James Andrew Rushing (August 26, 1901 – June 8, 1972) was an American singer and pianist from

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, Oklahoma, U.S., best known as the featured vocalist of

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) 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 the ...

's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948. Rushing was known as " Mr. Five by Five" and was the subject of an eponymous 1942 popular song that was a hit for

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

and others; the lyrics describe Rushing's rotund build: "he's five feet tall and he's five feet wide". He joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in 1927 and then joined

Bennie Moten Benjamin Moten (November 13, 1893 – April 2, 1935) was an American jazz pianist and band leader born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. He led his Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the regional, blues-based orchest ...

's band in 1929. He stayed with the successor Count Basie band when Moten died in 1935. Rushing said that his first time singing in front of an audience was in 1924. He was playing piano at a club when the featured singer, Carlyn Williams, invited him to do a vocal. "I got out there and broke it up. I was a singer from then on," he said. Rushing was a powerful singer who had a range from baritone to

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

. He has sometimes been classified as a

blues shouter A blues shouter is a blues singer, often male, capable of singing unamplified with a band. Notable blues shouters include: *Piney Brown * Walter Brown, of the Jay McShann orchestra *H-Bomb Ferguson *Wynonie Harris *Screamin' Jay Hawkins *Duke Hende ...

. He could project his voice so that it soared over the horn and reed sections in a big-band setting. Basie claimed that Rushing "never had an equal" as a blues vocalist, though Rushing "really thought of himself as a ballad singer."Barlow, William (1989). ''"Looking Up at Down": The Emergence of Blues Culture'', pp. 245–246. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. .

George Frazier George Francis Frazier Jr. (June 10, 1911 – June 13, 1974) was an American journalist. Frazier was raised in South Boston, attended the Boston Latin School, and was graduated from Harvard College (where he won the Boylston Prize for Rhetoric) in ...

, the author of ''Harvard Blues'', called Rushing's voice "a magnificent gargle". Dave Brubeck defined Rushing's status among blues singers as "the daddy of them all." Late in his life, Rushing said of his singing style, "I don't know what kind of blues singer you'd call me. I just sing 'em." Among his best-known recordings are "Going to Chicago", with Basie, and "Harvard Blues", with a saxophone solo by

Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also led ...

Life and career

Rushing was born into a family with musical talent and accomplishments. His father, Andrew Rushing, was a trumpeter, and his mother, Cora, and her brother were singers. He studied music theory with Zelia N. Breaux at

Frederick A. Douglass High School Frederick A. Douglass High School is a Comprehensive high school, public high school in the city of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The school is known for its role in serving African-American students in the state of Oklahoma and has produced a variety ...

in Oklahoma City and was unusual among his musical contemporaries for having attended college at

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates ...

. Rushing's father encouraged him to play violin: "He had bought me a violin, and he had forbidden me to touch the piano." But when his father "left the house, he'd lock the piano and give my mother the key. We'd watch him go away, and then she'd give me the key." Rushing was inspired to pursue music and sing blues by his uncle Wesley Manning and George "Fathead" Thomas of

McKinney's Cotton Pickers McKinney's Cotton Pickers were an American jazz band, founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1926, and led by William McKinney, who expanded his Synco Septet to ten players. Cuba Austin took over for McKinney on drums, with the latter bec ...

. He toured the Midwest and California as an itinerant blues singer in the early 1920s before moving to Los Angeles, where he played piano and sang with

Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. Morton was jazz's first arranger, proving that a gen ...

. He also sang with Billy King before moving on to Walter Page's Blue Devils in 1927. He and other members of the Blue Devils defected to the

band in 1929. Moten died in 1935, and Rushing joined Count Basie for what would be a 13-year job. Due to his tutelage under his mentor Moten, Rushing was a proponent of the Kansas City, Missouri, jump blues tradition exemplified by his performances of "Sent for You Yesterday" and "Boogie Woogie" for the Count Basie Orchestra. After leaving Basie, his recording career continued as a singer with other bands. When the Basie band broke up in 1950, he retired briefly but then formed his own group. He made a guest appearance with Duke Ellington for the 1959 album ''

Jazz Party Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...

