Freddie Slack was simply one of the best boogie-woogie pianists of The Big Band Era. His piano playing in classics like "Beat Me Daddy (Eight to the Bar)", "Scrub Me Mama With a Boogie Beat" and "Down the Road a Piece" are great examples of Daddy Slack's talent.
He started playing drums and xylophone as a young boy, then as a young teen he moved on to playing the piano. When he was 17, Freddie moved with his parents to Chicago and soon found himself surrounded by some of the great talent of the time. There he worked hard at perfecting the boogie-woogie style of piano playing he loved so much. Eventually, he moved out to LA and joined Ben Pollack's band for a bit before moving on to play with Jimmy Dorsey.
In 1939, he joined up with Will Bradley and Ray McKinley in The Will Bradley Orchestra. This is where his career really took off. Freddie's piano playing was at the forefront of many of Bradley's hits.
Listen to the piano playing of Freddie Slack in "Beat Me Daddy (Eight to the Bar)"
In 1942, Slack formed his own band and he did quite well as a bandleader. He even scored a few hits of his own including his recordings of Cow Cow Boogie which featured a young Ella Mae Morris on vocals and his version of a song he helped write in his Bradley days - "Strange Cargo".
Freddie slack continued to release tracks throughout the 1940's and into the early 50's. In Aug of 1965, Slack was sadly found dead in his bedroom from undetermined causes.
You can hear Freddie Slack and his boogie-woogie style of playing right here on Swing City Radio.
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