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Luckey Roberts
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Luckey Roberts, in full Charles Luckyth Roberts, was born in Philadelphia in 1887 and died in 1968. He was an American composer and pianist in the stride style, which encompasses jazz, ragtime and blues. As a child he was already performing in travelling vaudeville and minstrel shows. At the age of seven he taught himself the piano, but only in F sharp, the key of the black keys. Over a period of about ten years he travelled to Europe three times.
Music and breakthrough
Around 1910 he settled in New York. He became one of the leading pianists of Harlem and often won piano contests, while still having to learn to write down notes. The pianist Artie Matthews helped him with that. In 1911 he wrote The Junk Man Rag, followed in 1913 by Pork and Beans, an early example of stride. Ripples of the Nile dates from around 1912. Other well-known compositions are Moonlight Cocktail and Railroad Blues. He also ran a restaurant and a bar in New York and Washington and gave music and dance lessons.
Influence
In stride piano the left hand jumps between bass and chord, while the right hand embellishes. Roberts was a friend of Eubie Blake. In his playing you can hear how ragtime passed into the piano jazz of Harlem.
Listening
Ripples of the Nile · Luckey Roberts, 1958