Mary Lou Williams was a jazz pianist who performed with and arranged songs for several jazz legends in her time. The Atlanta-born, Pittsburgh-raised musician was born May 8, 1910.
Mary Elfrieda Scruggs was known in her Pittsburgh neighborhood as a child prodigy, earning the nickname “The Little Piano Girl” while playing for some of the city’s elite. She became a full-on professional in her teens and married jazz musician John Williams at 16.
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When Williams joined Andy Kirk’s Swing band Twelve Cloud Of Joy, she became a member of the group after settling in Kansas City. She took on the name Mary Lou and began writing for the likes of Benny Goodman, while working as an arranger for Earl “Fatha” Hines, Tommy Dorsey, and others.
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