Jimmy Rushing
James Andrew Rushing (August 26, 1901 – June 8, 1972) was an American singer and pianist from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie'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 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'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. He has sometimes been classified as a blues shouter. 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." George Frazier, 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. |
Birth and Death Data: Born August 26, 1901 (Oklahoma City), Died June 8, 1972 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, lyricist, songwriter
Notes: Listed on some disc labels as James Rushing.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 42 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BRC-53012 | 10-in. | 4/15/1931 | Ya got love | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-62909 | 10-in. | 10/27/1930 | Won't you be my baby? | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-62912 | 10-in. | 10/28/1930 | That too, do | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-62921 | 10-in. | 10/29/1930 | Liza Lee | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-62922 | 10-in. | 10/30/1930 | Get goin' (Get ready to love) | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-62924 | 10-in. | 10/30/1930 | When I'm alone | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-62926 | 10-in. | 10/30/1930 | As long as I love you | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-62927 | 10-in. | 10/31/1930 | Somebody stole my gal | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-62928 | 10-in. | 10/31/1930 | Now that I need you | Count Basie ; Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BRC-68900 | 10-in. | 4/15/1931 | I wanna be around my baby all the time | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-74850 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | New Orleans | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-03872 | 10-in. | 12/30/1936 | He ain't got rhythm | Benny Goodman Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-031876 | 10-in. | 2/1/1939 | Sent for you yesterday and here you come today | Benny Goodman Orchestra ; Johnny Mercer | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | D7VB-0405 | 10-in. | 1/3/1947 | Brand new wagon | Count Basie Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter, vocalist | |
Victor | D7VB-0895 | 10-in. | 5/22/1947 | The jungle king (you ain't a doggone thing) | Count Basie ; Count Basie Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with vocal group and jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
Victor | D7VB-1090 | 10-in. | 10/19/1947 | Don't you want a man like me | Count Basie Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, lyricist | |
Victor | D7VB-2169 | 10-in. | 12/8/1947 | Your red wagon | Count Basie Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
Victor | D7VB-2170 | 10-in. | 12/8/1947 | Money is honey | Count Basie Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
Victor | D7VB-2187 | 10-in. | 12/12/1947 | Hey, pretty baby | Count Basie Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
Victor | D7VB-2189 | 10-in. | 12/12/1947 | Bye, bye, baby | Count Basie Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | lyricist, vocalist | |
Columbia | CO35730 | 10-in. | 2/4/1946 | Lazy lady blues | Count Basie ; Count Basie Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
Brunswick | KC612 | 10-in. | 11/10/1929 | Blue Devil blues | Original Blue Devils ; Walter Page | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | songwriter, vocalist | |
Decca | 61543 | 10-in. | 1/21/1937 | Pennies from heaven | Count Basie Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 62078 | 10-in. | 3/26/1937 | Exactly like you | Count Basie Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 62079 | 10-in. | 3/26/1937 | Boo-Hoo | Count Basie Orchestra | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Rushing, Jimmy," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103465.
Rushing, Jimmy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103465.
"Rushing, Jimmy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Jimmy Rushing
Discogs: Jimmy Rushing
Allmusic: Jimmy Rushing
Grove: Jimmy Rushing
IMDb: Jimmy Rushing
Britannica: Jimmy Rushing
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Rushing, Jimmy - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82020011
Wikidata: Jimmy Rushing - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1689431
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/84969579
MusicBrainz: Jimmy Rushing - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/88c5de60-fa1a-4179-8100-ecd74c4edb73
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