YEAR
1986
INDUCTED BY
Ahmet Ertegun
CATEGORY
performers
He made boogie-woogie his own with unpredictable bass lines and sharp, staccato accents.
Jimmy Yancey was a self-taught pianist, a fact that makes his inventive playing all the more remarkable. Known for his stunning dexterity, he was an architect of boogie-woogie piano, a style that went on to influence rock and roll.
Jimmy Yancey
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
By Michael Hill
Jimmy Yancey put the boogie-woogie in rock and roll.
This rhythmic accompaniment for a blues melody was an important piano style of the 1920s and ’30’s that took root in Chicago, where its bottom-edged beat made it a favorite backdrop for rent parties and renegade jazz jams alike.
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