Jimmy Rushing and His 1994 Jazz and Blues Singers Stamp

The 1994 Jazz and Blues Singers issue honored eight performers in eight separate stamp designs. This article focuses on Jimmy Rushing and distinguishes the musician’s documented career from later stories about the stamp.

The 1994 stamp

The 29-cent Jimmy Rushing stamp was issued with the Jazz and Blues Singers set on September 17, 1994, in Greenville, Mississippi, during the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival. The portrait design was created by Howard Koslow. Greenville was the official first-day city; ceremonies or commemorations held elsewhere were separate events.

The stamp presents Jimmy Rushing as an individual portrait with the performer’s name, the 29-cent denomination, and the Legends of American Music inscription. It belongs to an eight-design set but is discussed here as its own postal object.

About Jimmy Rushing

Jimmy Rushing (1902–1972) became closely identified with Count Basie’s orchestra, singing blues over a full big band without losing clarity or rhythmic lift. “Mr. Five by Five” was a nickname popularized by a song, not a literal body measurement.

Performances of “Sent for You Yesterday” and “Goin’ to Chicago Blues” show Rushing projecting blues phrasing through Count Basie’s swinging rhythm section and arranged ensemble figures. His forceful vocal delivery could stand out against the orchestra without turning the blues into a separate solo feature. Howard Koslow’s stamp honors Rushing as an individual vocalist rather than depicting Basie’s full band.

Issue context

Koslow’s design is a painted portrait rather than an illustration of the Basie orchestra. The close crop, facial expression, printed name, and 29-cent denomination identify Rushing within the eight-person issue. Collectors should state whether an example is a single, part of a pane, or on a first-day cover before comparing it with another format.

For the complete lineup, artist assignments, and issue-wide collecting context, see the 1994 Jazz and Blues Singers complete guide.

Sources

Key facts were checked against the National Postal Museum Jimmy Rushing object record; the National Postal Museum performer profile; and Smithsonian National Museum of American History collection records.