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{{Short description|American jazz musician and composer (1904–1984)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name                = Count Basie
| image               = Count Basie (1955 Kriegsmann portrait - square crop).jpg
| alt                 = Posed photo of a man with short hair and a short mustache, wearing a suit, seated at a grand piano with his hands on the keys
| caption             = Basie at the piano; portrait by [[James J. Kriegsmann]]
| birth_name          = William James Basie
| alias               =
| birth_date          = {{birth date|mf=y|1904|8|21}}
| birth_place         = [[Red Bank, New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|mf=y|1984|4|26|1904|8|21}}
| death_place         = [[Hollywood, Florida]], U.S.
| origin              =
| instrument          = {{flatlist|
*Piano
*[[organ (music)|organ]]}}
| genre               = {{flatlist|
*[[Jazz]]
*[[swing music|swing]]
*[[big band]]
*[[piano blues]]}}
| occupation          = {{flatlist|
*Musician
*bandleader
*composer}}
| years_active        = 1924–1984
| label               =
| website             = {{URL|countbasie.net}}
}}
'''William James''' "'''Count'''" '''Basie''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|eɪ|s|i}}; August 21, 1904&nbsp;– April 26, 1984)<ref name="NYT1984"/> 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, [[riff]]ing with a [[big band]], using [[arranger]]s 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 (jazz singer)|Joe Williams]].

As a composer, Basie is known for writing such [[jazz standard]]s as "[[Blue and Sentimental]]", "[[Jumpin' at the Woodside]]" and "[[One O'Clock Jump]]".

==Biography==

===Early life and education===
William Basie was born to Lillian (Childs) and Harvey Lee Basie in [[Red Bank, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite book| last=Basie| first=Count| year=2000| title=Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie| publisher=Paladin Grafton Books| isbn=0-586-08638-2| page=[https://archive.org/details/goodmorningblues00basie/page/25 25]| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/goodmorningblues00basie/page/25}}</ref> His father worked as a [[coachman]] and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several wealthy families in the area.<ref>Basie, Count (1985). ''Good Morning Blues'', p. 26.</ref> Both of his parents had some type of musical background. His father played the [[mellophone]], and his mother played the [[piano]]; in fact, she gave Basie his first piano lessons. She took in laundry and baked cakes for sale for a living. She paid 25 cents a lesson for Count Basie's piano instruction.<ref name="Count Basie, 1985, p. 33">Basie (1985), p. 33.</ref><ref>Count Basie and his Friends, myspace.com.</ref>

The best student in school, Basie dreamed of a traveling life, inspired by touring carnivals which came to town. He finished junior high school,<ref>Basie (1985), p. 29.</ref> but spent much of his time at the Palace Theater in Red Bank, where doing occasional chores gained him free admission to performances. He quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to the acts and the [[silent movie]]s.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 32.</ref>

Though a natural at the piano, Basie preferred drums. Discouraged by the obvious talents of [[Sonny Greer]], who also lived in Red Bank and became [[Duke Ellington]]'s drummer in 1919, Basie switched to piano exclusively at age 15.<ref name="Count Basie, 1985, p. 33"/> Greer and Basie played together in venues until Greer set out on his professional career. By then, Basie was playing with [[pickup group]]s for dances, resorts, and amateur shows, including Harry Richardson's "Kings of Syncopation".<ref>Basie (1985), pp. 33–34, plate 3.</ref> When not playing a gig, he hung out at the local pool hall with other musicians, where he picked up on upcoming play dates and gossip. He got some jobs in [[Asbury Park, New Jersey|Asbury Park]] at the [[Jersey Shore]], and played at the Hong Kong Inn until a better player took his place.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 41.</ref>

===Early career===
Around 1920, Basie went to [[Harlem]], a hotbed of jazz, where he lived down the block from the [[The Harlem Alhambra|Alhambra Theater]]. Early after his arrival, he bumped into [[Sonny Greer]], who was by then the drummer for the Washingtonians, [[Duke Ellington]]'s early band.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 51.</ref> Soon, Basie met many of the Harlem musicians who were "making the scene", including [[Willie "the Lion" Smith]] and [[James P. Johnson]]. One of his earliest gigs in Harlem was working in the band at [[Broadway Jones (performer)|Broadway Jones]]'s nightclub; a job he was given by banjo player [[Elmer Snowden]] who had temporarily taken over leadership of the group while Jones was performing elsewhere.<ref>{{cite book|title=The World of Swing|last=Dance|first=Stanley|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|isbn=0306810166|year=2001|pages=53–54}}</ref>

Basie toured in several acts between 1925 and 1927, including ''Katie Krippen and Her Kiddies'' (featuring singer [[Katie Crippen]]) as part of the ''Hippity Hop'' show; on the [[Benjamin Franklin Keith|Keith]], the [[Columbia Burlesque]], and the [[Theater Owners Booking Association]] (T.O.B.A.) [[vaudeville]] circuits; and as a soloist and accompanist to [[blues]] singer [[Gonzelle White]] as well as Crippen.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 55.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Robinson |first=J. Bradford |chapter=Count Basie |editor-last=Kernfeld |editor-first=Barry |title=The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz |edition=2nd |volume=1 |location=London |publisher=MacMillan |date=2002 |page=155}}</ref> His touring took him to [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[St. Louis]], [[New Orleans]], and [[Chicago]]. Throughout his tours, Basie met many jazz musicians, including [[Louis Armstrong]].<ref>Basie (1985), p. 96.</ref> Before he was 20 years old, he toured extensively on the Keith and TOBA vaudeville circuits as a solo pianist, accompanist, and music director for blues singers, dancers, and comedians. This provided an early training that was to prove significant in his later career.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_basie_count.htm|title=JAZZ A film by Ken Burns – PBS|website=Pbs.org|access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref>

Back in Harlem in 1925, Basie gained his first steady job at Leroy's, a place known for its piano players and its "[[cutting contests]]". The place catered to "uptown celebrities", and typically the band winged every number without sheet music using "head arrangements".<ref>Basie (1985), p. 68.</ref> He met [[Fats Waller]], who was playing organ at the [[Lincoln Theatre (Harlem)|Lincoln Theater]] accompanying silent movies, and Waller taught him how to play that instrument. (Basie later played organ at the Eblon Theater in Kansas City).<ref name="NYT1984">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/27/arts/count-basie-79-band-leader-and-master-of-swing-dead.html |last=Wilson | first= John S. |title=Count Basie, 79, Band Leader And Master of Swing, Dead |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 27, 1984 |access-date=October 22, 2011}}</ref> As he did with Duke Ellington, Willie "the Lion" Smith helped Basie out during the lean times by arranging gigs at "[[Rent party|house-rent parties]]", introducing him to other leading musicians, and teaching him some piano technique.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 77.</ref>

