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Jimmy Yancey

JIMMY YANCEY

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

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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Class of 1986
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