Early life
Earl Hines was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Duquesne, Pennsylvania. His father was a brass band cornetist and his stepmother a church organist.Hines at first intended to follow his father's example and play cornet but "blowing" hurt him behind the ears — while the piano didn't.He took classical piano lessons but also developed an ear for popular show tunes and was able to remember and play songs he heard in theaters. Hines claimed that he was playing piano around Pittsburgh "before the word 'jazz' was even invented".
Listen to a discussion of Earl Hines' 65 Piano Solo, featuring examples of Hine's playing from the original recording, free from National Public Radio's npr.org.
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