No, it's not hero worship. It is merely to honor a decent man of faith who has befriended many, taught countless others, and shown himself to be a man of courage, integrity and moral strength. Over a 45 years span of time, there is no man who has more inspired and influenced my own personal perspective on drumming as music -- and not merely making noise -- like Louie Bellson.
The Zildjian Poster, in honor of Louie's 80th Birthday
Referred to by jazz critic Leonard Feather as one of the most phenomenal drummers in history," Louie Bellson has expressed himself on drums since age three. At 15 he pioneered the double bass drum set-up. At 17, he triumphed over 40,000 drummers to win the Gene Crupper drumming contest.
He has performed on more than 200 albums with such greets as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Woody Herman, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Joe Williams, Wayne Newton and Bellson's late wife Pearl Bailey.
Composer and author, he has written more than 300 compositions and more than a dozen books on drums and percussion. He received the prestigious American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1994. Also, he is a six-time Grammy nominee.
In 1998, Louie Bellson was hailed (along with Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones and Max Roach) as one of four "Living Legends of Music" when he received the American Drummers Achievement Award from the Zildjian Company.
Louie Bellson and his wife Francine live in San Jose, California - that is, when they're not on the road! Frequently they perform their joint presentation "the Physicist and the Percussionist". And on occasion, Louie's daughter, vocalist Dee Dee Bellson, has been available to accompany his band.
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