Black History_Count Basie

BLACK HISTORY

AUGUST 2015

Basie saw this as a crucial moment in his career since he was beginning to be introduced to a big band sound for the first time. Later in his career he worked for a band led by Bennie Motten for several years. When Motten died suddenly in 1935, the band continued under Buster Motten, but Basie left soon after the occurrence.

Basie created a smaller music group consisting of nine musicians in that same year. During a radio broadcast of one of Basie’s band’s performances, the announcer wanted to give his name some liveliness, keeping in mind other bandleaders existences like Duke Ellington and Earl Hines.

So he called the pianist "Count," without Basie realizing just how quickly the name would catch on as a form of recognition and respect in the world of music. After this occurred,

THE LEGACY OF:

ount Basie was born on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank, New Jersey.

He played vaudeville as a pianist before creating his own band and defining what was known as the “Swing Era”. Count made several hits from songs like “One O’Clock Jump” and "Blue Skies”. In 1928 He went on to join Walter Page's Blue Devils.

COUNT BASIE

Count Basie's band continued to perform radio broadcasts. In 1936 the group's radio broadcasts led to contracts with Decca Record Company and a national booking agency. Within a year the contract had expanded and the Count Basie Orchestra had become one of the leading bands of the swinging era. Eventually, the band became internationally famous by the end of the 1930s with pieces like Jumpin’ at the Woodside and Taxi War Dance.

Basie was forced to decrease the size of his orchestra due to changing fortunes in the early 1950s. He made a comeback two years later with an even bigger band and made several new hits with vocalist Joe Williams and became a figure internationally. Another big leap came along in 1956 with the release of their album April in Paris.

Basie had created a trendy type of ending that became a signature for the band. Basie recorded with luminaries like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Jackie Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson during the 1960s and '70s.

Basie was forced to decrease the size of his orchestra due to changing fortunes in the early 1950s. He made a comeback two years later with an even bigger band and made several new hits with vocalist Joe Williams and became a figure internationally. Another big leap

came along in 1956 with the release of their album April in Paris. Basie had created a trendy type of ending that became a signature for the band. Basie recorded with luminaries like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Jackie Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson during the 1960s and '70s. Basie ultimately earned nine Grammy Awards throughout his career, but he made history when he won his first, in 1958, as the first African-American man to receive a Grammy. A few of his songs were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as well, including "April in Paris" and "Every day I Have the Blues."

Count Basie died on April 26, 1984 in Hollywood, Florida, leaving nothing but his legacy and the large amount of albums he had released in his lifetime. Basie had health problems in his later years leading up to his death but ultimately died from cancer.

SOURCE: http://www.biography.com/people/count-basie-9201255

SOURCE: http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_basie_count.htm

SOURCE: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/count-basie-mn0000127044/biography

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Research by: Masai M. Heard