Man Shows Incredible Skill Performing On The Piano In Hardware Store

May 25, 2021

In a video uploaded to YouTube back in 2014, Jacob Tolliver of Nashville, Tennessee, sat down at a piano that was on display at a hardware store and started playing Boogie Woogie Country Man. A video of his performance went viral online, reaching millions of viewers.

Impromptu music performances can happen at any time and any place. Over recent years, flash mobs doing all kinds of performative arts have become more popular and widespread. Be it singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, or just a sudden pillow fight, more and more people are embracing their creative energies and entertaining people around them with their antics. Malls and big open plazas are especially favored for these sudden performances; however, even small locations and shops can become the target of flash mob artists. And it also doesn't need to be a large group of people coming together. Even single artists have been known to put on spontaneous performances when the fancy strikes them.

One of these impromptu artists was Tolliver, who decided to put his hands on an unfinished piano he saw at his local hardware store. For whatever reason, seeing the piano sitting there made this musician perk up and entertain the other shoppers with a sudden Boogie Woogie performance. He was having a great time, and the fellow shop visitors undoubtedly did as well, as he was left with free reign over the piano for several minutes. And it's no wonder, considering Tolliver is actually a known pianist.

Read on to see the video of his freestyle performance and get to know this niche musician.

Although, to be fair, very few hardware shops have a piano on display. Interestingly, no signs were prohibiting customers from sitting and playing the piano. The guy, who we found out is Jacob Tolliver, must have been minding his business before he noticed the piano.

Oh yes, he also sings. The guy is feeling it. He plays the piano while singing without a care in the world. Never mind that he's in a public place, and people aren't giving him money for his performance. He doesn't care about the noise or what could happen to him if the store's manager calls security. He simply loves the music, and that's all that matters. 

He's playing the blues on the piano with a fast tempo. This style is also known as Boogie Woogie. The genre was pioneered by African American musicians back in the 1870s. However, Boogie Woogie fever caught on in the 1920s and spread to other parts of the world.

In this day and age, few people know how to properly play the Boogie Woogie. It has fallen out of fashion overall, and only niche music lovers still practice this style. Some notable names that keep this genre alive and play in public are Henri Herbert, Ladyva, and Brendan Kavanagh. These performers are YouTube sensations. The online video platform allows fans from all over the world to enjoy their beautiful music. This publicity is especially important for artists who practice a musical style that is more niche and who would otherwise have a hard time finding an appreciative audience.

According to the video description of the original viral video, the artist was dubbed as a "crazy random guy". This not very flattering description is understandable, as seeing somebody walk up to a piano standing in the corner of a hardware store and then proceeding to completely own it while playing a Boogie Woogie melody is probably not something you experience every day. 

However, after doing further research, attentive viewers discovered that the guy was a contestant on the reality show American Idol. He goes by the name Jacob Tolliver, and he's got some serious skills. On YouTube, Tolliver's video has forty-four thousand likes and more than 6.6 million views. He also features this moment on his own channel, where the performance garnered an additional 300,000 views. It's sad to see that the artist's own video has less views than the viral version. At least the viral video credits Tolliver in the full video description and urges viewers to look up the amazing piano artist to find more of his videos.

The audience loved his performance, and fans wish that he'd continue to randomly play the piano in hardware shops. 

Fans are comparing Tolliver to the great Jerry Lee Lewis. He was also a piano player capable of giving an unforgettable live performance. Although Lewis was respected, he was also full of controversies. Fans hope that despite the comparisons, Tolliver won't be very controversial and hope that he will be able to breathe fresh air into the piano rock & roll music scene. Currently, according to his website, Tolliver tours the US as part of a Jerry Lee Lewis memorial tour - or will be touring again as soon as circumstances allow it.

What did you think of Tolliver's performance? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this article along to others!