Ellis Larkins
Ellis Larkins (May 15, 1923 – September 29, 2002) was an American jazz pianist born in Baltimore, Maryland, known for his two recordings with Ella Fitzgerald: the albums Ella Sings Gershwin (1950) and Songs in a Mellow Mood (1954). He was also the pianist on the first solo sides by singer Chris Connor on her album Chris (1954). Larkins was the first African American to attend the Peabody Conservatory of Music, an institute in Baltimore. He began his professional playing career in New York City after moving there to attend the Juilliard School. While still at Juilliard, Larkins performed jazz piano with guitarist Billy Moore at Café Society Uptown and over the next ten years in his own groups, or in support of, clarinetist Edmond Hall and singers Helen Humes and Mildred Bailey. He recorded with Coleman Hawkins, and Dicky Wells in the 1940s. In the 1950s, he recorded with Ella Fitzgerald, Ruby Braff, and Beverly Kenney. His 1960s work included recordings or performances with Eartha Kitt, Joe Williams, Georgia Gibbs and Harry Belafonte. Though he was best known as an accompanist, Larkins recorded several solo albums in the 1950s. In the 1970s, he performed regularly at several New York venues, including Gregory's, a small bar on the Upper East Side. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Baltimore (city in Maryland, United States), Died September 29, 2002 (Baltimore (city in Maryland, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1943 - 1959
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, celeste, leader
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 116 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | E0VB-4993 | 10-in. | 7/17/1950 | Do I worry? | Four Tunes | Male vocal quartet, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | E0VB-4994 | 10-in. | 7/17/1950 | Say when | Four Tunes | Male vocal quartet, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | E0VB-5117 | 10-in. | 7/17/1950 | Cool water | Four Tunes | Male vocal quartet, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | E0VB-5118 | 10-in. | 7/17/1950 | How can you say that I don't care | Four Tunes | Male vocal quartet, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D7VB-0154 | 10-in. | 2/20/1947 | That ain't right | Mildred Bailey ; Ellis Larkins Trio | Female vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass | instrumentalist, piano, leader | |
| Victor | D7VB-0155 | 10-in. | 2/20/1947 | I don't wanna miss Mississippi (anymore) | Mildred Bailey ; Ellis Larkins Trio | Female vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass | instrumentalist, piano, leader | |
| Victor | D9VB-1443 | 10-in. | 5/10/1949 | Dîtes-moi | Ellis Larkins Trio ; Jean Sablon | Male vocal solo, with vocal quartet and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D9VB-1444 | 10-in. | 5/10/1949 | Paris wakes up and smiles | Ellis Larkins Trio ; Jean Sablon | Male vocal solo, with vocal quartet and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D9VB-1445 | 10-in. | 5/10/1949 | At the Cafe Rendezvous | Ellis Larkins Trio ; Jean Sablon | Male vocal solo, with vocal quartet and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D9VB-1446 | 10-in. | 5/10/1949 | Simple melody | Ellis Larkins Trio ; Jean Sablon | Male vocal solo, with vocal quartet and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO47179 | 10-in. | 11/21/1951 | I feel so right tonight | Annie Laurie | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO47180 | 10-in. | 11/21/1951 | I don't get my kicks anymore | Annie Laurie | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO47181 | 10-in. | 11/21/1951 | Get me some money | Annie Laurie | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Columbia | CO47182 | 10-in. | 11/21/1951 | Cryin' sighin' dyin' | Annie Laurie | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Signature | T-1908 | 10-in. | 1939-1948 | Stumpy | Coleman Hawkins Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Signature | T-1906-1 | 10-in. | 1939-1948 | How deep is the ocean? | Coleman Hawkins Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 72177 | 10-in. | 5/25/1944 | Hurry hurry | Lucky Millinder Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 72178 | 10-in. | 5/25/1944 | Darlin' | Lucky Millinder Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 72179 | 10-in. | 5/25/1944 | I can't see for lookin' | Lucky Millinder Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 72180 | 10-in. | 5/25/1944 | Who threw the whiskey in the well | Lucky Millinder Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 72181 | 10-in. | 5/25/1944 | Lover man | Lucky Millinder Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 72733 | 10-in. | 2/8/1945 | You must be blind | Ida James | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 72734 | 10-in. | 2/8/1945 | I won't say but I won't | Ida James | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 73128 | 10-in. | 11/14/1945 | I left a good deal in Mobile | Josh White | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 73129 | 10-in. | 11/14/1945 | Did you ever leave a woman? | Josh White | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Larkins, Ellis," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106913.
Larkins, Ellis. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106913.
"Larkins, Ellis." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Ellis Larkins
Discogs: Ellis Larkins
Allmusic: Ellis Larkins
Grove: Ellis Larkins
IMDb: Ellis Larkins
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Larkins, Ellis - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n93068128
Wikidata: Ellis Larkins - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q488340
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/5120113
MusicBrainz: Ellis Larkins - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e45c753d-226c-4ed7-9eba-0dee4b96b12d
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1512796 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1512796
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