Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Bill Krenz made a series of piano solos for Decca in 1935, but all are rare. These include 'Sizzly Fingers', 'Marita', 'Ripples', 'Rochelle', 'Dance of the Kutie-Kids', and 'Originola.' I do not know of the status of the other sides, but I do know of Marita and Ripples being in existence still. Here is Marita, played by the composer. He published it as part of his 'Novelty Solos for the Piano' suite in 1934.

Flip-side: Ripples (youtu.be/EOaB0mBgUc4?si=fFbGWBexdegUtzEV)

A product of the 1950s ragtime revival characterized by the likes of Rudi Blesh, Johnny Maddox, and Joe 'Fingers' Carr (Lou Busch).

Bill Krenz could be considered the bridge between novelty and the ragtime revival. He started his songwriting career with the jazz song 'Stomp Your Stuff' in 1926, followed it up with a novelty folio in 1934, and then wrote some more jazz songs in the 1940s. 1952 saw the start of his many modern rags, most of which are completely absent from YouTube. Being born in 1899, he might be the oldest modern ragtime composer. 'Boogie Woogie Russian Rag', a modern arrangement of George L. Cobb's 'Russian Rag' is perhaps his most well known composition, though 'Whispering Rain', 'Poodle Rag', and 'Starlight Rendezvous' (recorded by Tommy Dorsey) are also notable.

In 1953, he recorded an entire album- 'Oh Willie, Play that Thing,' a reference to one of his songs he wrote for it (this song is not on the album, but is featured in this video that Bill Edwards posted on YouTube as a bonus track):
youtu.be/EHpnMsostKw?si=37zRcTqo7Cs1arwI

More Bill Krenz:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoMPbJk_F_Dp61gP2P0a7-77&si=ZcxO7-A90s2zsHGV