Fats Waller

Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller, born on 21st May 1904, in New York, died of pneumonia on 15 December 1943, on the train from Los Angeles to New York, near Kansas City, Missouri. An American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid the groundwork for modern jazz piano. His best-known compositions are "Ain't misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose". He is seen here in Harlem, with fellow stride-style jazz pianist Willie 'The Lion' Smith, in 1938. Mike Lipskin on Facebook has suggested that these are betting sheets, i.e. for horse races. Seems rather plausible. Baby Brown, after all, was a horse.