Earl “Fatha” Hines

Earl “Fatha” Hines is featured in Chicago on August 3 1938 performing live from the Grand Terrance Cafe with his Orchestra for a half hour radio broadcast.

In 1928 Earl Hines began performing at Chicago’s Grand Terrance Cafe controlled by mobster Al Capone.

Earl’s Orchestra consisting of up to twenty eight musicians would play three shows a night, four on Saturdays.

Theses performances were broadcast live sometimes several nights a week from coast to coast.

The continuing live radio coverage lasted throughout the ’30s, making Earl the most broadcast bandleader in America.

They would serve as an monumental influence on many young musicians including Jay McShann, Art Tatum, and Nat “King” Cole.

The Grand Terrace closed suddenly in December 1940 with the disappearance of it’s manager Ed Fox.

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