In 1915 Jimmy Blythe (May 20, 1901 – June 14, 1931) moved from his native Kentucky to Chicago. He was an accomplished musician and composer and found a great deal of work as a pianist for Paramount, Vocalion and Gennett. Blythe’s style of playing was influenced by Clarence M. Jones who was his piano teacher.

Blythe was very prolific and accompanied many Jazz and Blues artists such as Ma Rainey and Blind Blake on their recordings. He also produced hundreds of piano rolls for use in nickelodeons for the Capitol Music Roll Company of Chicago. He led dozens of recording sessions, often with Southside musicians like Jimmy Bertrand or Johnny Dodds.

Blythe is considered one of the first Boogie Woogie style piano players, but he was a versatile musician who could handle many diverse styles. The song “Chicago Stomp” is generally considered to be the first recorded example of Boogie Woogie. He died suddenly of epidemic meningitis in 1931.