William James "Count" Basie (pronounced /ˈbeɪsi/; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he created the Count Basie Orchestra. In 1936, he took the group to Chicago for a long performance and their first recording. He led the orchestra for nearly 50 years and introduced new ideas, such as using two tenor saxophones that played different parts, focusing on the rhythm section, repeating short musical phrases with a big band, hiring arrangers to expand their sound, and using a simple style of piano playing.

Many musicians became famous while working with him, including tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison, plunger trombonist Al Grey, and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Dennis Rowland, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams.

As a composer, Basie wrote well-known jazz songs such as "Blue and Sentimental," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," and "One O'Clock Jump."

Biography

William Basie was born on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank, New Jersey, to Lillian (Childs) and Harvey Lee Basie. His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. Later, after horses were replaced by cars, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several wealthy families. Both of his parents had some musical experience. His father played the mellophone, and his mother played the piano. She gave Basie his first piano lessons. She earned money by doing laundry and selling cakes. She paid 25 cents for each piano lesson Basie received.

Basie was the best student in school, but he dreamed of traveling, inspired by carnivals that came to his town. He finished junior high school but spent much time at the Palace Theater in Red Bank. He did chores there to get free tickets to performances. He quickly learned to make up music that fit the acts and silent movies.

Although he was very good at the piano, Basie preferred drums. He was discouraged by the talent of Sonny Greer, a drummer who lived in Red Bank and later joined Duke Ellington’s band in 1919. Because of this, Basie switched to piano at age 15. Greer and Basie played together until Greer began his professional career. After that, Basie played with small groups for dances, resorts, and amateur shows, including Harry Richardson’s “Kings of Syncopation.” When not performing, he hung out at a local pool hall with other musicians, where he learned about upcoming events and shared news. He got jobs in Asbury Park at the Jersey Shore and played at the Hong Kong Inn until a better musician took his place.

Around 1920, Basie moved to Harlem, a center for jazz music, where he lived near the Alhambra Theater. Soon after arriving, he met Sonny Greer, who was then the drummer for the Washingtonians, Duke Ellington’s early band. In Harlem, Basie met other famous musicians, including Willie “the Lion” Smith and James P. Johnson. His first job in Harlem was working in the band at Broadway Jones’s nightclub, a position given to him by Elmer Snowden, who temporarily led the group while Jones was away.

Before he turned 20, Basie toured widely on the Keith and TOBA vaudeville circuits as a solo pianist, accompanist, and music director for blues singers, dancers, and comedians. This experience helped prepare him for his future career.

In 1925, Basie returned to Harlem and got his first steady job at Leroy’s, a place known for its piano players and competitions called “cutting contests.” The venue catered to famous people, and the band played songs from memory without sheet music. He met Fats Waller, who played the organ at the Lincoln Theater, and Waller taught him how to play that instrument. Basie later played the organ at the Eblon Theater in Kansas City. Willie “the Lion” Smith helped Basie during difficult times by arranging gigs at “house-rent parties,” introducing him to other musicians, and teaching him piano techniques.

Between 1925 and 1927, Basie toured with several acts, including Katie Krippen and Her Kiddies as part of the Hippity Hop show, and as a soloist and accompanist for blues singer Gonzelle White. His tours took him to Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Chicago. During these trips, he met many jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong. In 1928, Basie heard Walter Page and his Famous Blue Devils, one of the first big bands, in Tulsa. A few months later, he joined the band, which performed mostly in Texas and Oklahoma. Around this time, he began being called “Count” Basie.

In 1929, Basie became the pianist for the Bennie Moten band in Kansas City, inspired by Moten’s goal to match the quality of bands led by Duke Ellington or Fletcher Henderson. The Moten band was more refined than the Blue Devils, playing in the “Kansas City stomp” style. Basie worked with Eddie Durham to arrange music, and their piece “Moten Swing” was an important contribution to swing music. In 1932, the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia opened its doors to let anyone attend a performance by the band. During a stay in Chicago, Basie recorded with the band. He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted. The band improved with changes in members, including the addition of tenor saxophonist Ben Webster.

After Moten was removed from leadership, Basie took over for a few months, calling the group Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms. When his band dissolved, he rejoined Moten with a reorganized group. A year later, Basie joined Moten’s band again and played with them until Moten died in 1935 from a failed tonsillectomy. The band tried to continue but failed. Basie then formed his own nine-piece band, Barons of Rhythm, with many former Moten members, including Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums), Lester Young (tenor saxophone), and Jimmy Rushing (vocals).

The Barons of Rhythm regularly performed at the Reno Club and were often broadcast on radio. During a broadcast, the announcer called Basie “Count” to give his name more style, linking him to Earl Hines and Duke Ellington.

Basie’s new band played at the Reno Club and sometimes performed on local radio. One night, with time to fill, the band started improvising. Basie liked the result and named the piece “One O’Clock Jump.” He described the piece as beginning with the rhythm section and moving into riffs, which became his signature tune.

At the end of 1936, Basie and his band, now called Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm, moved from Kansas City to Chicago. They improved their performances during a long engagement at the Grand Terrace Cafe. Basie’s band was known for its strong rhythm section and for using two tenor saxophone players, a practice that other bands later adopted.

