Earl 'Fatha' Hines

One of the reasons I chose UCLA was the large number of jazz concerts they held on campus (at either Royce Hall or Schoenberg Hall).
I saw Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines [1903-1983] on January 29, 1978. I went backstage before the concert to get his autograph. When the door was opened, the assistant told me to come back after the concert. While the door was open, I saw Hines seated at the piano with his back to me. He was warming up with his hands playing above the keyboard, not making a sound.
In collecting autographs, I used to have a special pen that I used. After the concert, I was one of the first ones there and I got my album autographed. The subsequent folks didn’t have pens. Hines asked could he ‘borrow’ my pen for the duration – of course I said yes. Who was I to refuse Earl Hines!