On this date in 1937 stride pianist Fats Waller recorded his version of I Ain’t Got Nobody. It’s solo piano with no vocal and none of the comedy elements that sometimes obscure Waller’s tremendous musical talent. In fact, this Victor record seems to find him in a more reflective mood as he plays the well-known tune at a slower tempo than many popular renditions.

The origin of the tune is somewhat murky as credit for the composition has been asserted by at least a handful people.  Ragtime pianist Charles Warfield claims to have written the tune and obtained a 1914 copyright for I Ain’t Got Nobody and Nobody Cares For Me. Two years later, a copyright tune for I Ain’t Got Nobody was obtained by Spencer Williams with lyrics by Roger A. Graham. To add to the confusion, in 1911 two St. Louis musicians, Clarence E. Brandon and Billy Smythe, both applied for copyrights to a tune called I Ain’t Got Nobody.

Whoever the rightful composer may be, the tune has enjoyed several revivals in popularity over the years, the best known version probably being Louis Prima’s 1956 recording where he marries the tune with Just a Gigolo.  It has also been recorded by Booker T. and the MG’s, Mos Def, David Lee Roth, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Village People.

Here is a link to the Fats Waller 1937 recording of I Ain’t Got Nobody on Victor Records:

"I AIN'T GOT NOBODY"