In 1928, Basie was in [[Tulsa]] and heard [[Walter Page]] and his Famous [[Oklahoma City Blue Devils|Blue Devils]], one of the first [[big band]]s, which featured [[Jimmy Rushing]] on vocals.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 6.</ref> A few months later, he was invited to join the band, which played mostly in [[Texas]] and [[Oklahoma]]. It was at this time that he began to be known as "Count" Basie (see [[Jazz royalty]]).<ref>Basie (1985), p. 20.</ref>

===Kansas City years===
The following year, in 1929, Basie became the pianist with the [[Bennie Moten]] band based in Kansas City, inspired by Moten's ambition to raise his band to match the level of those led by Duke Ellington or [[Fletcher Henderson]].<ref>Basie (1985), p. 116.</ref> Where the [[Oklahoma City Blue Devils|Blue Devils]] were "snappier" and more "bluesy", the Moten band was more refined and respected, playing in the "[[Kansas City jazz|Kansas City stomp]]" style.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 120.</ref> In addition to playing piano, Basie was co-arranger with [[Eddie Durham]], who notated the music.<ref>Count Basie, 1985, plate 10.</ref>
Their "[[Moten Swing]]", which Basie claimed credit for,<ref name="Basie2002">{{cite book|last=Basie|first=Count|title=Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8osZnKqbRwQC&pg=PA127|year=2002|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=978-0-306-81107-4|page=127}}</ref> was an invaluable contribution to the development of swing music, and at one performance at the [[Pearl Theatre (Philadelphia)|Pearl Theatre]] in [[Philadelphia]] in December 1932, the theatre opened its door to allow anybody in who wanted to hear the band perform.<ref name="Daniels2006">{{cite book|last=Daniels|first=Douglas Henry|title=One O'clock Jump: The Unforgettable History of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p3tmQ4w1uR8C&pg=PA144|date=January 2006|publisher=Beacon Press|isbn=978-0-8070-7136-6|page=144}}</ref> During a stay in Chicago, Basie recorded with the band. He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 122.</ref> The band improved with several personnel changes, including the addition of tenor saxophonist [[Ben Webster]].

When the band voted Moten out, Basie took over for several months, calling the group Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms. When his own band folded, he rejoined Moten with a newly re-organized band.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 146.</ref> A year later, Basie joined Bennie Moten's band, and played with them until Moten died in 1935 from a failed tonsillectomy. The band tried to stay together but failed. Basie then formed his own nine-piece band, Barons of Rhythm, with many former Moten members including Walter Page (bass), Freddie Green (guitar), [[Jo Jones]] (drums), Lester Young (tenor saxophone) and Jimmy Rushing (vocals).

The Barons of Rhythm were regulars at the Reno Club and often performed for a live radio broadcast. During a broadcast the announcer wanted to give Basie's name some style, so he called him "Count". It  positioned him with [[Earl Hines]], as well as [[Duke Ellington]].

Basie's new band played at the Reno Club and sometimes were broadcast on local radio. Late one night with time to fill, the band started improvising. Basie liked the results and named the piece "[[One O'Clock Jump]]".<ref>Dance, 1980, p. 67.</ref> According to Basie, "we hit it with the [[rhythm section]] and went into the [[riff]]s, and the riffs just stuck. We set the thing up front in D-flat, and then we just went on playing in F." It became his signature tune.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 162.</ref>

===John Hammond and first recordings===
[[Image:CountBasieEthelWatersStageDoorCanteen.jpg|right|thumb|Basie and band, with vocalist [[Ethel Waters]], from the film ''[[Stage Door Canteen (film)|Stage Door Canteen]]'' (1943)]]

At the end of 1936, Basie and his band, now billed as Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm, moved from Kansas City to Chicago, where they honed their repertoire at a long engagement at the [[Sunset Cafe|Grand Terrace Cafe]].<ref>Basie (1985), p. 171.</ref> Right from the start, Basie's band was known for its rhythm section. Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. When Young complained of [[Herschel Evans]]' vibrato, Basie placed them on either side of the [[alto]] players, and soon had the tenor players engaged in "duels". Many other bands later adapted the split tenor arrangement.<ref>Stanley Dance, ''The World of Count Basie'', Da Capo, New York, 1980, {{ISBN|0-306-80245-7}}, p. 68.</ref>

In that city in October 1936, the band had a recording session which the producer [[John H. Hammond|John Hammond]] later described as "the only perfect, completely perfect recording session I've ever had anything to do with".<ref>1981 interview cited in "The Lester Young Story" (Properbox 16), pp. 14–15.</ref> Hammond first heard Basie's band on the radio and went to Kansas City to check them out.<ref>Count Basie, 1985, p. 165.</ref> He invited them to record, in performances which were Lester Young's earliest recordings. Those four sides were released on [[Vocalion Records]] under the band name of Jones-Smith Incorporated; the sides were "Shoe Shine Boy", "Evening", "Boogie Woogie", and "Oh Lady Be Good". After Vocalion became a subsidiary of [[Columbia Records]] in 1938, "Boogie Woogie" was released in 1941 as part of a four-record compilation album entitled ''[[Boogie Woogie (Columbia album C44)|Boogie Woogie]]'' (Columbia album C44).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Various-Boogie-Woogie/release/1944476 |title=Various – Boogie Woogie |publisher=Discogs |access-date=December 13, 2015}}</ref> When he made the Vocalion recordings, Basie had already signed with [[Decca Records]], but did not have his first recording session with them until January 1937.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 181.</ref>

By then, Basie's sound was characterized by a "jumping" beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. His personnel around 1937 included: Lester Young and Herschel Evans (tenor sax), [[Freddie Green]] (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), [[Walter Page]] (bass), [[Earle Warren]] (alto sax), [[Buck Clayton]] and [[Harry Edison]] (trumpet), [[Benny Morton]] and [[Dickie Wells]] (trombone).<ref>Leonard Feather, ''The Encyclopedia of Jazz'', Bonanza Books, 1960, p. 112.</ref> Lester Young, known as "Prez" by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. He called Basie "Holy Man", "Holy Main", and just plain "Holy".<ref>Dance, 1980, p. 104.</ref>

Basie favored [[blues]], and he would showcase some of the most notable blues singers of the era after he went to New York: [[Billie Holiday]], [[Jimmy Rushing]], [[Big Joe Turner]], [[Helen Humes]], and [[Joe Williams (jazz singer)|Joe Williams]]. He also hired arrangers who knew how to maximize the band's abilities, such as [[Eddie Durham]] and [[Jimmy Mundy]].

