Theatre Register

Louis Bellson

Shows · Louis Bellson

Composer 1924–2009

Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), was an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator. He is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums. His name was often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie. Bellson and his wife, actress and singer Pearl Bailey (married from 1952 until Bailey's death in 1990), had the second highest number of appearances at the White House (only Bob Hope had more). Bellson was a vice president at Remo, a drum company. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1985.

Also credited on1 work

Portofino

These come off the person record, which names a work and not a production. So we can say this name is attached to the work and we cannot say which staging, or in what capacity. For a composer or a writer that is the whole career we hold; there is no cast list to find them in.

In the literature2 passages

  • Act One: “Prologue” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Will Irwin) (Robert Strauss); Opening—“Come Along” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Will Irwin) (Company); “No Wedding Bells for Me” (lyric by Richard Ney, music by Will Irwin) (Georges Guetary); “Festa”/“Come Along” (reprise) (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Will Irwin) (Compa…ebooks/Dietz, Dan/Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals, The - Dan Dietz.txt
  • Act Two: “Under a Spell” (reprise) (lyric by Richard Ney and Sheldon Harnick, music by Louis Bellson) (Georges Guetary, Girls); “That’s Love” (music uncredited, lyric by Richard Ney) (Georges Guetary, Company); “Too Little Time for Love” (lyric by Richard Ney, music by Will Irwin) (Webb Tilton); “Guido’s Tango” (music uncredited) (Robert…ebooks/Dietz, Dan/Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals, The - Dan Dietz.txt

Passages naming this person, found by keyword across 178 books. A keyword match is not a biography, and a common name will pull in the wrong one.

What this page does not know

  • What this person played. No cast list we hold records a character against a performer.
  • Any staging. This name appears in no production cast list we hold — 1,877 of 7,139 people are in that position, most of them writers, composers and designers rather than performers.
  • Which of the credits above the roles on this record — composer — apply to. The roles sit on the person and never on a credit, so a director who also acted looks the same here as one who did not.

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