Lingle, Paul

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Lingle, Paul

Lingle, Paul, pop-jazz pianist; b. Denver, Colo., Dec. 3, 1902; d. Honolulu, Hawaii, Oct. 30, 1962. His father, Curt Lingle, was a professional cornet player. He began on piano at age six, and by 13 was working a variety of circuits accompanying his father. During the 1920s he settled on West Coast, working with many bands including Tom Gerun’s, Jimmie Grier’s, and Coffee Dan’s. He accompanied singer Al Jolson in several films including The Jazz Singer(1927), Mammy, and Sonny Boy.During the 1930s he did studio work and resident spots on KPO radio station in San Francisco. He played occasionally with Lu Waiter’s Band at the Mark Twain Hotel (San Francisco) in 1940, but for the next 12 years he worked mainly as a ragtime soloist in West Coast night clubs, with long residencies at Hambone’s in San Francisco and the Jug in Oakland. He moved to Honolulu in 1952, played in various clubs, organized his own band and taught piano and harmony; he died there a decade later.

—John Chilton, Who’s Who of Jazz/Lewis Porter