Mary Lou Williams

Pianist

Birthday May 8, 1910

Birth Sign Taurus

Birthplace Atlanta, GA

DEATH DATE May 28, 1981 (71)

#63,274 Most Popular

About

Pittsburghers lovingly called her 'the little piano girl of East Liberty.' She mentored Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk.

Before Fame

She was a professional musician by the time she reached her teens.

Trivia

She collaborated with Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Benny Goodman, performing with the latter at his 1978 40th-anniversary Carnegie Hall concert.

Family Life

She was born in Georgia, but her family moved to Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood while she was still young.

Associated With

She considered Lovie Austin to have influenced her the most.