From: "Jean Marc Pezet" Date: Sat Aug 24, 2002 6:47 am Subject: Born To Be With You: Harry Vann Walls HARRY VANN "PIANO MAN" WALLS (By Jean-Marc Pezet) Born Harry Eugene Vann (Walls), 24 August 1918, Middlesboro, Kentucky Died 24 February 1999, Montréal, Canada Pianist, R&B pioneer Harry Eugene Vann (the "Walls" name was added after his mother got remarried) began playing piano at the age of 6 at the Baptist Church. He was also part of medicine, carnival and minstrels shows that crossed the South. His biggest influences were jazzmen Art Tatum, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Count Basie and especially Jay McShann. He performed with several bands and his first break on record was in 1949 with Frank "Floorshow" Culley for Atlantic Records, a company for which he became the in-house pianist and arranger. He worked with the biggest R&B artists of the time and he can be heard notably on numerous Big Joe Turner tracks such as "Chains Of Love" (a piece he co-wrote), "Bump Miss Suzie" and "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" (where you can hear Joe calling "Swing it, Vann!"), The Clovers' "One Mint Julep", Ruth Brown's "5-10-15 Hours" and "Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and The Drifters' "Such A Night". He worked with Doc Pomus, Brownie & Stick McGee and Sonny Terry. He also recorded with various other (non-Atlantic) r&b performers and in 1954 he was a founding member of Doc Starkes & His Nite Riders, a combo very popular in the Montréal area where they played very often. It was there that Harry met his future wife in 1955 and subsequently moved in 1963, leaving The Nite Riders. He lived there in a relative obscurity until being rediscovered in the mid-80s. He began recording again both as a solo artist and as a back up pianist and played with Dr. John at the International Jazz Festival in Montreal in 1990. In February 1997, he was presented with a Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award. He died of cancer in a Montréal hospital at the age of 80. Recommended listening: The Atlantic Rhythm & Blues Story. Night Ridin' With Doc Starkes & His Nite Riders (Famous Groove 971014, 29 tracks).