T. J. Fowler (September 18, 1910,

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

, United States – May 22, 1982,

Ecorse, Michigan Ecorse ( ') is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,305 at the 2020 census. Ecorse is part of the Downriver community within Metro Detroit. The city shares a northwestern border with the city of Detroi ...

) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

jump blues Jump blues is an uptempo style of blues, jazz, and boogie woogie usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues wa ...

musician, chiefly active in the Detroit musical scene. Fowler and his family moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, when he was six years old, where he learned to play piano. After attending the

Detroit Conservatory of Music Detroit Conservatory of Music was a music school in Detroit, Michigan. It was considered one of the leading institutions of music in the United States. It was founded in 1874 by J. H. Hahn and opened a normal school training department in 1889. ...

, he played as the house pianist in his father's pool hall; he also worked at the

Ford River Rouge Complex The Ford River Rouge complex (commonly known as the Rouge complex, River Rouge, or The Rouge) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan, along the River Rouge (Michigan), River Rouge, upstream from its c ...

for a time. He worked early in the 1940s in the bands of saxophonist Guy Walters and trumpeter Clarence Dorsey and, in 1947, put together his own ensemble, playing behind

Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams (July 13, 1915September 14, 2002) was an American jazz and blues saxophonist, bandleader, and songwriter. His record " The Huckle-Buck", recorded in December 1948, was one of the most successful R&B records of the tim ...

on recordings for

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

. In 1948, he began recording as a leader, first with local labels Paradise and Sensation, then with Savoy himself and then States Records. Among his sidemen were Walter Cox (1948-1958),

Lee Gross Lee Monroe Gross III (born July 29, 1953) is an American former professional football center. He was selected in the second round of the 1975 NFL draft after playing college football for the Auburn Tigers. He spent four seasons in the National ...

(1948-1953), and

Calvin Frazier Calvin H. Frazier (February 16, 1915 – September 23, 1972) was an American Detroit blues and country blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Despite leaving a fragmented recording history, both as a singer and guitarist, Frazier was an asso ...

. Vocalists who worked with the ensemble included

Freddie Johnson Fredrick Johnson (born 1878) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Stoke. Career Johnson joined Stoke from local side Stoke St. Peters when, at just 12 years old, he was involved in a 44–0 victory over Bucknall St ...

Alberta Adams Alberta Adams (July 26, 1917 – December 25, 2014) was an American blues singer. Raised in Detroit, Michigan, she began performing as a tap dancer and nightclub singer in the 1930s. In 1952, she signed a recording contract with Chess Records an ...

Floyd McVay Floyd may refer to: As a name * Floyd (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Floyd (surname), a list of people and fictional characters Places in the United States * Floyd, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Floyd, Iowa ...

, and Varetta Dillard. He accompanied

T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''R ...

in the mid-1950s. The group was active in Michigan through the end of the 1950s, by which time Fowler had switched to

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the pump organ, harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has si ...

as his primary instrument. He ran his own short-lived label, Bow Records, in the late 1950s; in 1959, he was hired by

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), also known as Berry Gordy Jr., is an American retired record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record label and i ...

to work for the nascent

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

as an advisor. Later in life he left music to run a landscaping business in Detroit.

Discography

Original 10" shellac (78rpm) and 7" vinyl (45rpm) releases

Paradise Records release: * 118 "Sultry Moon" x# 118// "Mango Blues" (v: Freddie Johnson) x# 120– by T. J. Fowler and Orchestra Sensation Records releases: * 28 "Midnight Clipper, Pt. 1" // "Midnight Clipper, Pt. 2" – by T. J. Fowler and His Orchestra * 36 "Hot Sauce" // "Blue Lullaby" – by T. J. Fowler and His Orchestra National Resords releases: * 9072 "Red Hot Blues" // "Harmony Grits" – by T. J. Fowler and Orchestra * 9075 "T.J. Boogie" // "What's The Matter Now" (v: Hank Ivory) – by T. J. Fowler and Orchestra Savoy Records releases: * 843 "Fowler's Boogie" // "Night Crawler" – by T. J. Fowler, His Piano and Orchestra * 857 "Wine Cooler" // "Back Biter" – by T. J. Fowler, His Piano and Orchestra * 858 "Got Nobody To Tell My Troubles To" // "Little Baby Child" – by

with T. J. Fowler Orchestra * 884 "Three Lies" // "Getting Ready For My Daddy" – by Varetta Dillard with T. J. Fowler Orchestra * 885 "Camel Walk" // "Gold Rush" – by T. J. Fowler, His Piano and Orchestra States Records release: * 132 "The Queen" // "Tell Me What's The Matter" (v: Frank Taylor) – by T. J. Fowler and His Band That Rocks The Blues Bow Records release: * 309 "Milk Shake" // "Coochie" – by T. J. Fowler and His Orchestra

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, T. J. 1910 births 1982 deaths American jazz bandleaders American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Jazz musicians from Detroit Musicians from Columbus, Georgia 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists