Van "Piano Man" Walls, The Spirit of R & B

Van "Piano Man" Walls was born Harry Eugene Vann on 24 August 1918. He was an influential American R & B piano player, songwriter, studio musician and recording artist. He was a session player for Atlantic Records, appearing on hits by artists including Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, and The Clovers.

He moved to Montreal in the ‘50s to live with his wife Ruth, a white Montrealer.  Steve Morris, then working at the NFB, befriended Vann in 1990 and began to film him. His story is the story of R & B. It covers the exploitation of artists after the war and how the recording industry made amends for missing royalties and dodgy contracts.

Here's a trailer for the film:



Thanks to my friend Barry for sending this to me.