Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose distinctive and melodic style brought him both popular acclaim and the admiration of peers. It is a well-known fact that Garner was never able to read sheet music. Life and career Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. in 1921, Erroll began playing piano at the age of 3. He attended George Westinghouse High School (as did Billy Strayhorn and Ahmad Jamal). Garner was self-taught and remained an "ear player" all his life -- he never learned to read music. At the age of 7, Garner began appearing on radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh with a group called the Candy Kids, and by the age of 11 he was playing on the Allegheny riverboats. At age 16 in 1937 he joined local saxophonist Leroy Brown. He played locally in the shadow of his older pianist brother Linton Garner and moved to New York in 1944. He briefly wor