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 Fate Marable (1890-1947)
Fate Marable, born in Paducah, Kentucky in 1890, began his riverboat career by playing ragtime on the Streckfus Line in 1907. Nicknamed the “Wizard of Ivories,” Marable was an expert pianist, bandleader, and accomplished calliope player. Though Marable felt most at home on the river, he drifted between St. Louis and Louisville in the winter months. In 1918, Marable organized what was to become the most famous riverboat jazz band ever assembled. Over the next few years musicians included: Johnny and Baby Dodds, Johnny St. Cyr, Pops Foster, and an eighteen year old cornet player named Louis Armstrong, who developed as a musician under Marable’s guidance. Marable’s band was considered one of the best dance bands in the United States. Marable continued working on the Streckfus boats until his retirement in 1940. Noted as a highly regarded teacher of what was then “modern” jazz, Marable died in 1947.
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