Count Basie
By Stuart Kremsky
The billing was still Bill Basie and his band when the Kansas City outfit took the stage at the Reno Club in 1935. Beer was a nickel, whiskey was 15 cents and the musicians were making $15 for a seven night week. A local radio station was experimenting with remote broadcasting from the nightspot when, as Basie later recalled, the announcer “commented that Bill Basie was a rather ordinary name and that there were a couple of well-known bandleaders named Earl Hines and Duke Ellington. Then he said, 'Bill, I think I'll call you Count Basie from now on. Is that all right with you?' I thought he was kidding, shrugged my shoulders and... Read More
- City Of Origin:
- Red Bank, New Jersey, United States
- Genre:
- Jazz, Big Band
- Birthdate:
- 08/21/1904
- Death date:
- 04/26/1984
