Mary Lou Willaims
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1910, Mary Lou Williams learned to play the piano herself by spending hours alone working out the sounds. She stated that she never had time to play games (Documentary Collection np), and at 13 years of age, she was playing professionally.
She refused to stay in a box
Mary Lou was a pianist, composer and arranger who played a central role in every era of jazz since the 1920’s. She was the only musician to employ the form of each
era—rhythm and blues, swing, bebop—and be able to retain her own style. Even though Mary Lou was a woman, she was an expert at her instrument “the piano.” In an interview with D. Antoinette Handy, Mary Lou stated that her mind moved her fingers (Handy 203). Therefore, she created music while she played. She refused to stay in a box, making the same kind of music over and over because according to her, “record companies are not comfortable with innovation” (Documentary Collection np). Therefore, she would not sign a long-term contract with a record company that would have, no doubt, promoted her, but that would have just as certainly kept her in a slot.
In her autobiography, Mary Lou stated that people should do their work. If they’re talented, then whatever’s coming to them, they’ll get it (Autobiography np). Because of this, the difficulties of being a woman were slightly lost on Mary Lou.
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