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A Century of Fats Waller, Jazz's Clown Prince Friday marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Fats Waller, an African-American pianist, singer and songwriter who found success among both black and white audiences 70 years ago. During much of the 1930s and '40s, Waller's music — marked by mischievous lyrics — ruled the airwaves. Ashley Kahn reports on the man known as the Clown Prince of Jazz.

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A Century of Fats Waller, Jazz's Clown Prince

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A Century of Fats Waller, Jazz's Clown Prince

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Friday marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Fats Waller, an African-American pianist, singer and songwriter who found success among both black and white audiences 70 years ago. During much of the 1930s and '40s, Waller's music — marked by mischievous lyrics — ruled the airwaves. Ashley Kahn reports on the man known as the Clown Prince of Jazz.