Butch Ballard
Butch Ballard | |
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Birth name | George Edward Ballard |
Born | (1918-12-26)December 26, 1918 Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | October 1, 2011(2011-10-01) (aged 92) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Drums |
Years active | 1938–2011 |
George Edward "Butch" Ballard (December 26, 1918 – October 1, 2011)[1] was an American jazz drummer who played with Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington.
Biography
Ballard was born in Camden, New Jersey and grew up in the Frankford section of Philadelphia.[2][3] As a child, he followed American Legion parades near his home, focusing particularly on the drummer.[3] When he was about 10 years old, Ballard's father bought him a set of drums from a pawnbroker and he began to take lessons for 75 cents each.[3] He got the nickname "Butch" after Machine Gun Butch, a character in the film The Big House (1930).[1] He attended Northeast High School in Philadelphia.[1] When he was 21, he married Jessie, for whom he bought a house in Philadelphia in 1950.[3]
Career
At around 16 years old, Ballard listened to Herb Thornton's band at the Boys Club in Philadelphia.[3] They let him play with them, and he was invited to join a band by a man who heard him.[3] For the following few months, he carried his drums across Philadelphia to rehearse.[3] In 1938, Ballard began playing with Louis Armstrong's band The Dukes.[2] He performed with them for a few years.[3] In 1941, he began playing with the Cootie Williams Orchestra, performing with Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Pearl Bailey.[2][3]
During World War II, Ballard joined the United States Navy and served in the 29th Special Construction Battalion in Guam and the South Pacific.[1] While serving, he played in the military band.[3] After the war, he returned to Philadelphia and then went to New York City, working with musicians including Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Eddie Vinson, Arnett Cobb, and Clark Terry.[3]
He met and became friends with drummer Shadow Wilson who played with the Count Basie Orchestra. In the late 1940s, Wilson left Basie's orchestra to join Woody Herman's band and Basie invited Ballard to California replace him.[3]
In 1950, Ballard received a telephone call from Duke Ellington who had heard of Ballard from his son Mercer.[3] Ellington invited him to join his band on a European tour and Ballard sailed to France.[3] Regular Ellington drummer Sonny Greer was proving to be increasingly unreliable due to his drinking, and Ellington hired Ballard as a backup.[3][4] He played with musicians including Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Billy Strayhorn, Kay Davis and Chubby Kemp and Wendell Marshall.[3] After the tour, Ellington asked him to permanently replace Greer, but Ballard declined, not wanting to change his drumming method to suit Ellington.[4] Ellington, wanting a drummer who used double bass drums, hired Louie Bellson instead.[3] Ballard continued to play with Ellington in 1952–1953 and made recordings with him, such as "Satin Doll."[1][3][5]
In the 1960s, Ballard began leading his own band in Philadelphia.[6] Ballard played with many musicians during his career, including John Coltrane, Freddie Green, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Clark Terry, Emmett "Rev" Berry, Bardu Ali, Willie Cook, Cat Anderson, Arnett Cobb, Lucky Millinder, Bootsie Barnes, Bob Dorsey, Eddy Vincent and Mercer Ellington.[1][2][3][7]
Ballard became a music teacher in the mid-1980s and saw about 12 students a week.[1][6] In his later years, he also played with the Philadelphia Legends of Jazz Orchestra.[2]
Awards and honors
On December 1, 2006, Ballard received the Mellon Jazz Community Award for his musical career and his continued education of young jazz musicians.[2][3]
Discography
As sideman
- Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman (Roulette, 1958)
- Duke Ellington, Ellington '55 (Capitol, 1954)
- Duke Ellington, Ellington Showcase (Capitol, 1955)
- Johnny Hodges, A Memory of Johnny Hodges (Master Jazz, 1970)
- Johnny Hodges, Ellingtonia! (Onyx, 1974)
- Lee Lovett, Lee + 3 (Wynne, 1959)
- Lee Lovett, Misty (Strand, 1962)
- Clark Terry, Squeeze Me! (Chiaroscuro, 1989)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Villano-Prokop, Diane (2007). "You can call Butch Ballard a drum major". Northeast Times. Archived from the original on 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ a b c d e f "George 'Butch' Ballard to Receive 2006 Mellon Jazz Community Award". PR Newswire. 2006-12-01. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Schermer, Victor L. (2007-01-09). "Butch Ballard: Legendary Philadelphia Drummer". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ^ a b Bradbury, David (2005). Duke Ellington. Haus Publishing. p. 76. ISBN 1-904341-66-7.
- ^ Peter, Lavezzoli (2002). The King of All, Sir Duke: Ellington and the Artistic Revolution. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 48. ISBN 0-8264-1404-4.
- ^ a b Chadbourne, Eugene. "Butch Ballard > Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ^ Porter, Lewis (1998). John Coltrane: His Life and Music. University of Michigan Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-472-08643-X.
- v
- t
- e
- Harlem Jazz, 1930
- Ellingtonia, Vol. One
- Ellingtonia, Vol. Two
- Braggin' in Brass: The Immortal 1938 Year
- The Blanton–Webster Band
- Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band
- Smoke Rings
- Liberian Suite
- Great Times!
- Masterpieces by Ellington
- Ellington Uptown
- The Duke Plays Ellington
- Ellington '55
- Dance to the Duke!