In October 1936, the band had a recording session that producer John Hammond later called “the only perfect recording session I’ve ever had anything to do with.” Hammond first heard Basie’s band on the radio and invited them to record. The recordings included Lester Young’s earliest performances and were released under the name Jones-Smith Incorporated. These tracks were “Shoe Shine Boy,” “Evening,” “Boogie Woogie,” and “Oh Lady Be Good.” After Vocalion Records became part of Columbia Records in 1938, “Boogie Woogie” was released in 1941 as part of a compilation album. By then, Basie had already signed with Decca Records but did not have his first recording session with them until January 1937.

At this point, Basie’s music was known for its lively beat and the unique accents in his playing style.

Marriage, family and death

Count Basie was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. On July 21, 1930, he married Vivian Lee Winn in Kansas City, Missouri. They divorced before 1935. Before 1935, Basie returned to New York City and rented a house at 111 West 138th Street, Manhattan, as shown in the 1940 census. He married Catherine Morgan on July 13, 1940, at the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. In 1942, they moved to Queens. Their only child, Diane, was born on February 6, 1944, with a condition called cerebral palsy. 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. They moved to Freeport in the Bahamas in the 1970s. His wife, Catherine Basie, died of heart disease at their home in Freeport on April 11, 1983. She was 69 years old. A year later, Count Basie died of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984, at the age of 79. His funeral was attended by Dizzy Gillespie and Quincy Jones among others. His daughter, Diane Basie, died four decades later, on October 15, 2022, from a heart attack.

Singers

Count Basie worked with many famous singers during the 1950s and 1960s, which helped keep the Big Band music style popular and added many songs to his recordings. Jimmy Rushing sang with Basie in the late 1930s. Joe Williams performed with Basie’s band and was on the 1957 album One O'Clock Jump and the 1956 album Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings, where the song "Every Day (I Have the Blues)" became very popular. Billy Eckstine joined Basie for the 1959 album Basie/Eckstine Incorporated. Ella Fitzgerald recorded memorable songs with Basie, including the 1963 album Ella and Basie!. With the New Testament Basie band and arrangements by young Quincy Jones, this album offered a lively break from Fitzgerald’s other work during this time. She also toured with the Basie Orchestra in the mid-1970s and recorded with Basie on the 1979 albums A Classy Pair, Digital III at Montreux, and A Perfect Match, the last two of which were recorded live at Montreux. Quincy Jones was not the only arranger Basie used; others included Benny Carter (Kansas City Suite), Neal Hefti (The Atomic Mr. Basie), and Sammy Nestico (Basie-Straight Ahead).

Frank Sinatra first recorded with Basie on the 1962 album Sinatra-Basie and again on the 1964 album It Might as Well Be Swing, which Quincy Jones arranged. Jones also arranged and conducted the 1966 live album Sinatra at the Sands, where Sinatra performed with Basie and his orchestra at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. In May 1970, Sinatra performed in London’s Royal Festival Hall with the Basie Orchestra for a charity event supporting the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Sinatra later said, "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."

Basie also recorded with Tony Bennett in the late 1950s. Their albums included In Person and Strike Up the Band, and they toured together, including a performance at Carnegie Hall. Basie also recorded with Sammy Davis Jr., Bing Crosby, and Sarah Vaughan. One of Basie’s biggest regrets was never recording with Louis Armstrong, even though they performed together on the same stage several times. In 1968, Basie and his band recorded an album with Jackie Wilson titled Manufacturers of Soul.

Legacy and honors

Count Basie introduced many people to the Big Band sound and created a lasting collection of music. Musicians who worked with him often described him as kind, respectful of others' ideas, modest, calm, playful, and full of humor. In his autobiography, he wrote, "I think the band can really swing when it plays easily, like cutting butter."

• In Red Bank, New Jersey, the Count Basie Theatre, a building on Monmouth Street that was changed to host live performances, and Count Basie Field were named in his honor.
• He received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 1974.
• Mechanic Street, where he grew up with his family, was renamed Count Basie Way.
• In 2009, Edgecombe Avenue and 160th Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan, were renamed Paul Robeson Boulevard and Count Basie Place. The corner is the location of 555 Edgecombe Avenue, also known as the Paul Robeson Home, a National Historic Landmark where Count Basie also lived.
• In 2010, Basie was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
• In October 2013, version 3.7 of WordPress was named Count Basie.
• In 2019, Basie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
• Asteroid 35394 Countbasie, discovered by astronomers at Caussols in 1997, was named after him. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on November 8, 2019 (M.P.C. 118220).
• 6508 Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood, California, is the location of Count Basie's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Representation in other media