===New York City and the swing years===
When Basie took his orchestra to New York in 1937, they made the Woodside Hotel in Harlem their base (they often rehearsed in its basement).<ref name=nicholson>{{cite book |last=Nicholson |first=Stuart |date=2004 |title=Ella Fitzgerald: A Biography of the First Lady of Jazz, Updated Edition |location=London |publisher=Routledge |pages=50–51 |isbn= 9781136788130 | oclc=884745086 |quote=Toward the end of 1937, Ella moved again, this time to the Woodside Hotel at 2424 Seventh Avenue at 142nd Street, to be close to Jo Jones, the drummer from the Count Basie band. The band had recently hit town and was playing the Roseland Ballroom, and most of its members were staying at the Woodside...}}</ref> Soon, they were booked at the [[Roseland Ballroom]] for the Christmas show. Basie recalled a review, which said something like, "We caught the great Count Basie band which is supposed to be so hot he was going to come in here and set the Roseland on fire. Well, the Roseland is still standing".<ref>Basie (1985), p. 184.</ref> Compared to the reigning band of [[Fletcher Henderson]], Basie's band lacked polish and presentation.<ref>Dance, 1980, p. 107.</ref>

The producer John Hammond continued to advise and encourage the band, and they soon came up with some adjustments, including softer playing, more solos, and more standards. They paced themselves to save their hottest numbers for later in the show, to give the audience a chance to warm up.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 188.</ref> His first official recordings for [[Decca Records|Decca]] followed, under contract to agent MCA, including "[[Pennies from Heaven (song)|Pennies from Heaven]]" and "[[Honeysuckle Rose (song)|Honeysuckle Rose]]".<ref>Basie (1985), p. 186.</ref>

Hammond introduced Basie to [[Billie Holiday]], whom he invited to sing with the band. (Holiday did not record with Basie, as she had her own record contract and preferred working with small combos).<ref>Basie (1985), p. 200.</ref> The band's first appearance at the Apollo Theater followed, with the vocalists Holiday and [[Jimmy Rushing]] getting the most attention.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 190.</ref> Durham returned to help with arranging and composing, but for the most part, the orchestra worked out its numbers in rehearsal, with Basie guiding the proceedings. There were often no musical notations made. Once the musicians found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their "head arrangements" and [[collective memory]].<ref>Basie (1985), p. 199.</ref>

Next, Basie played at the [[Savoy Ballroom|Savoy]], which was noted more for [[Lindy Hop|lindy-hopping]], while the Roseland was a place for [[fox-trot]]s and [[conga]]s.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 202.</ref> In early 1938, the [[Savoy Ballroom|Savoy]] was the meeting ground for a "battle of the bands" with [[Chick Webb]]'s group. Basie had Holiday, and Webb countered with the singer [[Ella Fitzgerald]]. As ''[[Metronome magazine|Metronome]]'' magazine proclaimed, "Basie's Brilliant Band Conquers Chick's"; the article described the evening:

<blockquote>Throughout the fight, which never let down in its intensity during the whole fray, Chick took the aggressive, with the Count playing along easily and, on the whole, more musically scientifically. Undismayed by Chick's forceful drum beating, which sent the audience into shouts of encouragement and appreciation and casual beads of perspiration to drop from Chick's brow onto the brass cymbals, the Count maintained an attitude of poise and self-assurance. He constantly parried Chick's thundering haymakers with tantalizing runs and arpeggios which teased more and more force from his adversary.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 208.</ref></blockquote>

The publicity over the big band battle, before and after, gave the Basie band a boost and wider recognition. Soon after, [[Benny Goodman]] recorded their signature "[[One O'Clock Jump]]" with his band.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 207.</ref>

A few months later, Holiday left for [[Artie Shaw]]'s band. Hammond introduced [[Helen Humes]], whom Basie hired; she stayed with Basie for four years.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 211.</ref> When [[Eddie Durham]] left for [[Glenn Miller]]'s orchestra, he was replaced by [[Dicky Wells]]. Basie's 14-man band began playing at the [[Famous Door]], a mid-town nightspot with a [[CBS]] network feed and [[air conditioning]], which Hammond was said to have bought the club in return for their booking Basie steadily throughout the summer of 1938. Their fame took a huge leap.<ref>Basie (1985), pp. 217–218.</ref> Adding to their play book, Basie received arrangements from [[Jimmy Mundy]] (who had also worked with Benny Goodman and [[Earl Hines]]), particularly for "Cherokee", "Easy Does It", and "Super Chief".<ref>Basie (1985), p. 229.</ref> In 1939, Basie and his band made a major cross-country tour, including their first [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] dates. A few months later, Basie quit MCA and signed with the [[William Morris]] Agency, who got them better fees.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 247.</ref>

On February 19, 1940, Count Basie and his Orchestra opened a four-week engagement at [[Southland (jazz venue)|Southland]] in Boston, and they broadcast over the radio on February 20.<ref name="Vail2003">{{cite book|last=Vail|first=Ken|title=Count Basie: Swingin' the Blues, 1936-1950|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mWZjiRBQJBkC&pg=PA36|date=January 1, 2003|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-4882-5|page=36}}</ref>
On the West Coast, in 1942 the band did a spot in ''Reveille With Beverly'', a musical film starring [[Ann Miller]], and a "Command Performance" for [[Armed Forces Radio]], with Hollywood stars [[Clark Gable]], [[Bette Davis]], [[Carmen Miranda]], [[Jerry Colonna (entertainer)|Jerry Colonna]], and the singer [[Dinah Shore]].<ref>Basie (1985), p. 260.</ref> Other minor movie spots followed, including ''Choo Choo Swing'', ''Crazy House'', ''Top Man'', ''Stage Door Canteen'', and ''Hit Parade of 1943''.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 262.</ref> They also continued to record for OKeh Records and Columbia Records.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 274.</ref> The war years caused a lot of members turn over, and the band worked many play dates with lower pay. Dance hall bookings were down sharply as [[swing music|swing]] began to fade, the effects of the [[1942–44 musicians' strike|musicians' strikes of 1942–44]] and 1948 began to be felt, and the public's taste grew for [[pop music|singers]].

