Richard MacQueen Wellstood (November 25, 1927 – July 24, 1987) was an American jazz pianist.

Career

He was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. Wellstood's mother was a graduate of the Juilliard School who played church organ. Wellstood took piano lessons as a boy, though he was self-taught as a performer of stride and boogie-woogie. Beginning in 1946, he played boogie-woogie, swing, stride piano, and dixieland with bands led by Bob Wilber. A year later he began two years of accompanying Sidney Bechet. In 1952, he toured Europe with Jimmy Archey, then worked with Roy Eldridge. Through the 1950s, he worked with a band led by Conrad Janis. He also worked with Red Allen, Buster Bailey, Wild Bill Davison, Vic Dickenson, Coleman Hawkins, and Ben Webster. He went to school and received a law degree, though thirty years would pass before he spent a brief time practicing law. In the 1960s, he worked with Bob Dylan and Odetta. With Carl Warwick, he performed on military bases in Greenland. He toured South America with Gene Krupa, then spent two years with Kenny Davern. During the 1970s, he played with Captain John Handy and Punch Miller, then with Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart. For the rest of his career, he turned his attention from big bands to small groups and solo piano, performing often at the Newport Jazz Festival and touring with Davern and Bob Rosengarden. In the 1980s, he joined the Classic Jazz Quartet with Marty Grosz, Joe Muranyi, and Dick Sudhalter, worked again in a duo with Davern and in a piano duo with Dick Hyman. In 1987, he died of a heart attack in Palo Alto, California, at the age of 59.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Sidney Bechet With Marty Grosz With Odetta With Bob Wilber With others