Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 1, 2026

Bill Beason

William Beason was an American swing jazz drummer. At the height of his career, he recorded with Django Reinhardt.

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Aug 1, 2026
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William Beason
Born(1908-03-06)March 6, 1908
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedAugust 15, 1988(1988-08-15) (aged 80)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupationdrummer

William Beason (March 6, 1908 – August 15, 1988) was an American swing jazz drummer. At the height of his career, he recorded with Django Reinhardt.12

Biography

Beason was born March 6, 1908, in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended Central High School there, along with classmates and future jazz musicians Helen Humes, Jonah Jones and Dicky Wells,3 and then Wilberforce University in Ohio, playing drums for Horace Henderson's Collegians while there.4

In 1939, Beason took over the role of drummer in Ella Fitzgerald's orchestra from Chick Webb.5

Beason died, aged 80, in New York City.6

Discography (in selection)

With Dickie Wells and his Orchestra (Richard Fullbright, Bill Beason, Django Reinhardt, Bill Coleman)

  • 1937: Dinah ! / Nobody's Blues But My Own (Swing)
  • 1937: Japanese Sandman / I Got Rhythm (Swing)
  • 1937: I've Found A New Baby / Hot Club Blues (Swing)
  • 1937: Bugle Call Rag / Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (Swing)
  • 1937: Sweet Sue / Hangin' Around Boudon (Swing)
  • 1940: Hangin' Around Boudon / I've Found A New Baby (Victor)

With Ella Fitzgerald and her Orchestra

  • 1974: Live From The Roseland Ballroom, New York 1940 (Sunbeam)
  • 1987: Jazz Live & Rare (Delta)
See also

See also

References

References

  1. Jean 'Django' Reinhardt: A Contextual Bio-Discography 1910-1953. Taylor & Francis. July 5, 2017. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-351-56173-0.
  2. The New Yorker. New Yorker Magazine, Incorporated. August 2000. p. 100.
  3. "Beason, William E. "Bill"". Notable Kentucky African American (NKAA) Database. University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  4. Farrington, Joshua D. (2015). "Beason, William "Bill"". In Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A. (eds.). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8131-6065-8. OCLC 913829084.
  5. Nick Talevski (1999). The Encyclopedia of Rock Obituaries. Omnibus. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-7119-7548-4.
  6. Chadbourne, Eugene. "Bill Beason". Biography. AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
External links