Basie occasionally lost some key soloists. However, throughout the 1940s, he maintained a big band that possessed an infectious rhythmic beat, an enthusiastic team spirit, and a long list of inspired and talented jazz soloists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swingmusic.net/Count_Basie.html|title=THE BIOGRAPHY OF COUNT BASIE|first=Jeff|last=Parker|website=Swingmusic.net|access-date=May 2, 2017|archive-date=April 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417114707/https://www.swingmusic.net/Count_Basie.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Los Angeles and the Cavalcade of Jazz concerts ===
Count Basie was the featured artist at the first Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at [[Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)|Wrigley Field]] on September 23, 1945, which was produced by [[Leon Hefflin, Sr.|Leon Hefflin Sr.]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Central Avenue--its rise and fall, 1890-c. 1955 : including the musical renaissance of Black Los Angeles|last=Cox, Bette Yarbrough.|date=1996|publisher=BEEM Publications|isbn=0965078302|location=Los Angeles|oclc=35673638}}</ref>  Al Jarvis was the Emcee and other artists to appear on stage were [[Joe Liggins]] and his Honeydrippers, [[Edith Peters|The Peters Sisters]], [[Slim Gaillard|Slim and Bam]], [[Valaida Snow]], and [[Big Joe Turner]].<ref>"Big Name Bands, Singers in 'Cavalcade of Music' Sept. 23", ''The California Eagle'', September 13, 1945.
</ref> They played to a crowd of 15,000. Count Basie and his Orchestra played at the tenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert also at [[Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)|Wrigley Field]] on June 20, 1954. He played along with [[The Flairs]], [[Christine Kittrell]], Lamp Lighters, [[Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five]], [[Ruth Brown]], and [[Perez Prado]] and his Orchestra.<ref>"Basie, Jordan, Prado Top Jazz Cavalcade". ''Los Angeles Sentinel''. June 3, 1954.</ref>

===Post-war and later years===
[[File:Count Basie in Rhythm and Blues Revue.jpg|thumb|Basie in ''[[Rhythm and Blues Revue]]'' (1955)]]
The big band era appeared to have ended after the war, and Basie disbanded the group. For a while, he performed in combos, sometimes stretched to an orchestra. In 1950, he headlined the [[Universal-International]] short film ''[["Sugar Chile" Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet]].'' He reformed his group as a 16-piece orchestra in 1952. This group was eventually called the New Testament band. Basie credited [[Billy Eckstine]], a top male vocalist of the time, for prompting his return to Big Band. He said that [[Norman Granz]] got them into the [[Birdland (jazz club)|Birdland]] club and promoted the new band through recordings on the [[Mercury Records|Mercury]], [[Clef Records|Clef]], and [[Verve Records|Verve]] labels.<ref>Basie (1985), pp. 289–290.</ref> By 1956, Basie's recordings were also showcased by [[Ben Selvin]] within the [[RCA Thesaurus]] transcription library.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=iwoEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Ben+Selvin+RCA+Thesaurus&pg=PA39 The Billboard Music-Radio - "Thesaurus in Pact for Granz Transcriptions" 18 August 1956 p. 39 Ben Selvin RCA Thesaurus on Google Books.com]</ref> The [[jukebox]] era had begun, and Basie shared the exposure along with early [[rock'n'roll]] and [[rhythm and blues]] artists. Basie's new band was more of an ensemble group, with fewer solo turns, and relying less on "head" and more on written arrangements.

Basie added touches of [[bebop]] "so long as it made sense", and he required that "it all had to have feeling". Basie's band was sharing Birdland with such bebop musicians as [[Charlie Parker]], [[Dizzy Gillespie]], and [[Miles Davis]]. Behind the occasional bebop solos, he always kept his strict rhythmic pulse, "so it doesn't matter what they do up front; the audience gets the beat".<ref>Dance, 1980, p. 5.</ref> Basie also added [[flute]] to some numbers, a novelty at the time that became widely copied.<ref>Basie (1985), pp. 281, 304.</ref> Soon, his band was touring and recording again. The new band included: Paul Campbell, [[Tommy Turrentine]], [[Johnny Letman]], [[Idrees Sulieman]], and [[Joe Newman (trumpeter)|Joe Newman]] (trumpet); Jimmy Wilkins, [[Benny Powell]], [[Matthew Gee]] (trombone); [[Paul Quinichette]] and [[Floyd "Candy" Johnson]] (tenor sax); [[Frank Wess]] (tenor sax and flute); [[Marshal Royal]] and [[Ernie Wilkins]] (alto sax); and [[Charlie Fowlkes]] (baritone sax).<ref>Basie (1985), p. 293.</ref> ''[[DownBeat]]'' magazine reported: "(Basie) has managed to assemble an ensemble that can thrill both the listener who remembers 1938 and the youngster who has never before heard a big band like this."<ref>Basie (1985), p. 299.</ref> In 1957, Basie sued the jazz venue Ball and Chain in Miami over outstanding fees, causing the closure of the venue.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnTSqVu9Zr4C&pg=PA59|title=Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro|first=Helene|last=LaFaro-Fernandez|date=January 1, 2009|publisher=University of North Texas Press|access-date=May 2, 2017|via=Google Books|isbn=9781574412734}}</ref>

In 1958, the band made its first European tour. Jazz was especially appreciated in France, The Netherlands, and Germany in the 1950s; these countries were the stomping grounds for many [[expatriate]] American jazz stars who were either resurrecting their careers or sitting out the years of racial divide in the United States. [[Neal Hefti]] began to provide arrangements, including "[[Li'l Darlin']]{{-"}}. By the mid-1950s, Basie's band had become one of the preeminent backing big bands for some of the most prominent jazz vocalists of the time. They also toured with the "Birdland Stars of 1955", whose lineup included [[Sarah Vaughan]], [[Erroll Garner]], [[Lester Young]], [[George Shearing]], and [[Stan Getz]].<ref>Basie (1985), p. 315.</ref>

In 1957, Basie released the live album ''[[Count Basie at Newport]]''. "[[April in Paris (song)|April in Paris]]" (arrangement by Wild Bill Davis) was a best-selling instrumental and the title song for the hit album.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 318.</ref> The Basie band made two tours in the British Isles and on the second, they put on a command performance for [[Queen Elizabeth II]], along with [[Judy Garland]], [[Vera Lynn]], and [[Mario Lanza]].<ref>Basie (1985), p. 323.</ref> He was a guest on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom]]'', a venue also opened to several other black entertainers. In 1959, Basie's band recorded a "greatest hits" double album ''The Count Basie Story'' ([[Frank Foster (jazz musician)|Frank Foster]], arranger), and ''[[Basie/Eckstine Incorporated]]'', an album featuring Billy Eckstine, [[Quincy Jones]] (as arranger) and the Count Basie Orchestra. It was released by Roulette Records, then later reissued by Capitol Records.

