Reginald Beane

Reginald Beane (August 31, 1918—April 14, 1985) was an American actor, pianist, and composer. He was a long-time musical companion of famed singer and actress Ethel Waters.

Reginald Beaneu was born Reginald Alexander Beane in New York, New York, on August 31, 1918.

When he was 16, Beane became a member of the Musicians Union through Ethel Waters influence. He made his stage debut on January 3, 1939, alongside Waters at the Empire Theatre in New York in Mamba's Daughters, a play based on DuBose Heyward's 1929 novel. The novel was adapted by Heward and his wife Dorothy Heyward for the stage with direction by Guthrie McClintic. Waters portrayed the character of "Hagar" and Beane played "Slim", alongside Georgette Harvey (Hagar's mother), Georgia Burke (Eva), Helen Dowdy (Willie May), and Alberta Hunter (Dolly).

After the death of Waters' pianist Pearl Wright in 1936, Beane became Waters' accompanist and music arranger throughout her singing career until she died in 1977.

From the late 1930s to the early 1940s, Beane played with Waters' backup band led by Eddie Mallory. Mallory and Waters were married from 1938 to 1945. Together they made several recordings such as "Lonesome Walls", "If You Ever Change Your Mind", "Bread and Gravy", and "Down in My Soul". One of the songs they recorded was Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell's famous 1930 song "Georgia on My Mind". They were accompanied by Leonard W. Joy (session supervisor), saxophonist Billie Carton, bassist Milt Hinton, trombonist Tyree Glenn, guitarist Danny Barker, and clarinetist Castor McCord. The song has been most often associated with soul singer Ray Charles, who was a native of Georgia and recorded it for his 1960 album The Genius Hits the Road.

In January 1940, Beane worked with the gospel vocal group Deep River Boys. He played piano on at least three recordings ("You Don't Know Nothin'", "A Bird in the Hand", and "Bullfrog and the Toad") with the band's singers Harry Douglass (baritone), Vernon Gardner (first tenor), George Lawson (second tenor), and Edward Ware (bass).

In 1953, Beane's piano was heard on Waters' eponymous album Ethel Waters (Remington Records) alongside saxophonist Ray Perry, bassist Al McKibbon, drummer J. C. Heard, guitarist Mary Osborne, trombonist Dickie Harris, and trumpeter George Treadwell.

In 1965, he was on Waters' gospel funk/soul/pop album Reminisces (Word Records) produced by Kurt Kaiser.

In addition to working with Waters, Beane performed as a pianist role in both Broadway and Hollywood productions. He also worked in nightclubs in New York City.

Broadway

• In September and October of 1940, Beane was seen in the role of "Wesley" in William Saroyan's five-act play The Time of Your Life at Booth Theatre in New York. In 1948, Beane played piano for the Hollywood adaptation of the play by director H. C. Potter.
• In 1945, Beane played "Leroy" in Foxhole in the Parlor (written by Elsa Shelley and produced by Harry Bloomfield), sharing the stage with Flora Campbell ("Ann Austen"), Montgomery Clift ("Dennis Patterson"), Grace Coppin ("Kate Mitchell"), and Raymond Greenleaf ("Senator Bowen").
• In 1953, Beane played piano in the revue At Home With Ethel Waters which opened on September 22 and closed on October 10 after 23 performances. It was produced by Richard Barr and Charles Bowden.

Film and TV

• In 1948, Beane wrote piano compositions for the soundtrack of H. C. Potter's comedy-drama The Time of Your Life starring James Cagney, William Bendix, and Wayne Morris.
• In 1950, Beane with his trio played piano in two episodes of the second season of the TV series S.S. Holiday, a live Sunday evening musical revue hosted by Phil Hanna and Holly Harris. One of those two episodes had a performance by celebrated dancer Ruth St. Denis.
• In 1951, Beane performed in 4 episodes of Dick Rose and Barnaby Smith's TV series Once Upon a Tune, alongside Elaine Stritch, Charlotte Rae, and Fred Scott.
• In 1959, Beane accompanied Ethel Waters in the episode "An Evening with Ethel Waters" (aired May 18) of the TV show One Night Stand.

Beane died at his home in the Bronx, New York, on April 14, 1985, at age 66.