Count Basie | |
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.jpg) Basie at the piano; portrait byJames J. Kriegsmann | |
| Background information | |
| Born | William James Basie (1904-08-21)August 21, 1904 Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | April 26, 1984(1984-04-26) (aged 79) Hollywood, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1924–1984 |
| Website | countbasie |
William James "Count"Basie (/ˈbeɪsi/; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984)[1] was an Americanjazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed theCount Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them toChicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section,riffing with abig band, usingarrangers to broaden their sound, his minimalist piano style, and others.
Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonistsLester Young andHerschel Evans, the guitaristFreddie Green, trumpetersBuck Clayton andHarry "Sweets" Edison, plunger trombonistAl Grey, and singersJimmy Rushing,Helen Humes,Dennis Rowland,Thelma Carpenter, andJoe Williams.
As a composer, Basie is known for writing suchjazz standards as "Blue and Sentimental", "Jumpin' at the Woodside" and "One O'Clock Jump".
William Basie was born to Lillian (Childs) and Harvey Lee Basie inRed Bank, New Jersey.[2] His father worked as acoachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several wealthy families in the area.[3] Both of his parents had some type of musical background. His father played themellophone, and his mother played thepiano; in fact, she gave Basie his first piano lessons. She took in laundry and baked cakes for sale for a living. She paid 25 cents a lesson for Count Basie's piano instruction.[4][5]
The best student in school, Basie dreamed of a traveling life, inspired by touring carnivals which came to town. He finished junior high school,[6] but spent much of his time at the Palace Theater in Red Bank, where doing occasional chores gained him free admission to performances. He quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to the acts and thesilent movies.[7]
Though a natural at the piano, Basie preferred drums. Discouraged by the obvious talents ofSonny Greer, who also lived in Red Bank and becameDuke Ellington's drummer in 1919, Basie switched to piano exclusively at age 15.[4] Greer and Basie played together in venues until Greer set out on his professional career. By then, Basie was playing withpickup groups for dances, resorts, and amateur shows, including Harry Richardson's "Kings of Syncopation".[8] When not playing a gig, he hung out at the local pool hall with other musicians, where he picked up on upcoming play dates and gossip. He got some jobs inAsbury Park at theJersey Shore, and played at the Hong Kong Inn until a better player took his place.[9]
Around 1920, Basie went toHarlem, a hotbed of jazz, where he lived down the block from theAlhambra Theater. Early after his arrival, he bumped intoSonny Greer, who was by then the drummer for the Washingtonians,Duke Ellington's early band.[10] Soon, Basie met many of the Harlem musicians who were "making the scene", includingWillie "the Lion" Smith andJames P. Johnson. One of his earliest gigs in Harlem was working in the band atBroadway Jones's nightclub; a job he was given by banjo playerElmer Snowden who had temporarily taken over leadership of the group while Jones was performing elsewhere.[11]
Basie toured in several acts between 1925 and 1927, includingKatie Krippen and Her Kiddies (featuring singerKatie Crippen) as part of theHippity Hop show; on theKeith, theColumbia Burlesque, and theTheater Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.)vaudeville circuits; and as a soloist and accompanist toblues singerGonzelle White as well as Crippen.[12][13] His touring took him toKansas City,St. Louis,New Orleans, andChicago. Throughout his tours, Basie met many jazz musicians, includingLouis Armstrong.[14] Before he was 20 years old, he toured extensively on the Keith and TOBA vaudeville circuits as a solo pianist, accompanist, and music director for blues singers, dancers, and comedians. This provided an early training that was to prove significant in his later career.[15]
Back in Harlem in 1925, Basie gained his first steady job at Leroy's, a place known for its piano players and its "cutting contests". The place catered to "uptown celebrities", and typically the band winged every number without sheet music using "head arrangements".[16] He metFats Waller, who was playing organ at theLincoln Theater accompanying silent movies, and Waller taught him how to play that instrument. (Basie later played organ at the Eblon Theater in Kansas City).[1] As he did with Duke Ellington, Willie "the Lion" Smith helped Basie out during the lean times by arranging gigs at "house-rent parties", introducing him to other leading musicians, and teaching him some piano technique.[17]
In 1928, Basie was inTulsa and heardWalter Page and his FamousBlue Devils, one of the firstbig bands, which featuredJimmy Rushing on vocals.[18] A few months later, he was invited to join the band, which played mostly inTexas andOklahoma. It was at this time that he began to be known as "Count" Basie (seeJazz royalty).[19]
The following year, in 1929, Basie became the pianist with theBennie Moten band based in Kansas City, inspired by Moten's ambition to raise his band to match the level of those led by Duke Ellington orFletcher Henderson.[20] Where theBlue Devils were "snappier" and more "bluesy", the Moten band was more refined and respected, playing in the "Kansas City stomp" style.[21] In addition to playing piano, Basie was co-arranger withEddie Durham, who notated the music.[22]Their "Moten Swing", which Basie claimed credit for,[23] was an invaluable contribution to the development of swing music, and at one performance at thePearl Theatre inPhiladelphia in December 1932, the theatre opened its door to allow anybody in who wanted to hear the band perform.[24] During a stay in Chicago, Basie recorded with the band. He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted.[25] The band improved with several personnel changes, including the addition of tenor saxophonistBen Webster.