Later that year, Basie appeared on a television special with [[Fred Astaire]], featuring a dance solo to "[[Sweet Georgia Brown]]", followed in January 1961 by Basie performing at one of the five [[John F. Kennedy]] Inaugural Balls.<ref>Basie (1985), pp. 335, 337.</ref> That summer, Basie and [[Duke Ellington]] combined forces for the recording ''[[First Time! The Count Meets the Duke]]'', each providing four numbers from their play books.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 339.</ref>

[[Image:Countbasie.jpg|thumb|Count Basie (left) in concert (Cologne 1975)]]
During the balance of the 1960s, the band kept active with tours, recordings, television appearances, festivals, [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] shows, and travel abroad, including cruises. Some time around 1964, Basie adopted his trademark yachting cap.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 353.</ref>

Through steady changes in personnel, Basie led the band into the 1980s. Basie made a few more movie appearances, such as in the [[Jerry Lewis]] film ''[[Cinderfella]]'' (1960) and the [[Mel Brooks]] movie ''[[Blazing Saddles]]'' (1974), playing a revised arrangement of "April in Paris". In 1982 Basie and his orchestra were the featured entertainment for the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] at the [[David L. Lawrence Convention Center]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qEocAAAAIBAJ&dq=howard+cosell+plays+pittsburgh+they+play+the+whole+city&pg=4344,3796544 | title=The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search }}</ref>

Basie was a [[Prince Hall Freemasonry|Prince Hall Freemason]] as a member of Wisdom Lodge No. 102 in Chicago as well as a [[Shriners|Shriner]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Famous Freemasons (A – Z) – Freemasons Community |url=https://freemasonscommunity.life/famous-freemasons/ |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=freemasonscommunity.life}}</ref>

==Marriage, family and death==

[[File:Count Basie home in Addesleigh Pk, Adelaide rd.jpg|thumb|left|Count Basie home in Addisleigh Pk, Adelaide Rd.]]

Basie was a member of [[Omega Psi Phi]] fraternity. On July 21, 1930, Basie married Vivian Lee Winn, in Kansas City, Missouri. They were divorced sometime before 1935. Some time in or before 1935, the now single Basie returned to New York City, renting a house at 111 West 138th Street, Manhattan, as evidenced by the 1940 census. He married Catherine Morgan on July 13, 1940, in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. In 1942, they moved to Queens. Their only child, Diane, was born February 6, 1944. She was born with [[cerebral palsy]] and the doctors claimed she would never walk. The couple kept her and cared deeply for her, and especially through her mother's tutelage, Diane learned not only to walk but to swim.<ref>{{cite web |title=Count Basie: Through his own eyes |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11417720/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1 |website=IMDb |date = September 11, 2020|publisher=Eagle Rock Productions}}</ref> The Basies bought a home in the new whites-only neighborhood of Addisleigh Park in 1946 on Adelaide Road and 175th Street, [[St. Albans, Queens]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://greenpleasantland.com| title=This Green and Pleasant Land | author=Greene, Bryan | newspaper=Poverty and Race | volume=26 | issue=1 | date=January–March 2017 |publisher=Poverty and Race Research Action Council | page=3 }}</ref> They moved to Freeport in the Bahamas in the 1970s.<ref name="ebony">{{Cite magazine |last=Noel |first=Pamela |date=January 1984 |others=Photographs by Moneta Sleet Jr. |title=Count Basie's Quiet Retreat in the Bahamas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u9gDAAAAMBAJ&q=bahamas |magazine=Ebony Magazine |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |pages=48–52 |access-date=11 July 2025 |quote=his wife Catherine... died in April.... The family moved from their home in St. Alban's NY to Freeport in the early 1970s. |via=Google Books}}</ref> His wife [[Catherine Basie]] died of heart disease at the couple's home in Freeport on April 11,{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} 1983.<ref name="ebony" /> She was 69 years old.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mRkqCgAAQBAJ&q=Catherine+Basie+april+1983+freeport&pg=PA157|title=Rhythm Is My Beat: Jazz Guitar Great Freddie Green and the Count Basie Sound|first=Alfred|last=Green|date=August 6, 2015|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|via=Google Books|isbn=9781442242470}}</ref>

A year later, Count Basie died of [[pancreatic cancer]] in [[Hollywood, Florida]], on April 26, 1984, at the age of 79.<ref name="NYT1984"/> His funeral was attended by [[Dizzy Gillespie]] and [[Quincy Jones]] among others.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/01/arts/jazz-world-bids-farewell-to-basie-in-harlem.html|title=JAZZ WORLD BIDS FAREWELL TO BASIE IN HARLEM|newspaper=New York Times|date=May 1, 1984}}</ref> His daughter, Diane Basie, died four decades later, on October 15, 2022, of a heart attack.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 25, 2022 |title=10/25/2022 [obituary] |url=https://www.thecountbasieorchestra.com/in-memory-of-diane-lillian-basie-1944-2022/#:~:text=It%20is%20with%20a%20heavy,attack%20a%20few%20days%20before. |access-date=July 10, 2023 |website=The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra}}</ref>

==Singers==
Basie hitched his star to some of the most famous vocalists of the 1950s and 1960s, which helped keep the Big Band sound alive and added greatly to his recording catalog. Jimmy Rushing sang with Basie in the late 1930s. Joe Williams toured with the band and was featured on the 1957 album ''[[One O'Clock Jump (album)|One O'Clock Jump]]'', and 1956's ''[[Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings]]'', with "[[Every Day I Have the Blues|Every Day (I Have the Blues)]]" becoming a huge hit. With Billy Eckstine on the album ''[[Basie/Eckstine Incorporated]]'', in 1959. [[Ella Fitzgerald]] made some memorable recordings with Basie, including the 1963 album ''[[Ella and Basie!]]''. With the New Testament Basie band in full swing, and arrangements written by a youthful [[Quincy Jones]], this album proved a swinging respite from her ''Songbook'' recordings and constant touring she did during this period. She even toured with the Basie Orchestra in the mid-1970s, and Fitzgerald and Basie also met on the 1979 albums ''[[A Classy Pair]]'', ''[[Digital III at Montreux]]'', and ''[[A Perfect Match (Ella Fitzgerald album)|A Perfect Match]]'', the last two also recorded live at Montreux. In addition to [[Quincy Jones]], Basie was using arrangers such as [[Benny Carter]] ''(Kansas City Suite)'', [[Neal Hefti]] ''([[E=MC² (Count Basie album)|The Atomic Mr Basie]])'', and [[Sammy Nestico]] ''(Basie-Straight Ahead)''.

