Rozelle Ivory Gayle (February 24, 1919 – December 6, 1986) was an American jazz pianist, comic entertainer and actor.
Born in Chicago, he studied at the American Conservatory of Music before working as a pianist with Roy Eldridge's band, recording with them in 1943.[1][2] A follower of Art Tatum, he moved to southern California in 1948, and started performing as a solo act in clubs. In 1953, he had a residency in Santa Ana, California. A review in Jet magazine described his "boogie-to-Bach repertoire" and claimed he was being hailed as "the new Fats Waller".[2] He recorded several tracks for the Combo label in the mid-1950s, including some using the name Paul Preston.[1]
In 1958, he recorded the album Like, Be My Guest – An Evening With Rozelle Gayle for Mercury Records. The album combined jazz with hipster comedy.[3] He also recorded with Benny Carter in 1964.[1] He released a second album, Sex Cracks on the Dooto label in 1967; the album was promoted as "America's maddest album yet", containing "super sidesplitting sex-humor galore!"[4] Gayle also acted in many movies, including The Devil's Daughter (1973), Coast to Coast, The Man with Bogart's Face (both 1980), and Honkytonk Man (1982).[5]
He died of cancer in Los Angeles in 1986, aged 67.[6]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | The Joint is Jumpin' | Himself | |
| 1973 | The Devil's Daughter | Fedora | TV movie |
| 1973 | Blood, Black and White | ||
| 1975 | The Jeffersons | Bill Simpson | Episode: "Mr. Piano Man" |
| 1975 | Let's Do It Again | Exhibition Boxing Match Announcer | Uncredited |
| 1976 | Starsky & Hutch | Toby | Episode: "Losing Streak" |
| 1976 | Sanford and Son | Sgt. Perkins / Dan | 2 episodes |
| 1976-1978 | Barnaby Jones | Rambo / Alf Wortman | 2 episodes |
| 1980 | The Man with Bogart's Face | Mastodon | |
| 1980 | Coast to Coast | Orderly | |
| 1982 | Honkytonk Man | Club Manager |