Albert Ammons (1907-1949), was an American boogie woogie pianist. Ammons started his own band in 1934 and performed at the Spirituals to Swing concert in 1938 at Carnegie Hall. This concert, among other accomplishments, sparked the boogie-woogie movement. Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis, two other performers at that concert, were the most prominent boogie-woogie musicians of the day. They worked together at Cafe Society, and also toured and recorded together as a trio. His greatest hit was “Swanee River Boogie”. Ammons performed the melody “Old Folks at Home”, over a boogie-woogie bass. Gene Nobles, pioneering rhythm and blues disc jockey, used the recording as a theme song on WLAC radio in 1950s. He continued to work steadily until his death in 1949. In fact, he was there for Harry S. Truman’s inauguration that year. Gene Ammons, tenor saxophonist, is his father. Ammons had a profound influence on many pianists including Dave Alexander, Hadda Brooks and Johnnie Johnson. Erroll Garner, Frank Muschalle and Katie Webster are all examples of Ammons’ influence. Joerg Hegemann was another German pianist who honored Ammons at the 100th anniversary of Albert Ammons’ birth in 2007. You can also access user-contributed text under the Creative Commons By–SA License.
