Art Tatum

Art Tatum was born in Toledo and was visually impaired from childhood, with blindness in one eye and limited sight in the other. He attended the School for the Blind in Columbus and was largely self-taught on piano. By 1927, he was performing on Toledo radio station WSPD, and his broadcasts were carried nationally. His technical virtuosity was so extraordinary that Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, and other major jazz figures made a point of visiting Toledo clubs to hear him play. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz pianists in history.