Walter Lewis
1914-2002

Walter Lewis, one of the last of the New Orleans piano professors, died at his home June 10, 2002. He was 87. Born in Prairieville, Louisiana, September 21, 1914, Lewis studied music in elementary school and, in his teens, went on the road with bands led by Tuts Johnson, Claiborne Williams and Kid Dimes. He also traveled through the South with Champion Jack Dupree. In the 1940s, he accompanied Paul Barbarin, Oscar “Papa” Celestin and Henry Horton. When rhythm and bl...