[[Frank Sinatra]] recorded for the first time with Basie on 1962's ''[[Sinatra-Basie]]'' and for a second studio album on 1964's ''[[It Might as Well Be Swing]]'', which was arranged by [[Quincy Jones]]. Jones also arranged and conducted 1966's live ''[[Sinatra at the Sands]]'' which featured Sinatra with Count Basie and his orchestra stayed at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas at Sinatra's request. In May 1970, Sinatra performed in London's [[Royal Festival Hall]] with the Basie orchestra, in a charity benefit for the [[NSPCC|National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children]]. Sinatra later said of this concert "I have a funny feeling that those two nights could have been my finest hour, really. It went so well; it was so thrilling and exciting".<ref name="CharlesPignon">Pignon, Charles (2004). ''The Sinatra Treasures,'' Virgin Books, {{ISBN|1-85227-184-1}}</ref>

Basie also recorded with [[Tony Bennett]] in the late 1950s. Their albums together included ''In Person'' and ''Strike Up the Band.'' Basie also toured with Bennett, including a date at [[Carnegie Hall]]. He also recorded with [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], [[Bing Crosby]], and [[Sarah Vaughan]]. One of Basie's biggest regrets was never recording with [[Louis Armstrong]], though they shared the same bill several times.<ref>Basie (1985), p. 362.</ref> In 1968, Basie and his Band recorded an album with [[Jackie Wilson]] titled ''[[Manufacturers of Soul]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Jackie-Wilson-Count-Basie-Manufacturers-Of-Soul/master/371537 |title=Jackie Wilson & Count Basie – Manufacturers Of Soul at Discogs |year=1968 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=February 19, 2013}}</ref>

==Legacy and honors==
[[Image:Basie theatre.jpg|thumb|right|Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey]]

Count Basie introduced several generations of listeners to the Big Band sound and left an influential catalog. Basie is remembered by many who worked for him as being considerate of musicians and their opinions, modest, relaxed, fun-loving, dryly witty, and always enthusiastic about his music.<ref>Dance, 1980, pp. 7–8.</ref> In his autobiography, he wrote, "I think the band can really ''swing'' when it swings ''easy'', when it can just play along like you are cutting butter."<ref>Basie (1985), p. 370.</ref>
* In Red Bank, New Jersey, the [[Count Basie Theatre]], a property on Monmouth Street redeveloped for live performances, and Count Basie Field were named in his honor.
* Received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 1974.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100714006886/en/Horacio-El-Negro-Hernandez-Awarded-Honorary-Doctor|title=Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez To Be Awarded Honorary Doctor of Music Degree From Berklee College of Music|website=Businesswire.com|access-date=January 26, 2018}}</ref>
* Mechanic Street, where he grew up with his family, has the honorary title of Count Basie Way.
* In 2009, Edgecombe Avenue and 160th Street in [[Washington Heights, Manhattan]], were renamed as Paul Robeson Boulevard and Count Basie Place. The corner is the location of 555 Edgecombe Avenue, also known as the [[Paul Robeson Home]], a [[National Historic Landmark]] where Count Basie had also lived.
* In 2010, Basie was inducted into the [[New Jersey Hall of Fame]].
* In October 2013, version 3.7 of [[WordPress#Release history|WordPress]] was code-named Count Basie.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wordpress.org/news/2013/10/basie/ |title= WordPress 3.7 "Basie" |website=WordPress.org |access-date=October 22, 2013}}</ref>
* In 2019, Basie was inducted into the [[Blues Hall of Fame]].
* Asteroid [[35394 Countbasie]], discovered by astronomers at [[Centre de recherches en géodynamique et astrométrie|Caussols]] in 1997, was named after him.<ref name="MPC-object" /> The official {{MoMP|35394|naming citation}} was published by the [[Minor Planet Center]] on November 8, 2019 ({{small|[[Minor Planet Circulars|M.P.C.]] 118220}}).<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive" />
* 6508 Hollywood Blvd in [[Hollywood, California]] is the location of Count Basie's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

==Representation in other media==
* [[Jerry Lewis]] used "Blues in Hoss' Flat" from Basie's ''[[Chairman of the Board (record)|Chairman of the Board]]'' album, as the basis for his own "Chairman of the Board" routine in the movie ''[[The Errand Boy]].''
*"Blues in Hoss' Flat," composed by Basie band member [[Frank Foster (jazz musician)|Frank Foster]], was used by the radio DJ Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins as his theme song in San Francisco and New York.
* In ''[[Home Alone 2: Lost in New York]]'' (1992), [[Brenda Fricker]]'s "Pigeon Lady" character claims to have heard Basie in [[Carnegie Hall]].
* Drummer [[Neil Peart]] of the Canadian rock band [[Rush (band)|Rush]] recorded a version of "One O'Clock Jump" with the [[Buddy Rich|Buddy Rich Big Band]], and has used it at the end of his drum solos on the 2002 [[Vapor Trails Tour]] and Rush's [[R30: 30th Anniversary Tour|30th Anniversary Tour]].
*Since 1963 "The Kid From Red Bank" has been the theme and [[Theme music|signature music]] for the most popular [[Norway|Norwegian]] radio show, ''Reiseradioen,'' aired at [[NRK P1]] every day during the summer.
* In the 2016 movie ''[[The Matchbreaker]]'', Emily Atkins ([[Christina Grimmie]]) recounts the story of how Count Basie met his wife three times without speaking to her, telling her he would marry her some day in their first conversation, and then marrying her seven years later.
*The [[post-hardcore]] band [[Dance Gavin Dance]] have a song titled "Count Bassy" that is included on their 2018 album [[Artificial Selection (album)|''Artificial Selection'']].
*In his novel ''[[This Storm (novel)|This Storm]]'', [[James Ellroy]] makes Basie a character who is blackmailed by corrupt Los Angeles police to play a New Year's Eve concert in exchange for ignoring a marijuana charge.

