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Erwin Helfer

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Erwin Helfer
Erwin Helfer in his backyard on July 29, 2015
Erwin Helfer in his backyard on July 29, 2015
Background information
Born (1936-01-20) January 20, 1936 (age 89)
OriginChicago, Illinois, United States
GenresBoogie-woogie, blues, jazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentPiano
Years active1970s–present
LabelsRed Beans, Flying Fish, The Sirens
WebsiteOfficial website

Erwin Helfer (born January 20, 1936) is an American boogie-woogie, blues, and jazz pianist.[1] He was born and raised in Chicago.[2] From 1960 to 2023 he recorded on various labels, including Cobra, Chess, Testament, Flying Fish, and The Sirens. He collaborated with blues pianist Jimmy Walker during the 1960s and 1970s and made two recordings with him.[3]

History

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He was mentored by William Russell, who was a jazz historian and founder of American Music Records.  In Chicago, Russell introduced Erwin to Warren “Baby” Dodds, Mahalia Jackson, “Cripple” Clarence Lofton, and Estelle “Mama” Yancey.[3]

Helfer studied briefly at Tulane University. While living in New Orleans, he studied piano with Professor Manuel Manetta and became close friends with Billie and DeDe Pierce. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the American Conservatory of Music, and received a master’s in music from Northeastern Illinois University.[3]

In 1955, Helfer recorded Billie Pierce, Rufus Perryman (Speckled Red), Doug Suggs, and James “The Bat” Robinson for “Primitive Piano” on his own Tone Records. Helfer sold recordings of Speckled Red to Bob Koester, and Red’s record became Koester’s first release for Delmar Records (later named Delmark).[3]

He was colleagues and friends with Sunnyland Slim, Blind John Davis, and Little Brother Montgomery. He produced albums by Sunnyland, Davis, and others for Red Beans Records, which he co-founded with Peter Crawford.[3]

Helfer made his first recording accompanying blues guitarist Big Joe Williams for Cobra in 1960. In 1964, he recorded an album of blues and boogie woogie duets with pianist Jimmy Walker, called “Rough and Ready,” for Pete Welding’s Testament Records.[3]

He played harpsichord on Nick Gravenites’ “Drunken Boat” and “Whole Lotta Soul” 45rpm in 1965 and participated on the album “Moogie Woogie” on Chess Records in 1970.[3]

He recorded his second album with Jimmy Walker on Flying Fish’s inaugural LP in 1974. In 1975, he recorded “Boogie Piano Chicago Style” for Big Bear Records in the UK. Four years later he made another recording on Flying Fish with a number of Chicago jazz and blues artists. He made three recordings on his own label Red Beans, including accompanying Estelle “Mama” Yancey in 1983.[3]

After making several recordings in Germany, he made ten recordings for The Sirens Records. His recording, “I’m Not Hungry But I Like To Eat – Blues!” was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered.[4] This recording was also nominated for the Blues Foundation’s Comeback Artist of the Year award. He played on two piano compilations “Heavy Timbre – Chicago Boogie Piano” and “8 Hands on 88 Keys – Chicago Blues Piano Masters”. “Careless Love” and “Celebrate the Journey” were featured on NPR’s Fresh Air in January 2006 and March 2021 respectively.[5][3]

In Kevin Whitehead’s NPR review of “Celebrate the Journey” he said, “For Erwin Helfer, vintage piano dialects are living traditions, not museum exhibits.”  Whitehead said, “There aren’t many left who do what Helfer does with such unshowy authority… Erwin Helfer doesn’t carry his knowledge like a burden. He has fun with it … .”[6]

Erwin taught amateurs and professional musicians how to play blues piano from his home, at various institutions like Columbia College, and at summer camp at the Augusta Heritage Center.  

He is the author of Blues Piano and How To Play It, a book for intermediate and advanced pianists.[3]

Honors

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Helfer has a street, "Erwin Helfer Way", named after him in the city of Chicago.[7]

Selective discography

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Year Title Genre Label
1974 Blues, Boogie Woogie Piano Duets & Solos Blues, Boogie Flying Fish
1976 Boogie Piano Chicago Style Boogie Big Bear
1979 On the Sunny Side of The Street Blues, Jazz Flying Fish
1987 Chicago Piano Blues, Jazz Red Beans
2001 I'm Not Hungry But I Like To Eat - Blues Blues, Boogie, Jazz The Sirens Records
2002 Heavy Timbre - Chicago Boogie Piano Blues, Boogie The Sirens Records
2002 8 Hands on 88 Keys - Chicago Blues Piano Masters Blues, Boogie The Sirens Records
2003 St. James Infirmary (with Skinny Williams) Jazz, Blues and R&B The Sirens Records
2005 Careless Love Blues, Boogie, Jazz The Sirens Records
2013 Erwin Helfer Way Blues, Boogie, Jazz The Sirens Records
2021 Celebrate the Journey (with the Chicago Boogie Ensemble)[8] Blues, Boogie, Jazz The Sirens Records

Source:[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Erwin Helfer Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  2. ^ Santelli, Robert. The Big Book of Blues, Penguin Books, p. 201, 2001, ISBN 0-14-100145-3
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Helfer, Erwin (2021). Blues Piano and How to Play It. Highland Park, IL: The Sirens Records. pp. 73–75. ISBN 9780578317847.
  4. ^ Karr, Rick (February 22, 2002). "All Things Considered - Erwin Helfer". npr.org. Retrieved December 19, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Whitehead, Kevin (January 10, 2006). "'Careless Love' from Pianist Erwin Helfer". npr.org. Retrieved December 19, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Whitehead, Kevin (March 31, 2021). "Erwin Helfer Helps 'Celebrate The Journey' With The Chicago Boogie Ensemble". npr.org. Retrieved December 19, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Mandel, Howard (June 21, 2022). "Erwin Helfer Celebrates His Jazz-Blues Journey". Downbeat. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022.
  8. ^ "Erwin Helfer Helps 'Celebrate The Journey' With The Chicago Boogie Ensemble". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  9. ^ "Erwin Helfer Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
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