photo #954685

Albert Clifton Ammons was born in Chicago September 23, 1907 and was an American Jazz-Boogie Woogie Pianist. His parents were both pianists, from whom he had learned to play by age ten. By age twelve, the Blues. Ammons' interest in boogie-woogie is attributed to his father and close friendship with Meade Lux Lewis. His influences included Jimmy Blythe, Jimmy and Alonzo Yancey, Hersal Thomas, and personal encouragement by Clarence "Pinetop" Smith. At age 17, Ammons was a cab driver for the Silver Taxi company, where he had met fellow driver and pianist Meade "Lux" Lewis. The two men would pound the ivories on an upright piano at the depot and perform gigs after hours. By 1934 Ammons was leading his own group at the Club De Lisa on Chicago's South Side. Ammons had cut a few sides for Vocalion in 1938, and a series of solos and duets with Meade "Lux" Lewis on January 6, 1939, now established as the very first titles in the catalog of Alfred Lion's newly founded label, Blue Note. An illness had taken the life of Albert Ammons, December 2, 1949, at the age of 49. What you see here is the second release for Blue Note Records.. "Boogie Woogie Stomp" b/w "Boogie Woogie Blues". The second photo is, what I understand to be, the first Blue Note Records catalog. From it's inception, Blue Note Records was a labor of love. I had found this along with a record store receipt dated 1939 with the purchased records listed. Where the receipt is at the moment I don't know. I've sought it for this post, but was unable to locate it.