When the band voted Moten out, Basie took over for several months, calling the group Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms. When his own band folded, he rejoined Moten with a newly re-organized band.[26] A year later, Basie joined Bennie Moten's band, and played with them until Moten died in 1935 from a failed tonsillectomy. The band tried to stay together but failed. Basie then formed his own nine-piece band, Barons of Rhythm, with many former Moten members including Walter Page (bass), Freddie Green (guitar),Jo Jones (drums), Lester Young (tenor saxophone) and Jimmy Rushing (vocals).
The Barons of Rhythm were regulars at the Reno Club and often performed for a live radio broadcast. During a broadcast the announcer wanted to give Basie's name some style, so he called him "Count". It positioned him withEarl Hines, as well asDuke Ellington.
Basie's new band played at the Reno Club and sometimes were broadcast on local radio. Late one night with time to fill, the band started improvising. Basie liked the results and named the piece "One O'Clock Jump".[27] According to Basie, "we hit it with therhythm section and went into theriffs, and the riffs just stuck. We set the thing up front in D-flat, and then we just went on playing in F." It became his signature tune.[28]
At the end of 1936, Basie and his band, now billed as Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm, moved from Kansas City to Chicago, where they honed their repertoire at a long engagement at theGrand Terrace Cafe.[29] Right from the start, Basie's band was known for its rhythm section. Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. When Young complained ofHerschel Evans' vibrato, Basie placed them on either side of thealto players, and soon had the tenor players engaged in "duels". Many other bands later adapted the split tenor arrangement.[30]
In that city in October 1936, the band had a recording session which the producerJohn Hammond later described as "the only perfect, completely perfect recording session I've ever had anything to do with".[31] Hammond first heard Basie's band on the radio and went to Kansas City to check them out.[32] He invited them to record, in performances which were Lester Young's earliest recordings. Those four sides were released onVocalion Records under the band name of Jones-Smith Incorporated; the sides were "Shoe Shine Boy", "Evening", "Boogie Woogie", and "Oh Lady Be Good". After Vocalion became a subsidiary ofColumbia Records in 1938, "Boogie Woogie" was released in 1941 as part of a four-record compilation album entitledBoogie Woogie (Columbia album C44).[33] When he made the Vocalion recordings, Basie had already signed withDecca Records, but did not have his first recording session with them until January 1937.[34]
By then, Basie's sound was characterized by a "jumping" beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. His personnel around 1937 included: Lester Young and Herschel Evans (tenor sax),Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums),Walter Page (bass),Earle Warren (alto sax),Buck Clayton andHarry Edison (trumpet),Benny Morton andDickie Wells (trombone).[35] Lester Young, known as "Prez" by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. He called Basie "Holy Man", "Holy Main", and just plain "Holy".[36]
Basie favoredblues, and he would showcase some of the most notable blues singers of the era after he went to New York:Billie Holiday,Jimmy Rushing,Big Joe Turner,Helen Humes, andJoe Williams. He also hired arrangers who knew how to maximize the band's abilities, such asEddie Durham andJimmy Mundy.
