Putney Dandridge

Louis "Putney" Dandridge was born on January 13, 1902, in Richmond, Virginia, and died on February 15, 1946, in Wall Township, New Jersey, at the age of 44. An American jazz pianist and singer, Dandridge built a career that spanned stage, film, and recording work across several decades.

Dandridge's performing career began in 1918, when he worked as a pianist in a revue called The Drake and Walker Show. By 1930, he was serving as accompanist to tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, a role that brought him to Broadway in the musical Brown Buddies. The following year, in February 1931, Dandridge appeared in the cast of Heatin' Up Harlem, a musical revue starring Adelaide Hall that played at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem. His work with Robinson extended to film as well: in the 1932 American production Harlem Is Heaven, Dandridge accompanied Robinson on piano while delivering lyrics in a spoken "speak set" as Robinson sang "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't."

Following a touring period through Illinois and the Great Lakes region, Dandridge settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he formed a band with guitarist Lonnie Johnson. That arrangement lasted until 1934, after which he pursued work as a solo act, relocating to New York City. There he established extended residencies at the Hickory House on 52nd Street and other clubs in the city. Between 1935 and 1936, Dandridge recorded a substantial number of sides under his own name, sessions that featured prominent jazz musicians including Roy Eldridge, Teddy Wilson, Henry "Red" Allen, Buster Bailey, John Kirby, Chu Berry, and Cozy Cole. His recordings were later collected on the Timeless label release Putney Dandridge, issued in 1994. Dandridge largely disappeared from the music scene in the late 1930s, with speculation that declining health forced his retirement.