After studying music, Jimmy Rushing became a full-time professional singer in 1923. In the mid-20s, he joined Bennie Moten, and, by 1935, was a core member of the Count Basie band. He remained with Basie until 1948, then worked as a solo, and sometimes led a small band himself. During these later years, he regularly worked with leading jazz artists such as Benny Goodman, Buck Clayton, and Basie himself. Rushing’s tenor voice has a slightly nasal quality that carried comfortably over the sound of a big band, giving his performances a keening, plaintive quality. He continued to tour and record into the early-'70s. Although his voice showed signs of wear and tear, he retained his unflagging swing.