• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Shuffle Projects

Swinging Projects for Lindy Hop & Balboa Dancers

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • DJ CHRiSBE
    • Song of the Week
  • RESOURCES
  • CONTACT

Jimmy Rushing

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #126: I Want A Little Girl

30.07.2012 by Chris

There are two male blues & jazz singers I really adore. One is Joe Williams and the other one is Jimmy Rushing.

Jimmy, born as James Andrew, Rushing (Aug. 26, 1901 – June 8, 1972) was known as “Mr. Five by Five” due his corpulent shape. He was famous for his blues interpretations but actually, he could sing almost anything.

Rushing played violin and piano in his youth and studied music in high school. By the time he was 18, he began working professionally as a singer.

From 1923-1924, he was singing in California (with Jelly Roll Morton amongst others). In 1927, he moved to Kansas City and joined Walter Page's Blue Devils. He recorded with them in 1929 and then joined Bennie Moten in the same year, staying until Moten's death in 1935.

Count Basie picked up the pieces of the Moten band and Rushing joined the new Count Basie Orchestra. This was a perfect match and Rushing stayed for 15 years. While with the Basie Orchestra, he also appeared in several film shorts and features.

Rushing was with Basie until October 1948 and occasionally during 1949. When the Count Basie Orchestra broke up in 1950, he shortly retired and then formed his own combo (1950-1952). He freelanced as a soloist during the 1950s.

In 1957, Rushing appeared with Count Basie at the Newport Jazz Festival. With Benny Goodman he had an appearance at the Brussels World Fair and in 1959, he toured Europe with Buck Clayton.

In the 1960s, he sang with Harry James, Benny Goodman and Eddie Condon and stayed active until his death in 1972.

I Want A Little Girl

A clip from “The Subject is Jazz”, presented by Dr. Billy Taylor, summer 1958

“I Want A Little Girl” is a beautiful blues. Jimmy Rushing's distinctive voice could be powerful with a wide range from baritone to tenor. But it could also be warm, soft and soulful like in this number.


[easyazon-image align=”left” asin=”B002D1B3VO” locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51knJjZO-ZL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]Title: [easyazon-link asin=”B002D17IUY” locale=”us”]I Want A Little Girl[/easyazon-link]
Artist: Jimmy Rushing
Recorded: 1954
Album: [easyazon-link asin=”B002D1B3VO” locale=”us”]The Very Best Of[/easyazon-link]
Tempo: 75 bpm
Dance: Blues



Click the link to download the song at
iTunes CH/EU ・ iTunes US ・ [easyazon-link asin=”B002D10WIE” locale=”de”]Amazon.de[/easyazon-link] ・ [easyazon-link asin=”B002D17IUY” locale=”us”]A'zon.com[/easyazon-link] ・ [easyazon-link asin=”B002D1EDK2″ locale=”uk”]A'zon.co.uk[/easyazon-link] ・ emusic



What do you think about this version? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Every Monday, I post a new “Song of the Week“.
You can find the songs also on my Spotify playlist or on 8tracks.


[catalyst_hook_box name=”adboxsotwbottom”]

Related Songs:

Song of the Week #69: “Evenin'” by Jones Smith Inc.
Song of the Week #125: “Jeep Jockey Jump” by Glenn Miller
Song of the Week #124: “Cherokee” by Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra
Song of the Week #123: “Russian Rag” by Tuba Skinny
Song of the Week #122: “A Slick Chick (On The Mellow Side)” by Dinah Washington

Filed Under: Music, Song of the Week Tagged With: Benny Goodman, Blues, Count Basie, DJ Chrisbe, Jimmy Rushing, Mr. Five by Five

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #69: Evenin’

27.06.2011 by Chris

The story goes like this: John Hammond, music critic and record producer, heard Count Basie one day on short wave radio and drove directly to Kansas City to hear the band live.

As a result, Hammond recorded with a quintett out of Count Basie‘s big band and with singer Jimmy Rushing four record sides in Chicago.

Because Count Basie already signed a contract with Decca but had not started to record with them, the four sides were recorded under the name Jones-Smith Incorporated.

“Jones” was the name of the drummer (Jo Jones) and Smith the name of the trumpeter (Carl Smith).

One of these songs was “Evenin'“. A bluesy swinging number paired with Jimmy Rushing's soulfoul voice. I love this song and play it quite often.

Personel: Jimmy Rushing voc, Carl Smith t, Lester Young ts, Count Basie p, Walter Page b, Jo Jones d.

DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week #69: Jones-Smith Inc. - Evenin'

Title: Evenin'
Artist: Jones-Smith Inc.
Recorded: 8.10.1936
Tempo: 164 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop

Click the link to download the song from: Amazon ・ iTunes

You can find the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist. Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw

Do you like the “Song of the Week” series? Share your thoughts below.

Now Check Out:

  • Song of the Week #68: “Come On-A My House” by Rosemary Clooney
  • Song of the Week #67: “Shoo Shoo Baby” by Alice Babs
  • Song of the Week #66: “Empty Ballroom Blues” by Duke Ellington

Filed Under: Music, Song of the Week Tagged With: Count Basie, DJ Chrisbe, Jimmy Rushing, John Hammond, Jones-Smith Inc., Lindy Hop

Primary Sidebar

Welcome, I'm Christian Bossert. Since 1999, I‘ve been passionate about Swing dances as well as their culture and history. I‘m a Swing dance instructor and international Swing DJ Chrisbe, based in Zurich Switzerland. Read More…

Recent Posts

  • Alphabetical Jazz Steps – Edition 3 (2017) with Chester Whitmore
  • Marcia & Chris unterrichten bei Dance2bee in CH-Muhen, 10.-13.07.2017
  • WhatStep – Your Dance Move Assistant App: The Story
  • Februar-Aktion: 15% auf iTunes Geschenkkarten
  • Marcia & Chris are teaching Balboa in D-Dortmund, 27.-29.11.2015

Most Popular Posts

  • 33 Tips & Actions How To Become A Better Swing Dancer
  • Swing Summer in Europe: Studio Hop Summer Camp in Eauze France
  • Competing at ABW and ESDC
  • Dance Teaching Idea: Ask & Tell
  • A Day At The Balboa Experiment
  • Frankie Manning: Never Stop Swinging (Documentary)
  • 14 Tips To Become A (Better) Swing DJ

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in