''. In 1960, he recorded an album with the

Dave Brubeck Quartet David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

. He appeared in the 1957 television special ''

Sound of Jazz In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'', singing one of his signature songs, "I Left My Baby", backed by many of his former Basie band members. In 1958, he was among the musicians included in an ''Esquire'' magazine photo by

Art Kane Art Kane (born Arthur Kanofsky; April 9, 1925 – February 3, 1995) was an American fashion and music photographer active from the 1950s through the early 1990s. He created many portraits of contemporary musicians, including Bob Dylan, Jefferson A ...

that was memorialized in the documentary film ''A Great Day in Harlem''. He toured the UK with

Humphrey Lyttelton Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton (23 May 1921 – 25 April 2008), also known as Humph, was an English jazz musician and broadcaster from the Lyttelton family. Having taught himself the trumpet at school, Lyttelton became a professional ...

and his band. A BBC broadcast with Rushing accompanied by Lyttelton's big band was released in 2009. In 1960, he appeared in a videotaped blues jam at the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hir ...

with the

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...

Blues Band, singing " Mean Mistreater". In 1969, Rushing appeared in ''

The Learning Tree ''The Learning Tree'' is a 1969 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Gordon Parks. It depicts the life of Newt Winger, a teenager growing up in Cherokee Flats, Kansas, in the 1920s, and chronicles his journey into manhood m ...

'', the first major studio feature film directed by an African-American,

Gordon Parks Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was an American photographer, composer, author, poet, and film director, who became prominent in U.S. documentary photojournalism in the 1940s through 1970s—particula ...

. Rushing died June 8, 1972 at

Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro College and University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the School o ...

in New York City, and was buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York. Until weeks before his death, he was singing on weekends at the

Half Note Club The Half Note was a jazz club in New York City, New York that flourished in two Manhattan locations – from 1957 to 1972 in SoHo (then known as the Village) at 289 Hudson Street at Spring Street and from 1972 to 1974 in Midtown at 149 West 5 ...

in Manhattan. He lived in Jamaica, Queens. Rushing was married twice. He had two sons, Robert and William, with his second wife, Connie, to whom he was married from the 1940s until his death. Connie Rushing is credited with two compositions on his 1968 solo album ''Livin' the Blues''. Rushing was one of eight jazz and blues legends honored in a set of

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

stamps issued in 1994.

Critical assessment

Rushing was held in high critical esteem during his career and after his death.

Whitney Balliett Whitney Lyon Balliett (17 April 1926 – 1 February 2007) was a jazz critic and book reviewer for '' The New Yorker'' and was with the journal from 1954 until 2001. Biography Born in Manhattan and raised in Glen Cove, Long Island, Balliett ...

, jazz critic for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', wrote of Rushing that, "His supple, rich voice and his elegant accent have the curious effect of making the typical roughhouse blues lyric seem like a song by Noël Coward". The critic

Nat Hentoff Nathan Irving Hentoff (June 10, 1925 – January 7, 2017) was an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media. Hentoff was a columnist for ''The Village Voice'' from 1958 to 2009. Fo ...

, who ranked Rushing as one of the "greatest blues singers," credited him as a seminal influence in the development of post–World War II popular black music. Hentoff wote that

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

"has its roots in the blues shouting of Jimmy Rushing...and in the equally stentorian delivery of Joe Turner..." Scott Yanow described Rushing as the "perfect big band singer" who "was famous for his ability to sing blues, but in reality he could sing almost anything." In an essay about his fellow Oklahoman, the writer

Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an American writer, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel '' Invisible Man'', which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also wrote ''Shadow and Act'' (1964), a collec ...

wrote that it was "when Jimmy's voice began to soar with the spirit of the blues that the dancers – and the musicians – achieve that feeling of communion which was true meaning of the public jazz dance." Ellison said Rushing began as a singer of ballads, "bringing to them a sincerity and a feeling for dramatizing the lyrics in the musical phrase which charged the banal lines with the mysterious potentiality of meaning which haunts the blues." In contrast with Rushing's reputation, he "seldom comes across as a blues 'shouter,' but maintains the lyricism which has always been his way with the blues," wrote Ellison. According to

Gary Giddins Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic and author. He wrote for ''The Village Voice'' from 1973; his "Weather Bird" column ended in 2003. In 1986 Gary Giddins and John Lewis created the American Jazz Orchestra which presented concerts using a ...

