ABSTRACT
American jazz pianist and big band leader, born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania. He began playing professionally with various groups in Pittsburgh at age 13, then joined Louis Armstrong’s quintet in Chicago in 1927. He formed his own band in 1928 and toured the U.S. with it; the band was among the few Black groups to perform in the South at that time. Hines also performed in Europe, in 1957 and 1966, and in Japan. His band broke up in 1948, after which he was heard as a freelance artist with many partners, continuing through the 1970s. After 1960 he was based in Oakland, California, where he died.