When Basie took his orchestra to New York in 1937, they made the Woodside Hotel in Harlem their base (they often rehearsed in its basement).[37] Soon, they were booked at theRoseland Ballroom for the Christmas show. Basie recalled a review, which said something like, "We caught the great Count Basie band which is supposed to be so hot he was going to come in here and set the Roseland on fire. Well, the Roseland is still standing".[38] Compared to the reigning band ofFletcher Henderson, Basie's band lacked polish and presentation.[39]
The producer John Hammond continued to advise and encourage the band, and they soon came up with some adjustments, including softer playing, more solos, and more standards. They paced themselves to save their hottest numbers for later in the show, to give the audience a chance to warm up.[40] His first official recordings forDecca followed, under contract to agent MCA, including "Pennies from Heaven" and "Honeysuckle Rose".[41]
Hammond introduced Basie toBillie Holiday, whom he invited to sing with the band. (Holiday did not record with Basie, as she had her own record contract and preferred working with small combos).[42] The band's first appearance at the Apollo Theater followed, with the vocalists Holiday andJimmy Rushing getting the most attention.[43] Durham returned to help with arranging and composing, but for the most part, the orchestra worked out its numbers in rehearsal, with Basie guiding the proceedings. There were often no musical notations made. Once the musicians found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their "head arrangements" andcollective memory.[44]
Next, Basie played at theSavoy, which was noted more forlindy-hopping, while the Roseland was a place forfox-trots andcongas.[45] In early 1938, theSavoy was the meeting ground for a "battle of the bands" withChick Webb's group. Basie had Holiday, and Webb countered with the singerElla Fitzgerald. AsMetronome magazine proclaimed, "Basie's Brilliant Band Conquers Chick's"; the article described the evening:
Throughout the fight, which never let down in its intensity during the whole fray, Chick took the aggressive, with the Count playing along easily and, on the whole, more musically scientifically. Undismayed by Chick's forceful drum beating, which sent the audience into shouts of encouragement and appreciation and casual beads of perspiration to drop from Chick's brow onto the brass cymbals, the Count maintained an attitude of poise and self-assurance. He constantly parried Chick's thundering haymakers with tantalizing runs and arpeggios which teased more and more force from his adversary.[46]
The publicity over the big band battle, before and after, gave the Basie band a boost and wider recognition. Soon after,Benny Goodman recorded their signature "One O'Clock Jump" with his band.[47]
A few months later, Holiday left forArtie Shaw's band. Hammond introducedHelen Humes, whom Basie hired; she stayed with Basie for four years.[48] WhenEddie Durham left forGlenn Miller's orchestra, he was replaced byDicky Wells. Basie's 14-man band began playing at theFamous Door, a mid-town nightspot with aCBS network feed andair conditioning, which Hammond was said to have bought the club in return for their booking Basie steadily throughout the summer of 1938. Their fame took a huge leap.[49] Adding to their play book, Basie received arrangements fromJimmy Mundy (who had also worked with Benny Goodman andEarl Hines), particularly for "Cherokee", "Easy Does It", and "Super Chief".[50] In 1939, Basie and his band made a major cross-country tour, including their firstWest Coast dates. A few months later, Basie quit MCA and signed with theWilliam Morris Agency, who got them better fees.[51]
On February 19, 1940, Count Basie and his Orchestra opened a four-week engagement atSouthland in Boston, and they broadcast over the radio on February 20.[52]On the West Coast, in 1942 the band did a spot inReveille With Beverly, a musical film starringAnn Miller, and a "Command Performance" forArmed Forces Radio, with Hollywood starsClark Gable,Bette Davis,Carmen Miranda,Jerry Colonna, and the singerDinah Shore.[53] Other minor movie spots followed, includingChoo Choo Swing,Crazy House,Top Man,Stage Door Canteen, andHit Parade of 1943.[54] They also continued to record for OKeh Records and Columbia Records.[55] The war years caused a lot of members turn over, and the band worked many play dates with lower pay. Dance hall bookings were down sharply asswing began to fade, the effects of themusicians' strikes of 1942–44 and 1948 began to be felt, and the public's taste grew forsingers.
