List of Top 30 Shellac Records by the Count Basie Orchestra

Notes on using the list

This list contains the title and composer (s) of the pieces, date of recording, date of entry into the charts, highest position and length of stay in the charts. The presetting takes place according to the entry date in the charts. In addition, it can be sorted by title, label, date of admission and entry, chart position and weeks (in the charts).

The list of the Top 30 shellac records by the Count Basie Orchestra includes all pieces by the orchestra that hit the US Billboard between September 1937 (“ One O'Clock Jump ”) and October 1954 (“16 Men Swinging”) Magazine. For his book Pop Memories 1890–1954, the music historian Joel Whitburn evaluated various hit parades in parallel, including sales for sheet music, radio broadcasts, official record labels' sales lists and charts from the industry journal Variety . The data does not only relate to Billboard magazine , which only published a weekly hit parade in late 1935 / early 1936.

In addition to pure jazz titles, these were also “commercial” successful recordings, the titles accepted by the general public. Because these were probably the most important medium in and next to radio; they made the musicians known, gave them the chance for further recordings and helped them to earn income. ”The basis for the list is Joel Whitburn's work Pop Memories 1890–1954 , which lists the titles in the top 30 as determined by the Billboard charts Audience successes were - calculated on the basis of record sales, radio and jukebox use and the then largely unmanipulated hit parades.

