Al Casey, born Albert Aloysius Casey in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, on September 15, 1915, was an American jazz guitarist who lived until 2005. A child prodigy, he studied violin and ukulele before adopting the guitar in 1930. He met Fats Waller in 1933 and joined Waller's band in 1934 at age 18, remaining with the group until Waller's death in 1943 and performing the signature guitar solo on “Buck Jumpin'”. During the 1940s, he was voted best guitarist in Esquire magazine for two consecutive years and led his own trio, collaborating with jazz figures including Louis Armstrong, Chu Berry, Coleman Hawkins, Lionel Hampton, Billie Holiday, Art Tatum, and Teddy Wilson. Starting in 1957, Casey performed as a member of King Curtis's rhythm and blues band. After a brief absence from recording in the 1960s, he returned to music in the 1970s, recording with Helen Humes and Jay McShann, and joined the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band in 1981. His studio albums as a leader include Buck Jumpin' in 1960, The Al Casey Quartet in 1960, Jumpin' with Al: The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions in 1974, Guitar Odyssey with Billy Butler in 1974, Six Swinging Strings in 1981, Best of Friends with Jay McShann in 1982, Genius of Jazz Guitar in 1983, and Al Casey Remembers King Curtis in 1985. Casey died of colon cancer in New York City on September 11, 2005, at age 89.
