Barrelhouse Buck McFarland

Born Thomas McFarland on 16 September 1903 in Alton, Illinois, Barrelhouse Buck died in April 1962. His first recordings, cut in 1929, found the pianist delivering vocals in a measured, introspective manner typical of the St. Louis school, yet his keyboard attack stood out for its sharper, more hammered quality. That percussive edge stemmed both from earlier work behind the drum kit and from a deliberate choice to set his approach apart from local peers. By 1934 he had added a rough, snarling delivery that complemented his rolling, propulsive piano figures and may have been intended to hold its own against sidemen that included a gritty fiddler, a clarinet player, and Peetie Wheatstraw’s guitarist. The resulting tracks formed lively dance numbers, though nearly three decades passed before he entered a studio again. A rushed session shortly before his death yielded only a short album whose piano was unfortunately out of tune.