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Artist
Cripple Clarence Lofton
12+ albums
boogie woogiebluesrhythm and bluespianopiano blues
about
Cripple Clarence Lofton (March 28, 1887 - January 9, 1957), born Albert Clemens in Kingsport, Tennessee, was a noted boogie-woogie pianist and singer. Though Lofton was born with a limp (from which he derived his stage name), he actually started his career as a tap-dancer. This was not his true calling, and he showed his talent in the blues idiom known as boogie-woogie and moved on to perform in Chicago, Illinois. The trademark of Lofton's performances was his energetic stage-presence, where he danced and whistled in addition to singing. Perhaps the most comprehensive description of Lofton is this excerpt from Boogie Woogie by William Russell: "No one can complain of Clarence's lack of variety or versatility. When he really gets going he's a three-ring circus. During one number, he plays, sings, whistles a chorus, and snaps his fingers with the technique of a Spanish dancer to give further percussive accompaniment to his blues. At times he turns sideways, almost with his back to the piano as he keeps pounding away at the keyboard and stomping his feet, meanwhile continuing to sing and shout at his audience or his drummer. Suddenly in the middle of a number he jumps up, his hands clasped in front of him, and walks around the piano stool, and then, unexpectedly, out booms a vocal break in a bass voice from somewhere. One second later, he has turned and is back at the keyboard, both hands flying at lightning- like pace. His actions and facial expressions are as intensely dram
top songs
albums
Cripple Clarence Lofton Vol. 1 (1935-1939)
Cripple Clarence Lofton Vol. 2 (1935-1939)
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The Rhythm - Piano Boogie-Woogie Ragtime And Jazz
Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1935-1939)
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The Definitive Charley Patton (Disc 1): A Spoonful Blues
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Jazz Piano History (disc 3) [Blues & Boogie]
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Baby, How Can It Be?
Complete Recorded Works vol. 1 (1935-1939)
Baby, How Can It Be? (Songs Of Love, Lust And Contempt From The 1920s And 1930s)
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Beyond Mississippi - the Blues That Left Town
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Essential Blues Masters
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Century of the Blues