Rozelle Gayle

Rozelle Ivory Gayle (February 24, 1919 – December 6, 1986) was an American jazz pianist, comic entertainer and actor.

Biography

Born in Chicago, he studied at the American Conservatory of Music before working as a pianist with Roy Eldridge's band, recording with them in 1943.[1][2] A follower of Art Tatum, he moved to southern California in 1948, and started performing as a solo act in clubs. In 1953 he had a residency in Santa Ana, California. A review in Jet magazine described his "boogie-to-Bach repertoire" and claimed he was being hailed as "the new Fats Waller".[2] He recorded several tracks for the Combo label in the mid-1950s, including some using the name Paul Preston.[1]

In 1958, he recorded the album Like, Be My Guest – An Evening With Rozelle Gayle for Mercury Records. The album combined jazz with hipster comedy.[3] He also recorded with Benny Carter in 1964.[1] He released a second album, Sex Cracks on the Dooto label in 1967; the album was promoted as "America's maddest album yet", containing "super sidesplitting sex-humor galore!"[4] Gayle also acted in several movies, including The Devil's Daughter (1973), Coast to Coast, The Man with Bogart's Face (both 1980), and Honkytonk Man (1982).[5]

He died of cancer in Los Angeles in 1986, aged 67.[6]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1949The Joint Is Jumpin'Himself
1973The Devil's DaughterFedora
1973''Blood, Black and White''
1975The JeffersonsBill Simpson 1 episode
1976Barnaby Jones Alf Wortman1 episode
1980The Man with Bogart's FaceMastodon
1980Coast to CoastOrderly
1982Honkytonk ManClub Manager

Discography
  • Like, Be My Guest (Mercury, 1958)
  • Sex Cracks (Dooto, 1967)

References
  1. Bob Eagle, Eric LeBlanc, Blues: A Regional Experience, ABC-CIO, 2013, p.65
  2. "West Coast Hails Pianist-Singer Called The 'New Fats Waller'", Jet, 3 September 1953, pp.56-57
  3. "Like, Be My Guest – An Evening With Rozelle Gayle", DustyGroove.com. Retrieved 16 September 2015
  4. Billboard, 13 May 1967, p.20
  5. To Zelle Gayle also did television appearances. Gayle appeared in Barnaby Jones; episode titled,”The Lonely Victims” (01/08/1976). Rozelle Gayle, IMdB.com. Retrieved 16 September 2015
  6. "Service Set Today for Entertainer Rozelle Gayle", LA Times, 11 December 1986. Retrieved 16 September 2015

7. Demetria Fulton previewed Rozelle Gayle in Barnaby Jones; episode titled,”The Lonely Victims”(01/08/1976).

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