Ralph Sutton

Ralph Earl Sutton (November 4, 1922 – December 30, 2001) was an American jazz pianist born in Hamburg, Missouri. He was a stride pianist in the tradition of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller.

Biography

Sutton had a stint as a session musician with Jack Teagarden's band before joining the US Army during World War II. After the war, he played at various venues in Missouri, eventually ending up at Eddie Condon's club in Greenwich Village. In 1956, he relocated to San Francisco, California, where he recorded several albums with Bob Scobey's dixieland band. From the 1960s onward, he worked mostly on his own. However, when the World's Greatest Jazz Band was established in 1968, he was the natural choice for piano. He left that band in 1974 due to the extensive travel involved, and joined an old sidekick, Peanuts Hucko, in a quartet in Denver, near his home in Evergreen, Colorado.^{[1]:1–4, 133, 202}

Fellow jazz pianist Jess Stacy said this about Ralph Sutton: "He is a superb piano player and a great guy. There's nothing upstage about him. I really admire the way he plays. He's one of the few piano players who uses both hands, and it's sure nice to know that a player like Ralph is still around. I can't say enough good things about him. He's one of the greats, and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves."^[1]:180

Sutton died of a stroke in Evergreen, Colorado at the age of 79.^[2]

Discography

As leader

• Backroom Piano (Columbia)
• Piano Solos in the Classic Jazz Tradition (Riverside, 1949, 1952)
• Wondrous Piano, the Private Family Recordings, (Arbors, 1961)
• Ragtime U.S.A (Roulette, 1963)
• Off the Cuff (Audiophile) Recorded April 17, 1976
• Ralph Sutton at St. George Church, England (Arbors, 1992)
• Ralph Sutton at Maybeck (Concord, 1993)
• The Joint is Jumpin': the Music of Fats Waller with Bob Barnard and friends. Recorded Sydney Australia 21 April 21, 1999

As sideman

With Ruby Braff

• Remembered (Arbors)
• R&R (Chiaroscuro)

With Dick Cary

• Rendezvous at Sunnie's 1969 (Arbors)

With Kenny Davern

• Ralph Sutton and Kenny Davern (Chiaroscuro)

With Jay McShann

• Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players 1979 (Chiaroscuro)
• Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players 1989 (Chiaroscuro)

With Johnny Varro

• *A Pair of Kings (Arbors)

References

External links

• Ralph Sutton at AllMusic
• Ralph Sutton discography at Discogs
• Ralph Sutton at the Internet Movie Database