Fats Waller to pen a handful of songs including 1918’s “Squeeze Me”; the roll call of Williams’ subsequent hits is most impressive, and includes jazz standards like “Basin Street Blues,” “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” “Tishomingo Blues,” “Everybody Loves My Baby,” “Mahogany Hall Stomp,” “Royal Garden Blues,” “I Ain’t Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll,” “Fireworks,” and “Shim-Me-Sha-Wobble.” In 1925, he traveled to Paris to write for Josephine Baker and La Revue Negre. After returning to the U.S. three year later, Williams sang and played on sessions alongside Lonnie Johnson (and Teddy Bunn) in the United States. He settled in England in 1936 and collaborated with Benny Carter to create “When Lights Are Low”. After spending most of the 1950s in Sweden Williams returned to the United States in 1957. He died in New York on July 14, 1965.
