Louie Bellson | |
|---|---|
 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 | |
| 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 |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Years active | 1931–2009 |
| Labels | Roulette, Concord, Pablo, Musicmasters |
| Formerly of | Duke Ellington Orchestra |
| Spouse | |
Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator, and is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums.[1]
Bellson and his wife, actress and singer Pearl Bailey[2] (married from 1952 until Bailey's death in 1990), had the second highest number of appearances at the White House (only Bob Hope had more).
Bellson was a vice president at Remo, a drum company.[3] He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1985.[4]
- ^ National Endowment for the Arts biography of Louis Bellson Archived January 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, January 1994; accessed January 2009.
- ^ Heckman, Don (February 17, 2009). "Los Angeles Times obituary". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ Chinen, Nate (February 17, 2009). "Louie Bellson, Dynamic Jazz Drummer, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
- ^ "Modern Drummer's Readers Poll Archive, 1979–2014". Modern Drummer. Retrieved August 10, 2015.