Basie occasionally lost some key soloists. However, throughout the 1940s, he maintained a big band that possessed an infectious rhythmic beat, an enthusiastic team spirit, and a long list of inspired and talented jazz soloists.[56]
Count Basie was the featured artist at the first Cavalcade of Jazz concert held atWrigley Field on September 23, 1945, which was produced byLeon Hefflin Sr.[57] Al Jarvis was the Emcee and other artists to appear on stage wereJoe Liggins and his Honeydrippers,The Peters Sisters,Slim and Bam,Valaida Snow, andBig Joe Turner.[58] They played to a crowd of 15,000. Count Basie and his Orchestra played at the tenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert also atWrigley Field on June 20, 1954. He played along withThe Flairs,Christine Kittrell, Lamp Lighters,Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five,Ruth Brown, andPerez Prado and his Orchestra.[59]
The big band era appeared to have ended after the war, and Basie disbanded the group. For a while, he performed in combos, sometimes stretched to an orchestra. In 1950, he headlined theUniversal-International short film"Sugar Chile" Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet. He reformed his group as a 16-piece orchestra in 1952. This group was eventually called the New Testament band. Basie creditedBilly Eckstine, a top male vocalist of the time, for prompting his return to Big Band. He said thatNorman Granz got them into theBirdland club and promoted the new band through recordings on theMercury,Clef, andVerve labels.[60] By 1956, Basie's recordings were also showcased byBen Selvin within theRCA Thesaurus transcription library.[61] Thejukebox era had begun, and Basie shared the exposure along with earlyrock'n'roll andrhythm and blues artists. Basie's new band was more of an ensemble group, with fewer solo turns, and relying less on "head" and more on written arrangements.
Basie added touches ofbebop "so long as it made sense", and he required that "it all had to have feeling". Basie's band was sharing Birdland with such bebop musicians asCharlie Parker,Dizzy Gillespie, andMiles Davis. Behind the occasional bebop solos, he always kept his strict rhythmic pulse, "so it doesn't matter what they do up front; the audience gets the beat".[62] Basie also addedflute to some numbers, a novelty at the time that became widely copied.[63] Soon, his band was touring and recording again. The new band included: Paul Campbell,Tommy Turrentine,Johnny Letman,Idrees Sulieman, andJoe Newman (trumpet); Jimmy Wilkins,Benny Powell,Matthew Gee (trombone);Paul Quinichette andFloyd "Candy" Johnson (tenor sax);Frank Wess (tenor sax and flute);Marshal Royal andErnie Wilkins (alto sax); andCharlie Fowlkes (baritone sax).[64]DownBeat magazine reported: "(Basie) has managed to assemble an ensemble that can thrill both the listener who remembers 1938 and the youngster who has never before heard a big band like this."[65] In 1957, Basie sued the jazz venue Ball and Chain in Miami over outstanding fees, causing the closure of the venue.[66]
In 1958, the band made its first European tour. Jazz was especially appreciated in France, The Netherlands, and Germany in the 1950s; these countries were the stomping grounds for manyexpatriate American jazz stars who were either resurrecting their careers or sitting out the years of racial divide in the United States.Neal Hefti began to provide arrangements, including "Li'l Darlin'". By the mid-1950s, Basie's band had become one of the preeminent backing big bands for some of the most prominent jazz vocalists of the time. They also toured with the "Birdland Stars of 1955", whose lineup includedSarah Vaughan,Erroll Garner,Lester Young,George Shearing, andStan Getz.[67]
In 1957, Basie released the live albumCount Basie at Newport. "April in Paris" (arrangement by Wild Bill Davis) was a best-selling instrumental and the title song for the hit album.[68] The Basie band made two tours in the British Isles and on the second, they put on a command performance forQueen Elizabeth II, along withJudy Garland,Vera Lynn, andMario Lanza.[69] He was a guest onABC'sThe Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, a venue also opened to several other black entertainers. In 1959, Basie's band recorded a "greatest hits" double albumThe Count Basie Story (Frank Foster, arranger), andBasie/Eckstine Incorporated, an album featuring Billy Eckstine,Quincy Jones (as arranger) and the Count Basie Orchestra. It was released by Roulette Records, then later reissued by Capitol Records.
