John Beasley (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Beasley
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Rule Beasley |
| Born | October 10, 1958 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano, keyboards |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Windham Hill, Resonance, Mack Avenue Records |
| Associated acts | Sergio Mendes, Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis |
John Rule Beasley (born October 10, 1958), known as John Beasley, is a super talented jazz pianist. He also leads bands and creates music for movies and TV shows!
Contents
John Beasley's Musical Journey
John was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and grew up in Texas. His family was full of musicians, so music was always around him!
His grandfather, Rule Oliver, played the trombone and taught music to junior high students for 50 years. John's dad, Rule Curtis Beasley, was also a music teacher and even won an award for his music in 1963. His mom, Lida Beasley, played brass instruments, led bands, and taught music too. It's clear where John got his musical talent!
John started playing piano when he was eight. But as a teenager, he tried out lots of other instruments like guitar, drums, saxophone, trumpet, and oboe.
He later returned to playing piano and jazz music. When he was twenty, he played his first big concert at Carnegie Hall. He performed with famous musicians like Hubert Laws and John Patitucci.
During the 1970s, John played jazz and R&B music in Los Angeles. He toured with the famous musician Sergio Mendes. After that, he worked as a studio musician, helping to record music for many artists. For several years, he was part of a band led by Freddie Hubbard. In 1992, John released his first album called Cauldron.
Music for TV Shows
John Beasley has also worked as a music director for many popular TV shows. This means he helps choose and arrange the music for the show.
- 2005 – American Idol (he helped with the season when Carrie Underwood won!)
- 2005 – Carly Simon A Moonlight Serenade aboard Queen Mary, PBS
- 2007 – Search for the Next Pussycat Dolls, CW
- 2012 – Duets with John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Nettles, ABC
- 2014 – Sports Illustrated Swimsuit: 50 Years of Beautiful, NBC
- 2014 – Sing Your Face Off, ABC
- 2015-2016 – American Idol, FOX
- 2016 – Jazz at the White House (he was nominated for an Emmy for his music direction!), ABC
- 2017 – International Jazz Day in Cuba, BET
Awards and Nominations
John Beasley is a very successful musician! He has been nominated for 8 Grammy Awards and has won 1! The Grammy Awards are a huge honor in the music world.
On March 14, 2021, John Beasley won a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental Or A Cappella. He won for his special arrangement of a song called "Donna Lee." His big band, MONK'estra, performed it on their album MONK'estra Plays John Beasley. He was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 2021!
Grammy Award Wins
- 2020: BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL OR A CAPPELLA - for his song Donna Lee
Grammy Award Nominations
John Beasley has also been nominated for many other Grammy Awards:
- 2020:
- BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM - Holy Room: Live At Alte Oper
- BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM - MONK'estra Plays John Beasley
- BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS - Asas Fechadas
- 2017:
- BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM - MONK'estra Vol. 2
- BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL OR A CAPPELLA - Ugly Beauty/Pannonica
- 2016:
- BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM - MONK'estra, Vol. 1
- BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL OR A CAPPELLA - Ask Me Now
- 2010:
- BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING - Positootly
