Erroll Garner Biography

Fast Facts

• Was the first and only jazz musician to perform with classical impresario Sol Hurok
• Began teaching himself how to play the piano at the age of 3 and never learned how to read music
• First gained popularity in New York in the 1940s, where he made his first recording, a rendition of "Laura․"
• Quote: "I always play what I feel․ I always feel like me, but I'm a different me every day․ I get ideas from everything․ A big color, the sound of water and wind, or a flash of something cool․ Playing is like life․ Either you feel it or you don't․"
• Became one of the biggest-selling Columbia Records jazz artists with the release of his live album, "Concert by the Sea․"
• Made a historical performance at the Cleveland Music Hall, which was traditionally reserved for classical concerts, in 1950
• Best known as a jazz pianist and composer whose ballad, "Misty," is now a jazz standard