Later that year, Basie appeared on a television special withFred Astaire, featuring a dance solo to "Sweet Georgia Brown", followed in January 1961 by Basie performing at one of the fiveJohn F. Kennedy Inaugural Balls.[70] That summer, Basie andDuke Ellington combined forces for the recordingFirst Time! The Count Meets the Duke, each providing four numbers from their play books.[71]
During the balance of the 1960s, the band kept active with tours, recordings, television appearances, festivals,Las Vegas shows, and travel abroad, including cruises. Some time around 1964, Basie adopted his trademark yachting cap.[72]
Through steady changes in personnel, Basie led the band into the 1980s. Basie made a few more movie appearances, such as in theJerry Lewis filmCinderfella (1960) and theMel Brooks movieBlazing Saddles (1974), playing a revised arrangement of "April in Paris". In 1982 Basie and his orchestra were the featured entertainment for the 50th Anniversary celebrations of thePittsburgh Steelers at theDavid L. Lawrence Convention Center.[73]
Basie was aPrince Hall Freemason as a member of Wisdom Lodge No. 102 in Chicago as well as aShriner.[74]
Basie was a member ofOmega Psi Phi fraternity. On July 21, 1930, Basie married Vivian Lee Winn, in Kansas City, Missouri. They were divorced sometime before 1935. Some time in or before 1935, the now single Basie returned to New York City, renting a house at 111 West 138th Street, Manhattan, as evidenced by the 1940 census. He married Catherine Morgan on July 13, 1940, in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. In 1942, they moved to Queens. Their only child, Diane, was born February 6, 1944. She was born withcerebral palsy and the doctors claimed she would never walk. The couple kept her and cared deeply for her, and especially through her mother's tutelage, Diane learned not only to walk but to swim.[75] The Basies bought a home in the new whites-only neighborhood of Addisleigh Park in 1946 on Adelaide Road and 175th Street,St. Albans, Queens.[76] They moved to Freeport in the Bahamas in the 1970s.[77] His wifeCatherine Basie died of heart disease at the couple's home in Freeport on April 11,[citation needed] 1983.[77] She was 69 years old.[78]
A year later, Count Basie died ofpancreatic cancer inHollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984, at the age of 79.[1] His funeral was attended byDizzy Gillespie andQuincy Jones among others.[79] His daughter, Diane Basie, died four decades later, on October 15, 2022, of a heart attack.[80]
Basie hitched his star to some of the most famous vocalists of the 1950s and 1960s, which helped keep the Big Band sound alive and added greatly to his recording catalog. Jimmy Rushing sang with Basie in the late 1930s. Joe Williams toured with the band and was featured on the 1957 albumOne O'Clock Jump, and 1956'sCount Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings, with "Every Day (I Have the Blues)" becoming a huge hit. With Billy Eckstine on the albumBasie/Eckstine Incorporated, in 1959.Ella Fitzgerald made some memorable recordings with Basie, including the 1963 albumElla and Basie!. With the New Testament Basie band in full swing, and arrangements written by a youthfulQuincy Jones, this album proved a swinging respite from herSongbook recordings and constant touring she did during this period. She even toured with the Basie Orchestra in the mid-1970s, and Fitzgerald and Basie also met on the 1979 albumsA Classy Pair,Digital III at Montreux, andA Perfect Match, the last two also recorded live at Montreux. In addition toQuincy Jones, Basie was using arrangers such asBenny Carter(Kansas City Suite),Neal Hefti(The Atomic Mr Basie), andSammy Nestico(Basie-Straight Ahead).
