finetune artist: Freddie Slack

b. Frederic Charles Slack, 7 August 1910, La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA, d. 10 August 1965, Hollywood, California, USA. A composer, pianist and bandleader, prominent from the late 30s until the mid-40s, who specialized in the jazz rhythm style, boogie-woogie. After attending the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Slack worked as a pianist and arranger with Ben Pollack and Jimmy Dorsey during the late 30s, before joining trombonist Will Bradley's band in 1939. Together with drummer Ray McKinley (he was the band's co-leader) and arranger Leonard Whitney, Slack was instrumental in changing the band's style from ballads to boogie-woogie, and a year later they had their biggest hit with "Beat Me, Daddy, Eight To The Bar". Other successful recordings included "Scrub Me, Mama, With A Boogie Beat", "Down the Road A Piece", "Rock-Bye-Boogie", "Bounce Me, Brother, With A Solid Four", "Fry Me, Cookie, With A Can Of Lard". Slack left Bradley early in 1941 and started his own outfit on the west coast.

Listen to Freddie Slack at Finetune.

Mr. Five By Five