George Edward "Butch" Ballard was an American jazz drummer who played with Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington.
12 Facts About Butch Ballard
1.
2.
When he was about 10 years old, Butch Ballard's father bought him a set of drums from a pawnbroker and he began to take lessons for 75 cents each.
3.
Butch Ballard got the nickname "Butch" after Machine Gun Butch, a character in the film The Big House.
4.
At around 16 years old, Butch Ballard listened to Herb Thornton's band at the Boys Club in Philadelphia.
5.
In 1938, Butch Ballard began playing with Louis Armstrong's band The Dukes.
6.
Butch Ballard met and became friends with drummer Shadow Wilson who played with the Count Basie Orchestra.
7.
In 1950, Butch Ballard received a telephone call from Duke Ellington who had heard of Butch Ballard from his son Mercer.
8.
Ellington invited him to join his band on a European tour and Butch Ballard sailed to France.
9.
Butch Ballard played with musicians including Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Billy Strayhorn, Kay Davis and Chubby Kemp and Wendell Marshall.
10.
Butch 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.
11.
Butch Ballard became a music teacher in the mid-1980s and saw about 12 students a week.
12.
On December 1,2006, Butch Ballard received the Mellon Jazz Community Award for his musical career and his continued education of young jazz musicians.