Louie Bellson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louie Bellson
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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 Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni |
| Born | July 6, 1924 Rock Falls, Illinois |
| 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 |
Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009) was an amazing American jazz drummer. He was also a talented composer, who wrote music, an arranger, who adapted music for different instruments, and a bandleader. Louie Bellson is famous for being the first to use two bass drums at the same time when playing.
Louie Bellson and his wife, the famous actress and singer Pearl Bailey, were married from 1952 until her death in 1990. They performed at the White House more times than almost anyone else, second only to Bob Hope!
Bellson was also a vice president at Remo, a well-known drum company. His incredible drumming skills led him to be added to the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1985.
Contents
Biography: Louie Bellson's Life Story
Louie Bellson was born in Rock Falls, Illinois, in 1924. His father owned a music store, so Louie was around music from a very young age. He started playing drums when he was just three years old! When he was still a child, his family and the music store moved to Moline, Illinois.
When he was 15, Louie came up with a new drumming technique: using two bass drums at once. He actually thought of this idea in his high school art class! At age 17, he won a big national drumming contest, beating out 40,000 other drummers.
After finishing high school in 1942, Louie played with many famous big bands throughout the 1940s. Some of these included bands led by Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Duke Ellington. In 1952, he married jazz singer Pearl Bailey. During the 1950s, he continued to play with top musicians and even directed his wife's music.
Louie Bellson learned a lot from other great drummers like Jo Jones, Sid Catlett, and Chick Webb. He said they were his biggest influences. He also recognized how Gene Krupa helped make drums popular as a solo instrument, and how amazing Buddy Rich was.
In the 1960s, Louie returned to Ellington's orchestra for special performances. These included a stage show called My People and a very important event called A Concert of Sacred Music. Ellington himself said these concerts were "the most important thing I have ever done."
Louie Bellson also created his own sacred music. His album The Sacred Music of Louie Bellson and the Jazz Ballet came out in 2006. His wife, Francine Bellson, explained that Duke Ellington encouraged Louie to create his own sacred concert. Ellington told Louie that his drums were like the "thunder" from the beginning of the Bible.
In 1971, Louie Bellson played in a special memorial concert in London for another drummer. Later, Buddy Rich, who was often called the world's greatest drummer, asked Louie to lead his band on tour. This was a huge compliment, and Louie accepted!
Louie Bellson passed away on February 14, 2009, at 84 years old. He is buried in Moline, Illinois.
Compositions and Arrangements: Creating Music
Louie Bellson was a very busy and creative musician. He wrote and arranged hundreds of pieces of music. His works included jazz, jazz/rock, orchestral music, and even a ballet. He was also a poet and wrote song lyrics.
Besides creating music, Louie Bellson wrote more than a dozen books about drums and percussion. He was even working on a book about his own life and career, named after one of his songs, "Skin Deep." One of his pieces, "The London Suite," was performed for a huge audience in Hollywood. This piece included a choir singing lyrics that Louie himself wrote.
In 1987, Louie Bellson performed a major orchestral work called "Concerto for Jazz Drummer and Full Orchestra." This was the first time a piece was written specifically for a jazz drummer to play with a full symphony orchestra!
Drum Tutoring: Sharing His Knowledge
Louie Bellson loved to share his drumming knowledge. Throughout his career, he held many drum and band clinics at schools, colleges, and music stores. These clinics were like workshops where he taught others how to play and improve.
He kept a busy schedule, performing with big bands and small groups in clubs and concert halls. He also continued to record music and compose, creating over 100 albums and more than 300 musical pieces. Louie Bellson also helped develop new drum technology for Remo, the drum company where he was a vice-president.
In 1985, Northern Illinois University gave Louie Bellson an honorary degree. Every July, he would visit his hometown of Rock Falls, Illinois, for "Louie Bellson Heritage Days." This special weekend celebrated his birthday with music clinics and performances. At his 80th birthday event, he joked, "I'm not that old; I'm 40 in this leg, and 40 in the other leg."
Awards and Honors: Recognizing His Talent
Louie Bellson received many awards and honors for his amazing contributions to music.
He was voted into the Halls of Fame for Modern Drummer magazine in 1985 and the Percussive Arts Society in 1978. Yale University named him a Duke Ellington Fellow in 1977. He also received an honorary doctorate from Northern Illinois University in 1985.
In 1993, he performed his original concert, "Tomus I, II, III," with the Washington Civic Symphony. This large work combined a full symphony orchestra, a big band, and an 80-voice choir. The music was by Bellson, and the lyrics were by his late wife, Pearl Bailey. Louie Bellson was nominated for a Grammy Award nine times!
In January 1994, Louie Bellson received the NEA Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. This is one of the highest honors for jazz musicians in the United States.
Personal Life: Family and Relationships
On November 19, 1952, Louie Bellson married the famous American actress and singer Pearl Bailey in London. They adopted a son named Tony and a daughter named Dee Dee.
After Pearl Bailey passed away in 1990, Louie Bellson married Francine Wright in September 1992. Francine, who had studied physics and engineering at MIT, became his manager. They were married until his death.
See also
In Spanish: Louie Bellson para niños
- List of jazz arrangers
- List of music arrangers
