TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
Ralph Norman Goodwin was a self-taught pianist whose lightning touch made him a beloved figure in South Carolina’s jazz community.
Born and raised in Columbia, he learned piano from his sister. After graduating from Columbia High School and serving in World War II, Goodwin sold medical supplies during the day while music remained his passion at night.
He performed across the Midlands, first with Snuffy Jenkins and His Hired Hands, blending country roots with his own jazz sensibilities. Later, he played with the Jazz-tones and Dick Goodwin’s ensembles, where his crisp, unstoppable attack earned him the nickname “Iron Fingers.”
In 1958, he helped found the Carolina Jazz Society, leaving an enduring imprint on the region’s jazz tradition.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.