Louis Bellson
| Louie Bellson | |
|---|---|
From left: Louie Bellson, Cat Anderson, and Clark Terry at the Palomar Supper Club, April 19, 1952, with the Duke Ellington Orchestra; photo courtesy of Fraser MacPherson estate
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni |
| Born |
July 6, 1924 Rock Falls, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 14, 2009 (aged 84) Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Jazz, big band, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger, bandleader |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1931–2009 |
| Labels | Roulette, Concord, Pablo, Musicmasters |
| Associated acts | Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald |
Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), known by the stage name Louie Bellson (his own preferred spelling, although he is often seen in sources as Louis Bellson), was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator, and is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums.
Bellson was an internationally acclaimed artist who performed in most of the major capitals around the world. Bellson and his wife, actress and singer Pearl Bailey (married 1952–1990), had the second highest number of appearances at the White House (only Bob Hope had more). He was a vice president at Remo, a drum company. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1985.
Bellson was born in Rock Falls, Illinois, in 1924 and started playing drums at three years of age. At 15, he pioneered using two bass drums at the same time. At age 17, he triumphed over 40,000 drummers to win the Slingerland National Gene Krupa contest.
After graduating from high school, he worked with big bands throughout the 1940s, with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Duke Ellington. In 1952, he married jazz singer Pearl Bailey. During the 1950s, he played with the Dorsey Brothers, Jazz at the Philharmonic, acted as Bailey's music director, and recorded as a leader for Norgran Records and Verve Records.
Over the years, his sidemen included Ray Brown, Pete and Conte Candoli, Chuck Findley, John Heard, Roger Ingram, Don Menza, Blue Mitchell, Larry Novak, Nat Pierce, Frank Rosolino, Bobby Shew, Clark Terry, and Snooky Young.
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