Jimmy Yancey
James Edward Yancey (February 20, c. 1895 – September 17, 1951) was an American boogie-woogie pianist, composer, and lyricist. One reviewer described him as "one of the pioneers of this raucous, rapid-fire, eight-to-the-bar piano style". |
Birth and Death Data: Born Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America), Died September 17, 1951 (Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1938 - 1946
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, composer, vocalist, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-044006 | 10-in. | 10/25/1939 | Yancey stomp | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BS-044007 | 10-in. | 10/25/1939 | State Street special | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BS-044008 | 10-in. | 10/25/1939 | Tell 'em about me | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Victor | BS-044009 | 10-in. | 10/25/1939 | Five o'clock blues | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Victor | BS-044010 | 10-in. | 10/25/1939 | Slow and easy blues | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BS-044011 | 10-in. | 10/25/1939 | The mellow blues | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Victor | BS-053436 | 10-in. | 9/6/1940 | Crying in my sleep | Jimmy Yancey | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Victor | BS-053437 | 10-in. | 9/6/1940 | Death letter blues | Jimmy Yancey | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Victor | BS-053438 | 10-in. | 9/6/1940 | Yancey's bugle call | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Victor | BS-053439 | 10-in. | 9/6/1940 | 35th and Dearborn | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Victor | D6VB-1975 | 10-in. | 10/31/1946 | Yancey's blues | Preston Jackson and his New Orleans Band | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Columbia | WC2955 | 10-in. | 2/23/1940 | I received a letter | Faber Smith ; Jimmy Yancey | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | WC2961 | 10-in. | 2/23/1940 | Bear trap blues | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | WC2962 | 10-in. | 2/23/1940 | Old Quaker blues | Jimmy Yancey | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Brunswick | DAL651 | 10-in. | 11/30/1938 | Yancy special | Light Crust Doughboys | String band, with piano solo | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Yancey, Jimmy," accessed December 26, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103684.
Yancey, Jimmy. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 26, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103684.
"Yancey, Jimmy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 26 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Jimmy Yancey
Discogs: Jimmy Yancey
Allmusic: Jimmy Yancey
Grove: Jimmy Yancey
Britannica: Jimmy Yancey
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Yancey, Jimmy, 1898-1951 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82078469
Wikidata: Jimmy Yancey - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1346384
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/100256925
MusicBrainz: Jimmy Yancey - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/78a7f57a-a276-45f6-b63c-96d941e244d2
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/93708 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/93708
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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