Blues Pianist. He learned to play piano and drums from his father John Richard, who was a pianist. He moved to Chicago at age 19, where he worked the local clubs with Bertha "Chippie" Hill, Eppie Moan, as well as Louis Armstrong. He maintained a day job while touring occasionally with medicine shows. His singing style was often referred to as 'Bat the Humming-Bird' where he set himself apart with a falsetto throat whistle that some called 'humming,' a term often confused with Cow Cow Davenport who was nicknamed "Bar the Hummingbird." He made several recordings with different labels, and can be heard on piano in Erwin Helfer's 'Primitive Piano.'
Blues Pianist. He learned to play piano and drums from his father John Richard, who was a pianist. He moved to Chicago at age 19, where he worked the local clubs with Bertha "Chippie" Hill, Eppie Moan, as well as Louis Armstrong. He maintained a day job while touring occasionally with medicine shows. His singing style was often referred to as 'Bat the Humming-Bird' where he set himself apart with a falsetto throat whistle that some called 'humming,' a term often confused with Cow Cow Davenport who was nicknamed "Bar the Hummingbird." He made several recordings with different labels, and can be heard on piano in Erwin Helfer's 'Primitive Piano.'
Bio by: Elizabeth Reed
Gravesite Details
Headstone placed by the Killer Blues Headstone Project
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