History Riff: Kidnapped as a Birthday Present

At 27 years old, brutal mobster Al Capone owned breweries, brothels, gambling dens, and speakeasies, after murderous territorial wars had garnered him millions. Politicians, journalists, and police were all in his Chicagoland pocket. People were either afraid of Capone, or being paid off by him. Born in New York, he became a Chicago crime boss and reigned for 7 years, until incarcerated for tax evasion by the Feds at the age of 33.

At 21, Fats Waller left New York for a series of gigs at the Sherman Hotel in the Windy City. He was a huge hit, and his fame spread quickly there. After a performance one evening, Fats felt a gun in his side and a couple of thugs breathing down his neck. They pushed him into a black limousine and told the driver to head to East Cisero. After they arrived, they prodded him into an exclusive club and demanded that he play for the party - one that was already in full swing. Some accounts say Fats heard him laughing, others say he saw the infamous scarred face, but either way, the party was for Al Capone.

Capone's "Boys" had decided to surprise Al Capone with Fats Waller as a birthday present. According to one account that claims to be from Fats' son, he was paid $100 a song, and given limitless, expensive champagne and food, and "partied" with Capone for 3 full days. He slept at his piano between sets. When he was set free and pushed back into the limo, Fats not only went home with his life, he was several thousand dollars richer. Unlike Capone, Fats was a preacher's son and never got in trouble with the law, himself. Although he did like a good, gallon of bootleg whiskey, and he once joked that he wrote the song, "Ain't Misbehavin'" in a jail cell, because he forgot to pay some alimony.