Born in Louisiana in 1915, Nellie Lutcher was the oldest of 15 children. Her mother, a church organist, taught her daughter the basics and by age 12, Lutcher was playing piano with her father, a bassist, in a band made up of family members. At age 12, she had the opportunity to accompany classic blues singer Ma Rainey at a local gig when Rainey's regular pianist fell ill. She later joined Clarence Hart's Imperial Jazz band and the Southern Rhythm Boys Band, with whom she toured the region and began to play clubs throughout the West Coast.

At age 20, Lutcher moved to L.A. to pursue her music career. She got her big break after a radio talent scout from Capitol Records heard her perform in a March of Dimes talent show. From 1947-1951, Lutcher made several recordings for Capitol Records including "Hurry On Down" and "He's A Real Gone Guy." Her style mixed swing and R&B and featured a unique scat style of singing. She had several songs on the pop, jazz, and R&B charts and found much success touring the country.

By 1952, Lutcher's commercial popularity had waned, and Capitol released her from the label. She moved on to other labels including Okeh, Decca, and Liberty, and continued to release quality recordings, but they were not as well received as her earlier releases. In 1957, Lutcher mostly retired from performing, though she did make occasional special appearances until the 1990s.

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Set List for Nellie Lutcher on Piano Jazz:

Hurry on Down (Lutcher)

Keepin' Out of Mischief (Waller, Razaf)

Tea for Two (Youmans, Caeser)

Birth of the Blues (Henderson, Sylvia, Brown)

My Little Boy (Lutcher)

Sophisticated Lady (Ellington, Paris, Mills)

Real Gone Guy (Lutcher)

Right To Sing The Blues (Arlen, Koehler)

Love Is The Sweetest Thing (Noble)

The Song Is Ended (Berlin)