Frederick William Green (March 31, 1911 – March 1, 1987) was an American swing jazz guitarist. He worked as a rhythm guitarist for the Count Basie Orchestra for nearly 50 years.

Early life and education

Freddie Green was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 31, 1911. He heard music when he was very young and learned to play the banjo first, then the guitar when he was a teenager.

A friend of Freddie’s father named Sam Walker taught Freddie how to read music and encouraged him to keep practicing the guitar. Walker gave Freddie his first job playing music with a local community group that Walker helped organize. Another member of the group was William "Cat" Anderson, who later became a well-known trumpeter and worked with famous musicians like Duke Ellington.

Career

Freddie Green's parents passed away around this time, and he moved to New York City to live with his aunt and continue his schooling. This move introduced Freddie to new musical opportunities. While still a teenager, he began playing music in city clubs, earning money and gaining recognition. During one of these performances, he was noticed by the famous talent scout John H. Hammond, who saw Green's potential and introduced him to Count Basie.

In 1937, Basie and his group attended one of Green's performances at the recommendation of a friend. Basie became an instant fan and offered Green a job. Except for a short break, Freddie Green remained a key member of the Count Basie Band for the next fifty years.

Throughout his career, Green played rhythm guitar, supporting other musicians, and usually did not play solos. As Ralph Denyer wrote, "His excellent timing and smooth use of harmony helped make rhythm guitar an important part of every music group." Green did play a solo during the January 16, 1938, Carnegie Hall concert featuring the Benny Goodman big band. During a jam session on Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose," Green was the rhythm guitarist for a group that included Basie, Walter Page (Basie's bassist), and musicians from Duke Ellington's band. After Johnny Hodges' solo, Goodman signaled for Green to play his own solo. Turk Van Lake, who commented on the reissued 1938 Carnegie Hall concert, described this moment as a "startling move."

Green changed chords quickly, sometimes with each beat. He often used all four strings of his guitar with his fingers, pressing only some of the notes. He used his left hand to mute the notes that were not played. His style on his Stromberg guitar influenced Ralph Patt's big-band playing.

Green was not known for writing many songs, but he contributed two important pieces to Count Basie's music: "Down for Double" (recorded in 1941) and "Corner Pocket" (recorded for the album April in Paris in 1955).

On March 1, 1987, Green died of a heart attack in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 75.