Title, composer (s)	Label	Date of recording	Chart entry	Highest position	Weeks	Remarks
One O'Clock Jump (Basie)	Decca Records	July 1937	Sep 18 1937	15th	3	Count Basie's first hit, which opened the series of his 28 chart successes. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences .
Sent for You Yesterday (and Here You Come Today) (Basie)	Decca	Feb 16, 1938	July 30, 1938	18th	1	"Sent for You Yesterday" is considered one of the basie band's blues classics, which remained in the orchestra's program. Band singer is Jimmy Rushing . The orchestras of Les Brown and Benny Goodman (with Johnny Mercer as vocalist) also recorded the piece, but only Basie's original hit the charts.
Doggin 'Around (Evans)	Decca	June 6, 1938	Sep 24 1938	19th	1	The piece was written and arranged by the band's clarinetist and saxophonist, Herschel Evans . It was a popular topic at jam sessions but wasn't picked up by other bands until several years later.
Stop Beatin 'Round the Mulberry Bush (Boland - Reichner)	Decca	22 Aug 1938	Oct. 4, 1938	6th	4th	At the same time, the student song was also in the hit parades in the version by Tommy Dorsey . The singer is again Jimmy Rushing.
Mama Don't Want No Peas an 'Rice an' Coconut Oil (Charles - Gilbert)	Decca	June 6, 1938	Nov 5, 1938	17th	1	The song was only in the charts once and was only recorded by Cleo Brown alongside the basie band .
Jumpin 'at the Woodside (Basie)	Decca	22 Aug 1938	Dec 17, 1938	11	4th	Besides the “ One O 'Clock Jump ”, this is probably the best known jazz standard associated with Basie . The "Woodside" was a hotel on 125th Street in Harlem , in the basement of which the bandleader held sessions. a. this piece was created. Benny Goodman recorded it with Basie's arrangement, but only the original made it onto the charts.
And the Angels Sing (Mercer - Elman)	Vocalion	Apr 5, 1939	May 20, 1939	16	2	"Just as Benny Goodman played the titles and hits of Count Basie, Count Basie also took on pieces with which Goodman was successful - and also reached the top 20".
Easy Does It (Oliver - Young)	Columbia	March 20, 1940	May 18, 1940	28	1	This was the second and final chart entry of this song after Bobby Byrne's version, which was a popular topic at jam sessions . During this time, it was also recorded by Van Alexander , Sonny Burke , Bob Chester and Tommy Dorsey .
Red Wagon (Jones)	Decca	Jan. 26, 1940	May 25, 1940	26th	1	A "pure jazz track" by the Basie Quartet of guitarist Freddie Green , bassist Walter Page , drummer Jo Jones and Basie himself. The piece was also recorded by Jimmie Lunceford at the time , but only Basie's version was in the charts.
Goin 'to Chicago Blues (Rastig - Basie)	Okeh	Apr 10, 1941	27 Sep 1941	25th	1	The blues classic was recorded by Basie and Jimmy Rushing as well as by blues singer Big Joe Turner with pianist Freddie Slack . It wasn't until May 1943 that Basie had another hit with "Rusty Dusty Blues".
Rusty Dusty Blues (Williams)	Columbia	July 27, 1942	May 22, 1942	18th	1	The blues number was supposedly written by Mayo Williams . "Rusty Dusty" was "a joke name for a backside that is supposed to express that the person referred to was lazy and inactive". The song was also recorded by Louis Jordan , but only Basie's version hit the charts.
All Of Me (Simon - Marks)	Columbia	Nov 3, 1941	July 3, 1943	14th	1	This was the fourth chart placement of the song from the film musical Careless Lady (1932) , which Louis Armstrong had made a jazz standard in 1932. Later, Frank Sinatra (1948) and Johnny Ray (1952) had success in the charts.
For the Good of Your Country (Basie)	Columbia	July 27, 1942	Jan. 22, 1944	21st	1	This patriotic song, which is typical of the time, only made it into the hit lists and jazz discographies with Basie.
I Didn't Know About You (Russell - Ellington)	Columbia	Dec 6, 1944	1945 (February 17)	21st	1	The song was derived from Duke Ellington's instrumental title "Sentimental Lady" and provided with a text by Bob Russell . Only through the version of Basie did he get into the charts; but there were also recordings of the song by Mildred Bailey , Ellington, Rex Stewart and Eddie Heywood .
Jimmy's Blues (Rushing)	Columbia	Dec 6, 1944	Oct 6, 1945	10	1	The number tailored to band singer Jimmy Rushing was only in the charts once, but from then on it was often recorded by other artists with a different title.
Jivin 'Joe Jackson (Basie - Kirchner - Sprankle)	Columbia	Oct 9, 1945	Jan. 26, 1946	12	1	The number, arranged by Jimmy Mundy and sung by Ann Moore, was recorded in Los Angeles and only hit the charts once; There were no other recordings in the jazz area.
Patience and Fortitude (Warren - Moore)	Columbia	Jan. 9, 1946	March 23, 1946	14th	2	Only Basie's version got into the charts; During this time Benny Carter , Wingy Manone , Hal McIntyre , Ray McKinley and The Andrews Sisters made recordings .
The Mad Boogie (Basie - Harding)	Columbia	Jan. 9, 1946	May 6, 1946	10	10	Just two weeks later, the basie band had placed another number from the January session on the charts, where it stayed for ten weeks. The composition arranged by Buster Harding was only once in the hit lists and was only recorded by Basie.
Open the door, Richard! (Fletcher - Mason - McVea - Howell)	Victor	Jan. 3, 1947	Feb 8, 1947	1 (1)	7th	That number was one of the biggest hits of 1947 - Basie's twentieth hit on the charts and the only one to hit number 1. The singers on this Los Angeles number were Harry Sweets Edison and Bill Johnson. Further recordings of the song were made during this time by The Three Flames , co-authors "Dusty" Fletcher and Jack McVea as well as by The Charioteers and the Pied Pipers . In addition to Basie, Louis Jordan also made it into the top 20 with the song (# 6)
Free Eats (Edison - Donnelly - Young - Green - Basie)	Victor	Jan. 3, 1947	Apr 19, 1947	7th	3	This was another song that came out of the January session in Los Angeles; The singers are again "Sweets" Edison and Bill Johnson. The composition emerged from the Basie orchestra, "interspersed with riffs and with echoes of Louis Jordan".
One O'Clock Jump (Basie)	Decca	July 7, 1937	June 14, 1947	12	2	With this new edition of the piece, which was written in 1937, this swing classic hit the charts for the fifth and last time.
One O'Clock Boogie (Basie - Mundy - Ebbins)	Victor	March 13, 1947	June 28, 1947	8th	4th	The instrumental number arranged and co-composed by Jimmy Mundy bears only a slight resemblance to the "One O'Clock Jump" despite the title. Mundy also recorded him with his own band, but only the Basie recording got into the charts.
I Ain't Mad at You (You Ain't Mad at Me) (Basie - Green - Ebbins)	Victor	May 22, 1947	22 Aug 1947	7th	4th	A song created by the basie band that was only featured in this version in the hit lists and in the jazz discographies.
Blue and Sentimental (Davis-Basie-Livingstone)	Victor	Oct 19, 1947	Jan. 10, 1948	21st	2	In contrast to the many jives , jumps and bounces of the Basie band, the piece has a slow and romantic theme. Here Basie took on Bob Bailey as a vowel number; In 1938 it had recorded instrumental with Lester Young on the clarinet.
Robbin's Nest (Thompson)	Victor	Sep 12 1947	March 20, 1948	22nd	1	The title was a reference to the then popular radio disc jockey Fred Robbins, who u. a. moderated the "1280 Club" of the broadcaster WOV in New York. "Robbin's Nest" hit the charts through the Basie band and orchestra of Sam Donahue and is currently also recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and Claude Thornhill .
Softly with Feeling (Hefti)	Clef Records	Dec 12, 1953	May 1, 1954	29	1	The song recorded for Norman Granz 'young label Clef was composed and arranged by Neal Hefti . The gentle number "already indicated which way the basie band should take from 1957 onwards of its" Atomic "phase (" Li'l Darling ")." Hefti recorded the number in 1954 as "Oh What a Night for Love" ; There were no other recordings in the jazz area.
16 Men Swinging (Wilkins)	Clef Records	June 1954	Oct 16, 1954	29	1	The song, also recorded for Clef, was composed and arranged by Ernie Wilkins . It was the last of a total of 28 titles by Count Basie to appear on the charts

Individual evidence

1. ↑ In addition, Whitburn lists from the late 1930s on a top 30, in the earlier years he only evaluated the 10-20 successful titles each week.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab} Gerhard Klußmeier : Jazz in the Charts. Another view on jazz history. Liner notes and booklet for the 100 CD edition. Membrane International, ISBN 978-3-86735-062-4
3. ^ Joel Whitburn: Pop Memories 1890-1954 . Record Research, Menomone Falls WI 1986. Gerhard Klußmeier: Jazz in the Charts , p. 9.