Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller (1904–1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and comic entertainer. He was born Thomas Wright Waller on 21st May 1904 in New York City, New York, United States to a Baptist minister father. The Waller family migrated to Harlem from Virginia. Fats' grandfather, Adolph Waller, was an accomplished violinist. Waller started his musical career at an early age.