Born Luigi Paolino Balassoni, Bellson won a nationwide Gene Krupa drum contest in 1940 and was heard by Tommy Dorsey, who was quite impressed. The drummer started at the top in 1941, playing with ...

Francine Bellson, and music director Josh Duffee of Davenport. Festivities start at 11:30 a.m. at the McCormick Event Center with a drum circle by Gregg Potter, who is the drummer for The Buddy ...

ROCK FALLS, Ill. (KWQC) - The 4th annual Bellson Music Fest is set to take place on June 7. Rock Falls Tourism said the event is being organized in close association with Bellson’s widow ...

Apr. 5—ROCK FALLS — The fourth annual Bellson Music Fest will be Saturday, June 7, in Rock Falls. The music festival kicks off with a drum clinic from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the McCormick ...

Is this Louie Bellson?” he recalled in a recent interview at his Davenport home, whose living room is dominated by a 16-piece drum set owned by Bellson. “He had a snare drum set up and the ...

Duffee actually owns a snare drum that had belonged to the icon. Bellson also lived in Moline for a period of time which found him having graduated from Moline High School in 1942. His final ...

(WTVO) —- Louie Bellson was a famous jazz drummer from Rock ... us all about what we can expect from the festival including a drum clinic and performances from some big bands.

A drum clinic with Steve Smith ... Jazz Band Josh Duffee & His Orchestra Steve Smith and Vital Information Louie Bellson is a Rock Falls native. Alive from 1924 to 2009, he was an internationally ...

For this year’s fest (free admission), he’ll play on Louie’s drum set (with Duffee’s 13-piece orchestra), in arrangements that Bellson played with Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey and Duke ...

He became a hero,” Fleetwood said. “My dream was to be Sandy Nelson. And all I’ve done is drum, so I have no complaints.” Louie Bellson is credited with pioneering the use of a double bass drum and, ...