Theodore Shieldy (Sheeley)
piano (Detroit)
Pianist who came from Georgia to Barry’s Detroit high school, Northeastern; he outplayed Barry and Berry Gordy at boogie-woogie, could also improvise, and Barry expected him to become the best of them all.
- mentions
- 1
- recordings
- 1
- Barry speaking
- 1
What Barry says
Barry and Berry Gordy were the two boogie-woogie pianists at Northeastern High until Shieldy arrived from Georgia and joined the school. He played better boogie-woogie than either of them, and he could improvise too.
Barry Harris on WKCR-FM ¶65Barry Harris on WKCR-FM ¶166Ted Panken, For Barry Harris’ 82nd Birthday ¶7
Barry names Shieldy with Will Davis as players who could improvise, and describes how he learned from such players: standing behind the pianist at dances, taking a couple of chords and going home to learn them.
Asked whether Shieldy only played boogie-woogie, Barry says no: he was one of the first players Barry heard really improvise, and Barry thought he would be the greatest of them all.
But Shieldy went to prison for a long time, and Barry says he was not quite the same afterwards. Barry thinks he worked with King Porter, or someone like that.
Listing Detroit pianists, Barry puts Shieldy with Will Davis, Boo-Boo Turner and Abe Woodley, who also played vibes.
Asked how the Detroit players worked together, Barry says they learned by going to hear each other. He names Will Davis and Willie Anderson and then Shieldy (the newer transcript hears ‘Theater or Sheely’, the old captions ‘The Sheiley’), saying all of them could play.
Interview: Detroit, Bud Powell and the shuffle5:43
In his own words
Theodore Shieldy was one of the first cats I heard really improvise. I really thought he was going to be the best of all of us.
We might have got messed up when Theodore Shieldy came to town, a cat from Georgia... he not only played better boogie-woogie, he could improvise.
Berry Gordy and I were the boogie-woogie piano players in high school together. We both was playing pretty good until a cat named Theodore Shieldy came along.
Every mention
1 moments in the recordings, 1 of them Barry speaking. Each says who is talking.
Interview: Detroit, Bud Powell and the shuffle
- 5:43
Names Shieldy (heard as ‘Theater or Sheely’) with Will Davis and Willie Anderson among Detroit players who could all play.
In the interviews and notes
Barry tells Panken that he and Berry Gordy were the high school’s boogie-woogie pianists until Shieldy came from Georgia, played better boogie-woogie and could improvise as well.
Barry repeats the story of Shieldy outplaying him and Gordy, and later calls him one of the first players he heard truly improvise, the one he expected to be the best of them, until a long prison term changed him.
In the DownBeat feature Barry places the story at Northeastern High School: Shieldy, newly arrived from Georgia, beat him and Gordy at boogie-woogie and could improvise as well. Panken adds the spelling ‘Sheeley’ in brackets.
When Panken mentions him, Flanagan recognises ‘Ted Shieldy’ at once; told that Barry’s high hopes for him were not realised, he says Shieldy is one of the players like that, though he cannot remember them all.
Ted Panken (interviewer); Tommy Flanagan, Tommy Flanagan ¶15Ted Panken (interviewer); Tommy Flanagan, Tommy Flanagan ¶16Ted Panken (interviewer); Tommy Flanagan, Tommy Flanagan ¶17Ted Panken (interviewer); Tommy Flanagan, Tommy Flanagan ¶18
Method ideas nearby
Ideas of the method taught in the classes where they come up, with how many mentions fall in each.