Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams, born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs on May 8, 1910, in Atlanta, Georgia, was an influential American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Known for her prodigious talent from a young age, Williams was performing simple tunes by age two and was dubbed "the Little Piano Girl" by age ten, playing for audiences in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her professional debut occurred at age 12 with the Buzz and Harris Revue. She later toured under the name Mary Lou Burley, performing with jazz legends such as Jelly Roll Morton and Duke Ellington.
In 1927, Williams took over her husband John Williams' band when he joined Andy Kirk's Twelve Clouds of Joy in Oklahoma. Her innovative arrangements and piano solos significantly shaped the Kansas City–Southwest Big Band sound. By the late 1930s, Williams was arranging for prominent musicians like Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. She moved to New York City in 1942, where she embraced the bebop movement, collaborating with artists like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Williams premiered her acclaimed "Zodiac Suite" in 1945 and founded Mary Records, the first record label established by a woman. After converting to Catholicism in 1954, she took a brief hiatus from performing but returned in 1957. She continued composing, focusing on liturgical jazz pieces, and remained active in music and education until her death from bladder cancer on May 28, 1981, in Durham, North Carolina. Williams left a lasting legacy as a pioneering figure in jazz, influencing generations of musicians.
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