Frank Sinatra recorded for the first time with Basie on 1962'sSinatra-Basie and for a second studio album on 1964'sIt Might as Well Be Swing, which was arranged byQuincy Jones. Jones also arranged and conducted 1966's liveSinatra at the Sands which featured Sinatra with Count Basie and his orchestra stayed at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas at Sinatra's request. In May 1970, Sinatra performed in London'sRoyal Festival Hall with the Basie orchestra, in a charity benefit for theNational Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Sinatra later said of this concert "I have a funny feeling that those two nights could have been my finest hour, really. It went so well; it was so thrilling and exciting".[81]
Basie also recorded withTony Bennett in the late 1950s. Their albums together includedIn Person andStrike Up the Band. Basie also toured with Bennett, including a date atCarnegie Hall. He also recorded withSammy Davis Jr.,Bing Crosby, andSarah Vaughan. One of Basie's biggest regrets was never recording withLouis Armstrong, though they shared the same bill several times.[82] In 1968, Basie and his Band recorded an album withJackie Wilson titledManufacturers of Soul.[83]
Count Basie introduced several generations of listeners to the Big Band sound and left an influential catalog. Basie is remembered by many who worked for him as being considerate of musicians and their opinions, modest, relaxed, fun-loving, dryly witty, and always enthusiastic about his music.[84] In his autobiography, he wrote, "I think the band can reallyswing when it swingseasy, when it can just play along like you are cutting butter."[85]
Count Basie made most of his albums with his big band. See theCount Basie Orchestra Discography.
From 1929 to 1932, Basie was part ofBennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra:
WithHarry Edison
WithBenny Goodman
WithJo Jones
WithJoe Newman
WithPaul Quinichette
WithLester Young
In 1958, Basie became the first African-American to win a Grammy Award.[91]
| Count BasieGrammy Award history[92] | ||||
| Year | Category | Title | Genre | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band | 88 Basie Street | Jazz | Winner |
| 1982 | Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band | Warm Breeze | Jazz | Winner |
| 1980 | Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band | On The Road | Jazz | Winner |
| 1977 | Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band | Prime Time | Jazz | Winner |
| 1976 | Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist (Instrumental) | Basie And Zoot | Jazz | Winner |
| 1963 | Best Performance by an Orchestra – For Dancing | This Time By Basie! Hits of the 50's And 60's | Pop | Winner |
| 1960 | Best Performance by a Band For Dancing | Dance With Basie | Pop | Winner |
| 1958 | Best Performance by a Dance Band | Basie (The Atomic Mr. Basie) | Pop | Winner |
| 1958 | Best Jazz Performance, Group | Basie (The Atomic Mr. Basie) | Jazz | Winner |
By 2011, four recordings of Count Basie had been inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame, a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."
| Count Basie Grammy Hall of Fame Awards[93] | ||||
| Year recorded | Title | genre | Label | Year inducted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Lester Leaps In | Jazz (Single) | Vocalion | 2005 |
| 1955 | Everyday (I Have the Blues) | Jazz (Single) | Clef | 1992 |
| 1955 | April in Paris | Jazz (Single) | Clef | 1985 |
| 1937 | One O'Clock Jump | Jazz (Single) | Decca | 1979 |
On May 23, 1985, William "Count" Basie was presented, posthumously, with thePresidential Medal of Freedom by PresidentRonald Reagan. The award was received by Aaron Woodward.
On September 11, 1996, theU.S. Post Office issued a Count Basie 32 cents postage stamp. Basie is a part of the Big Band Leaders issue, which, is in turn, part of the Legends of American Music series.
In 2009, Basie was inducted into theNew Jersey Hall of Fame.[94]
In May 2019, Basie was inducted into theBlues Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Memphis, TN, presented by TheBlues Foundation.
| Count Basie award history | ||||
| Year | Category | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Blues Hall of Fame | Inducted | ||
| 2007 | Long Island Music Hall of Fame | Inducted | ||
| 2005 | Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame | Inducted | ||
| 2002 | Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | Winner | ||
| 1983 | NEA Jazz Masters | Winner | ||
| 1981 | Grammy Trustees Award | Winner | ||
| 1981 | Kennedy Center Honors | Honoree | ||
| 1982 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honoree | at 6508 Hollywood Blvd. | |
| 1970 | Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia | Initiated | Mu Nu Chapter | |
| 1958 | Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame | Inducted | ||
In 2005, Count Basie's song "One O'Clock Jump" (1937) was included by theNational Recording Preservation Board in theLibrary of CongressNational Recording Registry.[95] The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Toward the end of 1937, Ella moved again, this time to the Woodside Hotel at 2424 Seventh Avenue at 142nd Street, to be close to Jo Jones, the drummer from the Count Basie band. The band had recently hit town and was playing the Roseland Ballroom, and most of its members were staying at the Woodside...
his wife Catherine... died in April.... The family moved from their home in St. Alban's NY to Freeport in the early 1970s.
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