==Discography==
Count Basie made most of his albums with his big band. See the [[Count Basie Orchestra#Discography|Count Basie Orchestra Discography]].

From 1929 to 1932, Basie was part of [[Bennie Moten]]'s Kansas City Orchestra:
* ''Count Basie in Kansas City: Bennie Moten's Great Band of 1930-1932'' ([[RCA Records|RCA Victor]], 1965)
* ''Basie Beginnings: Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra (1929–1932)'' (Bluebird/RCA, 1989)
* ''[[The Swinging Count!]]'', (Clef, 1952)
* ''[[Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman]]'' (Roulette, 1958)
* ''[[The Atomic Mr. Basie]]'' (Roulette, 1958)
* ''[[Memories Ad-Lib]]'' with [[Joe Williams (jazz singer)|Joe Williams]] (Roulette, 1958) 
* ''[[Basie/Eckstine Incorporated]]'' with [[Billy Eckstine]] ( Roulette 1959)
* ''[[String Along with Basie]]'' (Roulette, 1960)
* ''[[Count Basie and the Kansas City 7]]'' (Impulse!, 1962)
* ''[[Basie Swingin' Voices Singin']]'' with the [[Alan Copeland]] Singers (ABC-Paramount, 1966)
* ''[[Basie Meets Bond]]'' (United Artists, 1966)
* ''[[Basie's Beatle Bag]]'' (Verve, 1966)
* ''[[Basie on the Beatles]]'' ([[Happy Tiger Records|Happy Tiger]], 1970)
* ''[[Loose Walk]]'' with [[Roy Eldridge]] (Pablo, 1972)
* ''[[Basie Jam]]'' (Pablo, 1973)
* ''[[The Bosses]]'' with [[Big Joe Turner]] (1973)
* ''[[For the First Time (Count Basie album)|For the First Time]]'' (Pablo, 1974)
* ''[[Satch and Josh]]'' with [[Oscar Peterson]] (Pablo, 1974)
* ''[[Basie & Zoot]]'' with [[Zoot Sims]] (Pablo, 1975)
* ''[[Count Basie Jam Session at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1975]]'' (Pablo, 1975)
* ''[[For the Second Time]]'' (Pablo, 1975)
* ''[[Basie Jam 2]]'' (Pablo, 1976)
* ''[[Basie Jam 3]]'' (Pablo, 1976)
* ''[[Kansas City 5]]'' (Pablo, 1977)
* ''[[The Gifted Ones]]'' with [[Dizzy Gillespie]] (Pablo, 1977)
* ''[[Montreux '77 (Count Basie album)|Montreux '77]]'' (Pablo, 1977)
* ''[[Basie Jam: Montreux '77]]'' (Pablo, 1977)
* ''[[Satch and Josh...Again]]'' with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1977)
* ''[[Night Rider (album)|Night Rider]]'' with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1978)
* ''[[Count Basie Meets Oscar Peterson – The Timekeepers]]'' (Pablo, 1978)
* ''[[Yessir, That's My Baby (album)|Yessir, That's My Baby]]'' with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1978)
* ''[[Kansas City 8: Get Together]]'' (Pablo, 1979)
* ''[[Kansas City 7]]'' (Pablo, 1980)
* ''[[On the Road (Count Basie album)|On the Road]]'' (Pablo, 1980)
* ''[[Kansas City 6]]'' (Pablo, 1981)
* ''[[Mostly Blues...and Some Others]]'' (Pablo, 1983)
* ''[[88 Basie Street]]'' (Pablo, 1983)

===As sideman===
'''With [[Eddie Lockjaw Davis]]'''
* ''[[Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman]]'' (Roulette, 1957)
'''With [[Harry Edison]]'''
* ''[[Edison's Lights]]'' (Pablo, 1976)
'''With [[Benny Goodman]]'''
* ''[[The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert]]'' (Columbia, 1939)
* ''[[Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian]]'' (Columbia, 1939)
'''With [[Jo Jones]]'''
* ''[[Jo Jones Special]]'' (Vanguard, 1955)
'''With [[Joe Newman (trumpeter)|Joe Newman]]'''
* ''[[Joe Newman and the Boys in the Band]]'' (Storyville, 1954)
'''With [[Paul Quinichette]]'''
* ''[[The Vice Pres]]'' (Verve, 1952)
'''With [[Lester Young]]'''
* ''[[The Complete Savoy Recordings]]'' (Savoy, 1944)

==Filmography==
* ''[[Policy Man]]'' (1938)<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Koszarski |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1NzOhgPs80MC&pg=PA376 |title=Hollywood on the Hudson: Film and Television in New York from Griffith to Sarnoff |date=2008 |publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8135-4293-5 |pages=376}}</ref>
* ''[[Hit Parade of 1943]]'' (1943)&nbsp;– as himself
* ''[[Top Man (film)|Top Man]]'' (1943)&nbsp;– as himself
* ''[[Sugar Chile Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet]]'' (1950)&nbsp;– as himself
* ''[[Jamboree (1957 film)|Jamboree]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Cinderfella]]'' (1960)&nbsp;– as himself
* ''[[Sex and the Single Girl (film)|Sex and the Single Girl]]'' (1964)&nbsp;– as himself with his orchestra
* ''[[Blazing Saddles]]'' (1974)&nbsp;– as himself with his orchestra
* ''[[Last of the Blue Devils]]'' (1979)&nbsp;– interview and concert by the orchestra in documentary on Kansas City music

