MUSICIAN

Count Basie

1904 - 1984

Photo of Count Basie

Icon of person Count Basie

William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, his minimalist piano style, and others. Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison, plunger trombonist Al Grey, and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Dennis Rowland, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Count Basie is the 397th most popular musician (down from 329th in 2019), the 2,349th most popular biography from United States (down from 1,832nd in 2019) and the 109th most popular American Musician.

Count Basie is most famous for his work with the Count Basie Orchestra. He was a jazz pianist and bandleader who led one of the most popular jazz orchestras in the United States.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Count Basie by language

Loading...

Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Count Basie ranks 397 out of 3,175. Before him are Djivan Gasparyan, John Phillips, Stig Anderson, Dionisio Aguado y García, Ton Koopman, and Willi Boskovsky. After him are Tony Levin, Peter Criss, Liberace, Léo Ferré, Steve Hackett, and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1904, Count Basie ranks 77. Before him are María Zambrano, Viktor Brack, Minoru Genda, Georges Canguilhem, Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i, and Isamu Noguchi. After him are Arshile Gorky, Ralph Bellamy, Lyudmila Rudenko, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, José Antonio Aguirre, and Edmund Veesenmayer. Among people deceased in 1984, Count Basie ranks 62. Before him are Josyf Slipyj, Yigael Yadin, Hans Speidel, Pavel Batitsky, Pierre Gemayel, and Chaïm Perelman. After him are Mark W. Clark, Raoul Salan, Joseph Losey, George Gaylord Simpson, Marcel Janco, and Fikret Amirov.

Others Born in 1904

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1984

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Count Basie ranks 2,349 out of 20,380. Before him are Ashton Kutcher (1978), Ricky Nelson (1940), Eazy-E (1964), Thomas J. Watson (1874), Amy Coney Barrett (1972), and Ronald Lauder (1944). After him are Jesse Douglas (1897), Clement Greenberg (1909), Ken Wilber (1949), Michael Bay (1965), Paul Schrader (1946), and Tony Levin (1946).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Count Basie ranks 109. Before him are Dave Mustaine (1961), Robby Krieger (1946), Michael McDonald (1952), Johnny Ramone (1948), Steve Vai (1960), and John Phillips (1935). After him are Tony Levin (1946), Peter Criss (1945), Liberace (1919), Wayne Shorter (1933), Art Tatum (1909), and David Ellefson (1964).

American born Musicians

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous