Sammy Price; Pianist Known as the ‘King of Boogie-Woogie’
Samuel (Sammy) Price, a onetime Charleston dancer who became known as the “King of Boogie-Woogie” piano, has died. He was 83. During a seven-decade career, he toured from Dallas to Paris while playing with jazz giants Lester Young and King Curtis.
Price, a fixture in his Harlem neighborhood for the past 50 years, died at home Tuesday night, said his daughter, Sharon Mack. The pianist had remained active almost until his death, headlining a Carnegie Hall show just last year.
Price was born in Honey Grove, Tex., and began studying the piano under Portia Pittman, the daughter of educator Booker T. Washington. By the time he was 18, he was leading his own band in Dallas.
In the early 1930s, he moved to Kansas City, where he played piano in speak-easies.
Price eventually settled into the New York club scene, popping up at different spots around town with his unique blend of blues and boogie-woogie.
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