Born in Harlem, New York, Fats Waller recorded his first songs at 18, in 1922. Piano and organ genius, composer and performer, he appeared in Broadway shows and movies; after 1934 he started touring the U.S. (and later Europe) and recording with his combo, Fats Waller and His Rhythm. In 1940 he appeared in the movie Stormy Weather, leading a band inclusing names such as Slam Stewart and Benny Carter. He died in 1943 on a train in Kansas City, while travelling back to New York after a concert in Hollywood.