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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 Oklahoma City (city and state capital of Oklahoma, United States), Died June 8, 1972 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1960

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, lyricist, songwriter, piano

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 26-50 of 111 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 29009 10-in. 11/30/1940 Draftin' blues Count Basie Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo 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  
Columbia CO56714 10-in. 11/6/1956 Careless love Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56715 10-in. 11/6/1956 Doctor Jazz blues Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56716 10-in. 11/6/1956 Rosetta Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56717 10-in. 11/6/1956 New Orleans Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56718 10-in. 11/6/1956 Baby, won't you please come home Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56719 10-in. 11/7/1956 Piney Brown blues Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56720 10-in. 11/7/1956 Ain't nobody's business Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56721 10-in. 11/7/1956 Outskirts of town Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56722 10-in. 11/7/1956 Trick's ain't walkin' no more Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia CO56723 10-in. 11/8/1956 Old fashioned love Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56724 10-in. 11/8/1956 Lullaby of Broadway Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO56725 10-in. 11/8/1956 Some of these days Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO57688 10-in. 4/9/1957 Baby, don't tell on me Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO57689 10-in. 4/9/1957 [No information] Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO57690 10-in. 4/9/1957 My last affair Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO57691 10-in. 4/9/1957 Don't tell me Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO59927 10-in. 12/8/1957 I left my baby All Stars (Count Basie) ; Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO60472 10-in. 2/20/1958 I'm coming Virginia Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO60473 10-in. 2/20/1958 Mister Five by Five Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO60474 10-in. 2/20/1958 June night Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO60475 10-in. 2/20/1958 Rosalie Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO60476 10-in. 2/26/1958 Knock me a kiss Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
Columbia CO60477 10-in. 2/26/1958 Jimmy's blues Jimmy Rushing Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist  
(Results 26-50 of 111 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Rushing, Jimmy," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103465.

Rushing, Jimmy. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103465.

"Rushing, Jimmy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103465

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