==Awards==
===Grammy Awards===
In 1958, Basie became the first African-American to win a Grammy Award.<ref>{{cite web |title=Biography - Count Basie |url=https://countbasie.rutgers.edu/biography/ |publisher=Rutgers University |access-date=December 18, 2019}}</ref>
{| class=wikitable
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''Count Basie [[Grammy Award]] history'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110014431/http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Grammy Award search engine|archive-date=November 10, 2010}}</ref>
|-
! Year
! Category
! Title
! Genre
! Results
|- align=center
| 1984
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band
| ''88 Basie Street''
| Jazz
| Winner
|- align=center
| 1982
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band
| ''Warm Breeze''
| Jazz
| Winner
|- align=center
| 1980
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band
| ''On The Road''
| Jazz
| Winner
|- align=center
| 1977
| Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band
| ''Prime Time''
| Jazz
| Winner
|- align=center
| 1976
| Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist (Instrumental)
| ''Basie And Zoot''
| Jazz
| Winner
|- align=center
| 1963
| Best Performance by an Orchestra – For Dancing
| ''This Time By Basie! Hits of the 50{{'s}} And 60{{'s}}''
| Pop
| Winner
|- align=center
| 1960
| Best Performance by a Band For Dancing
| ''Dance With Basie''
| Pop
| Winner
|- align=center
| 1958
| Best Performance by a Dance Band
| ''Basie'' (''The Atomic Mr. Basie'')
| Pop
| Winner
|- align=center
| 1958
| Best Jazz Performance, Group
| ''Basie'' (''The Atomic Mr. Basie'')
| Jazz
| Winner
|}

===Grammy Hall of Fame===
By 2011, four recordings of Count Basie had been inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]], a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."

{| class=wikitable
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''Count Basie Grammy Hall of Fame Awards'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |title=Grammy Hall of Fame Database |publisher=Grammy.org |access-date=October 22, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122042616/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |archive-date=January 22, 2011 }}</ref>
|-
! Year recorded
! Title
! genre
! Label
! Year inducted
|- align=center
| 1939
| [[Lester Leaps In]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Vocalion
| 2005
|- align=center
| 1955
| [[Every Day I Have the Blues|Everyday (I Have the Blues)]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Clef
| 1992
|- align=center
| 1955
| [[April in Paris (song)|April in Paris]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Clef
| 1985
|- align=center
| 1937
| [[One O'Clock Jump]]
| Jazz (Single)
| Decca
| 1979
|}

===Honors and inductions===
On May 23, 1985, William "Count" Basie was presented, posthumously, with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by President [[Ronald Reagan]]. The award was received by Aaron Woodward.

On September 11, 1996, the [[List of people on stamps of the United States|U.S. Post Office]] issued a Count Basie 32 cents postage stamp. Basie is a part of the Big Band Leaders issue, which, is in turn, part of the Legends of American Music series.

In 2009, Basie was inducted into the [[New Jersey Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Newark Star Ledger]]|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/new_jersey_hall_of_fame_announ.html|title=Count Basie, Jack Nicholson, Les Paul make New Jersey Hall of Fame|author=Lisa Fleisher|date=December 3, 2009|access-date=April 2, 2016}}</ref>

In May 2019, Basie was inducted into the [[Blues Hall of Fame]] at a ceremony in Memphis, TN, presented by The [[Blues Foundation]].
{| class=wikitable
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''Count Basie award history'''
|-
! Year
! Category
! Result
! Notes
|- align=center
| 2019
| [[Blues Hall of Fame]]
| Inducted
|
|- align=center
| 2007
| [[Long Island Music Hall of Fame]]
| Inducted
|
|- align=center
| 2005
| [[Jazz at Lincoln Center|Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame]]
| Inducted
|
|- align=center
| 2002
| [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]]
| Winner
|
|- align=center
| 1983
| [[NEA Jazz Masters]]
| Winner
|
|- align=center
| 1981
| [[Grammy Trustees Award]]
| Winner
|
|- align=center
| 1981
| [[Kennedy Center Honors]]
| Honoree
|
|- align=center
| 1982
| [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
| Honoree
| at 6508 Hollywood Blvd.
|- align=center
| 1970
| [[Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia]]
| Initiated
| Mu Nu Chapter
|- align=center
| 1958
| [[Down Beat|Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame]]
| Inducted
|
|}

===National Recording Registry===
In 2005, Count Basie's song "[[One O'Clock Jump]]" (1937) was included by the [[National Recording Preservation Board]] in the [[Library of Congress]] [[List of recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry|National Recording Registry]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/nrpb-2005reg.html |title=2005 National Recording Registry choices |publisher=Loc.gov |date=May 13, 2011 |access-date=October 22, 2011}}</ref> The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

{{Portal|Jazz}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="MPC-object">{{cite web
  |title      = (35394) Countbasie
  |work       = Minor Planet Center
  |url        = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=35394
  |access-date = November 20, 2019}}</ref>

<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive">{{cite web
  |title      = MPC/MPO/MPS Archive
  |work       = Minor Planet Center
  |url        = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html
  |access-date = November 20, 2019}}</ref>

}} <!-- end of reflist -->

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons}}
* {{Find a Grave|1664}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170902182916/http://www.thecountbasieorchestra.com/ The Count Basie Orchestra official website]
* [http://imusic.am/artist/10105 Count Basie discography] at iMusic.am
* {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130123225522/http://www.fundacionjoseguillermocarrillo.com/sitio/muspopular_count_basie.php International Jose Guillermo Carrillo Foundation]}}
* [http://www.swingmusic.net/Count_Basie.html Basie biography at swingmusic.net] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417114707/https://www.swingmusic.net/Count_Basie.html |date=April 17, 2023 }}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazz/profiles/count_basie.shtml BBC Profile of Count Basie]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927203506/http://www.downbeat.com/artists/window.asp?action=new&aid=138&aname=Count+Basie%2F Downbeat Magazine]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070315100537/http://library.thinkquest.org/10320/Basie.htm U.S. Postal Service Biography]
* [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/52385c.htm ''Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom – May 23, 1985''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425013159/http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/52385c.htm |date=April 25, 2011 }}
* [http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Count%20Basie.html Basie biography and album list]
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002s54z Image of Wayne King, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Bill Elliot at Big Band Festival at Disneyland, Anaheim, 1964.] [[Los Angeles Times]] Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, [[Charles E. Young Research Library]], [[University of California, Los Angeles]].
* [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103042 Count Basie recordings] at the [[Discography of American Historical Recordings]].
* {{IMDb name|id=0059831|name=Count Basie}}
{{Count Basie}}
{{Count Basie Orchestra}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 1980s}}
{{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basie, Count}}
[[Category:Count Basie| ]]
[[Category:1904 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century African-American male actors]]
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[[Category:American big band bandleaders]]
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[[Category:Shriners]]
[[Category:Swing pianists]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:Vocalion Records artists]]
[[Category:Clef Records artists]]
[[Category:Kennedy Center honorees]]
[[Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members]]
[[Category:NEA Jazz Masters]]
[[Category:20th-century American male composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male pianists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey]]