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Louie Bellson

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
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 nameLuigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni
Born(1924-07-06)July 6, 1924
Rock Falls, Illinois
DiedFebruary 14, 2009(2009-02-14) (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California
GenresJazz, big band, swing
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, arranger, bandleader
Instrument(s)Drums
Years active1931–2009
LabelsRoulette, Concord, Pablo, Musicmasters
Formerly ofDuke Ellington Orchestra
Spouse(s)
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(m. 1952; died 1990)​

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]

  1. ^ National Endowment for the Arts biography of Louis Bellson Archived January 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, January 1994; accessed January 2009.
  2. ^ Heckman, Don (February 17, 2009). "Los Angeles Times obituary". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  3. ^ Chinen, Nate (February 17, 2009). "Louie Bellson, Dynamic Jazz Drummer, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  4. ^ "Modern Drummer's Readers Poll Archive, 1979–2014". Modern Drummer. Retrieved August 10, 2015.