• Jerry Lewis used the song "Blues in Hoss' Flat" from Count Basie's album Chairman of the Board as the inspiration for his performance in the movie The Errand Boy.
• The song "Blues in Hoss' Flat," written by Frank Foster, a member of Basie's band, was used as the theme song by radio DJ Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins in San Francisco and New York.
• In the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Brenda Fricker's character, the "Pigeon Lady," says she heard Count Basie perform at Carnegie Hall.
• Drummer Neil Peart of the Canadian band Rush recorded a version of "One O'Clock Jump" with the Buddy Rich Big Band. He played this song at the end of his drum performances during the 2002 Vapor Trails Tour and Rush's 30th Anniversary Tour.
• Since 1963, the song "The Kid From Red Bank" has been the theme song and special music for the popular Norwegian radio show Reiseradioen, which airs on NRK P1 every day during the summer.
• In the 2016 movie The Matchbreaker, Emily Atkins (played by Christina Grimmie) tells the story of how Count Basie met his wife three times without speaking to her. He told her during their first meeting that he would marry her someday, and they married seven years later.
• The post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance has a song called "Count Bassy" on their 2018 album Artificial Selection.
• In his novel This Storm, James Ellroy includes Count Basie as a character who is blackmailed by corrupt Los Angeles police officers. They force him to play a New Year's Eve concert in exchange for not charging him with a marijuana offense.

Discography

Count Basie recorded most of his music with his big band. View the list of recordings by the Count Basie Orchestra.

From 1929 to 1932, Basie was a member of Bennie Moten’s Kansas City Orchestra:

• Count Basie in Kansas City: Bennie Moten's Great Band of 1930-1932 (RCA Victor, 1965)
• Basie Beginnings: Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra (1929–1932) (Bluebird/RCA, 1989)
• The Swinging Count! (Clef, 1952)
• Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman (Roulette, 1958)
• The Atomic Mr. Basie (Roulette, 1958)
• Memories Ad-Lib with Joe Williams (Roulette, 1958)
• Basie/Eckstine Incorporated with Billy Eckstine (Roulette, 1959)
• String Along with Basie (Roulette, 1960)
• Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 (Impulse!, 1962)
• Basie Swingin' Voices Singin' with the Alan Copeland Singers (ABC-Paramount, 1966)
• Basie Meets Bond (United Artists, 1966)
• Basie's Beatle Bag (Verve, 1966)
• Basie on the Beatles (Happy Tiger, 1970)
• Loose Walk with Roy Eldridge (Pablo, 1972)
• Basie Jam (Pablo, 1973)
• The Bosses with Big Joe Turner (1973)
• For the First Time (Pablo, 1974)
• Satch and Josh with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1974)
• Basie & Zoot with Zoot Sims (Pablo, 1975)
• Count Basie Jam Session at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1975 (Pablo, 1975)
• For the Second Time (Pablo, 1975)
• Basie Jam 2 (Pablo, 1976)
• Basie Jam 3 (Pablo, 1976)
• Kansas City 5 (Pablo, 1977)
• The Gifted Ones with Dizzy Gillespie (Pablo, 1977)
• Montreux '77 (Pablo, 1977)
• Basie Jam: Montreux '77 (Pablo, 1977)
• Satch and Josh…Again with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1977)
• Night Rider with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1978)
• Count Basie Meets Oscar Peterson – The Timekeepers (Pablo, 1978)
• Yessir, That's My Baby with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1978)
• Kansas City 8: Get Together (Pablo, 1979)
• Kansas City 7 (Pablo, 1980)
• On the Road (Pablo, 1980)
• Kansas City 6 (Pablo, 1981)
• Mostly Blues…and Some Others (Pablo, 1983)
• 88 Basie Street (Pablo, 1983)

With Eddie Lockjaw Davis:
• Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman (Roulette, 1957)
• Edison's Lights (Pablo, 1976)

With other musicians:
• The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (Columbia, 1939)
• Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian (Columbia, 1939)
• Jo Jones Special (Vanguard, 1955)
• Joe Newman and the Boys in the Band (Storyville, 1954)

With Paul Quinichette:
• The Vice Pres (Verve, 1952)
• The Complete Savoy Recordings (Savoy, 1944)

Filmography

• Policy Man (1938)
• Hit Parade of 1943 (1943) – appearing as himself
• Top Man (1943) – appearing as himself
• Sugar Chile Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet (1950) – appearing as himself
• Jamboree (1957)
• Cinderfella (1960) – appearing as himself
• Sex and the Single Girl (1964) – appearing as himself with his orchestra
• Blazing Saddles (1974) – appearing as himself with his orchestra
• Last of the Blue Devils (1979) – an interview and a concert performed by the orchestra in a documentary about Kansas City music

Awards

In 1958, Count Basie became the first African-American to win a Grammy Award.

By 2011, four recordings by Count Basie had been added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. This special award was created in 1973 to recognize recordings that are at least 25 years old and are important because of their quality or history.

On May 23, 1985, William "Count" Basie was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. This honor was received by Aaron Woodward on Basie’s behalf.

On September 11, 1996, the U.S. Post Office released a 32-cent postage stamp featuring Count Basie. The stamp is part of the Big Band Leaders collection, which belongs to the Legends of American Music series.

In 2009, Count Basie was added to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

In May 2019, Basie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Memphis, TN. The event was organized by The Blues Foundation.

In 2005, Count Basie’s song "One O’Clock Jump" (1937) was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry by the National Recording Preservation Board. The board chooses songs each year that are important for their culture, history, or artistic value.