Count Basie on stage on Oct. 25, 1980 in Dusseldorf, Germany. (AP Photo)
Legendary bandleader, composer, and jazz pianist William “Count” Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, on Aug. 21, 1904.
As a young man, Basie toured the Vaudeville circuit as a solo pianist and music director. He would go on to record alongside legends including Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.
American singer Frank Sinatra throws his arm around the shoulders of American bandleader Count Basie on May 7, 1970, at the Festival Hall on South Bank in London, England, before the start of a charity concert given by Frank Sinatra in aid of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Alexandra Rose Day. (AP Photo/Robert Dear)Count Basie, one of the jazz greats, conducts the Newport Jazz festival at Carnegie Hall in New York in April 26, 1982. (AP Photo)
He is perhaps best known for his 1937 hit, “One O’Clock Jump,” which helped solidify his status as one of the great band leaders in the big band and swing genres.
Basie also recorded with Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., and Sarah Vaughan.
In 1984, at the age of 79, he passed away from pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida.
Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC.