, Rushing "brought operatic fervor to the blues," and of his time with Count Basie notes that "just about every record they made together is a classic." He was a four-time winner of Best Male Singer in the Critics' Poll of '' Melody Maker'' and a four-time winner of Best Male Singer in the International Critics' Poll in ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

''. His 1971 album ''The You and Me That Used to Be'' was named Jazz Album of the Year by ''Down Beat'', and he received the 1971 Grammy nomination Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist.

Discography

* ''Sings the Blues'' (Vanguard, 1955) * ''Goin' to Chicago'' (Vanguard, 1955) * ''Listen to the Blues with Jimmy Rushing'' (Jazztone, 1956) * ''Cat Meets Chick'' with Buck Clayton, Ada Moore (Columbia, 1956) * ''The Jazz Odyssey of James Rushing Esq.'' with Buck Clayton (Columbia, 1957) * ''If This Ain't the Blues'' (Vanguard, 1958) * ''Little Jimmy Rushing and the Big Brass'' (Columbia, 1958) * ''Rushing Lullabies'' (Columbia, 1959) * ''Bessie - Clara - Mamie & Trixie (The Songs They Made Famous)'' (Columbia, 1961) * ''Five Feet of Soul'' (Colpix, 1963) * ''Big Boy Blues'' with Al Hibbler (Grand Prix Series, 1964) * ''Who Was It Sang That Song?'' (Master Jazz, 1967) * ''

Every Day I Have the Blues "Every Day I Have the Blues" is a blues song that has been performed in a variety of styles. An early version of the song is attributed to Pinetop Sparks and his brother Milton. It was first performed in the taverns of St. Louis by the Spark ...

'' with Oliver Nelson (Bluesway, 1967) * '' Livin' the Blues'' (Bluesway, 1968) * ''Blues and Things'' with Earl Hines (Master Jazz, 1968) * ''Gee Baby Ain't I Been Good to You'' (Master Jazz, 1971) * ''The You and Me That Used to Be'' (RCA, 1971) * ''Jimmy & Jimmy'' with Jimmy Witherspoon (Vogue, 1987) * ''The Scene: Live in New York'' with Al Cohn, Zoot Sims (HighNote, 2009)

As guest

With the

Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 195 ...

* ''

Count Basie at Newport ''Count Basie at Newport'' is a live album by jazz musician Count Basie and his orchestra. It was originally issued as Verve MGV 8243 and included only the tracks 1-7 and 13. Tracks 9-12 originally included in ''Count Basie & Joe Williams/Dizzy G ...

'' (Verve, 1957) * ''At Savoy Ballroom 1937–1944'' (Jazz Line, 1972) * ''The Newport Years Volume VI'' (Verve, 1973) * ''1944'' (Hindsight, 1986) * ''

The Original American Decca Recordings ''The Original American Decca Recordings'' (also released as ''The Complete Decca Recordings'') is a 1992 compilation 3-CD set of sessions led by jazz bandleader Count Basie recorded for the Decca label between 1937 and 1939. Reception For Allm ...

'' (GRP, 1992) With others * Dave Brubeck, ''Brubeck & Rushing'' (Columbia, 1960) *

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

, '' Copenhagen Concert'' (SteepleChase, 1979) * Duke Ellington, ''Ellington Jazz Party'' (Philips, 1960) * Benny Goodman, ''Benny in Brussels'' (Columbia, 1958)

References

External links