Biography of count basie
Count basie songs!
Count Basie
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Who Was Count Basie?
A pianist, Count Basie played vaudeville before eventually forming his own big band and helping to define the era of swing with hits like "One O'Clock Jump" and "Blue Skies." In , Basie became the first African American male recipient of a Grammy Award.
Biography of count basie
One of jazz music's all-time greats, he won many other Grammys throughout his career and worked with a plethora of artists, including Joe Williams and Ella Fitzgerald.
Early Life
Basie was born William James Basie (with some sources listing his middle name as "Allen") on August 21, , in Red Bank, New Jersey.
His father Harvey was a mellophonist and his mother Lillian was a pianist who gave her son his first lessons. After moving to New York, he was further influenced by James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, with Waller teaching Basie organ-playing techniques.
Barons of Rhythm
Basie played the vaudevillian circuit for a time until he got stuck in Kansas City, Mi