- Ellington Showcase
- Historically Speaking
- Duke Ellington Presents...
- The Complete Porgy and Bess
- A Drum Is a Woman
- Studio Sessions, Chicago 1956
- Such Sweet Thunder
- Studio Sessions 1957 & 1962
- Ellington Indigos
- Black, Brown and Beige
- Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque
- The Cosmic Scene
- Happy Reunion
- Jazz Party
- Anatomy of a Murder
- Festival Session
- Blues in Orbit
- The Nutcracker Suite
- Piano in the Background
- Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G.
- Unknown Session
- Piano in the Foreground
- Paris Blues
- Featuring Paul Gonsalves
- Midnight in Paris
- Studio Sessions, New York 1962
- Afro-Bossa
- The Symphonic Ellington
- Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session
- Studio Sessions New York 1963
- My People
- Ellington '65
- Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins
- Ellington '66
- Concert in the Virgin Islands
- The Popular Duke Ellington
- Far East Suite
- The Jaywalker
- Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York
- ...And His Mother Called Him Bill
- Second Sacred Concert
- Studio Sessions New York, 1968
- Latin American Suite
- The Pianist
- New Orleans Suite
- Orchestral Works
- The Suites, New York 1968 & 1970
- The Intimacy of the Blues
- The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
- Studio Sessions New York & Chicago, 1965, 1966 & 1971
- The Intimate Ellington
- The Ellington Suites
- This One's for Blanton!
- Up in Duke's Workshop
- Duke's Big 4
- Mood Ellington
- Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
- Black, Brown, and Beige
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1944
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1946
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947
- Ellington at Newport
- Dance Concerts, California 1958
- Dance Dates, California 1958
- Newport 1958
- Jazz at the Plaza Vol. II
- Duke Ellington at the Alhambra
- Live at the Blue Note
- Hot Summer Dance
- The Great Paris Concert
- A Concert of Sacred Music
- In the Uncommon Market
- Soul Call
- Yale Concert
- 70th Birthday Concert
- Togo Brava Suite
- Live at the Whitney
- Third Sacred Concert
- Eastbourne Performance
- Blue Rose
- Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
- Side by Side
- Back to Back
- The Great Summit
- First Time! The Count Meets the Duke
- Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
- Money Jungle
- Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
- Serenade to Sweden
- Ella at Duke's Place
- The Stockholm Concert, 1966
- Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur
- Francis A. & Edward K.
- It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
- "African Flower"
- "All Too Soon"
- "Azure"
- "Black and Tan Fantasy"
- "Black, Brown and Beige"
- "C Jam Blues"
- "Come Sunday"
- "Cotton Tail"
- "Creole Love Call"
- "Day Dream"
- "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"
- "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me"
- "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
- "Drop Me Off in Harlem"
- "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"
- "Echoes of Harlem"
- "Everything but You"
- "I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues"
- "I Didn't Know About You"
- "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"
- "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"
- "I'm Beginning to See the Light"
- "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So"
- "In a Mellow Tone"
- "In a Sentimental Mood"
- "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
- "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'"
- "Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)"
- "The Mooche"
- "Mood Indigo"
- " Prelude to a Kiss"
- "Rocks in My Bed"
- "(In My) Solitude"
- "Sophisticated Lady"
- Queenie Pie (unfinished opera)
by Billy Strayhorn |
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by Juan Tizol |
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members
- Hayes Alvis
- Cat Anderson
- Ivie Anderson
- Harold Ashby
- Alice Babs
- Shorty Baker
- Butch Ballard
- Art Baron
- Aaron Bell
- Louie Bellson
- Joe Benjamin
- Barney Bigard
- Lou Blackburn
- Jimmy Blanton
- Wellman Braud
- Lawrence Brown
- Harry Carney
- Johnny Coles
- Willie Cook
- Buster Cooper
- Kay Davis
- Wild Bill Davis
- Wilbur de Paris
- Bobby Durham
- Mercer Ellington
- Rolf Ericson
- Jimmy Forrest
- Victor Gaskin
- Peter Giger
- Tyree Glenn
- Paul Gonsalves
- Sonny Greer
- Fred Guy
- Jimmy Hamilton
- Otto Hardwick
- Shelton Hemphill
- Rick Henderson
- Al Hibbler
- Johnny Hodges
- Major Holley
- Charlie Irvis
- Quentin Jackson
- Hilton Jefferson
- Herb Jeffries
- Freddie Jenkins
- Money Johnson
- Herbie Jones
- Wallace Jones
- Taft Jordan
- Al Killian
- Queen Esther Marrow
- Wendell Marshall
- Murray McEachern
- Louis Metcalf
- James "Bubber" Miley
- Harold "Geezil" Minerve
- Ray Nance
- Tricky Sam Nanton
- Oscar Pettiford
- Eddie Preston
- Russell Procope
- Junior Raglin
- Betty Roché
- Ernie Royal
- Al Sears
- Joya Sherrill
- Willie Smith
- Elmer Snowden
- Rex Stewart
- Billy Strayhorn
- Billy Taylor
- Clark Terry
- Juan Tizol
- Norris Turney
- Ben Webster
- Arthur Whetsel
- Cootie Williams
- Nelson Williams
- Skippy Williams
- Booty Wood
- Jimmy Woode
- Britt Woodman
- Sam Woodyard