Pianist Bennie Moten led a regional big band which was the most esteemed group of the Kansas/Oklahoma/Missouri axis at that time. More importantly, the core of Count Basie's early band evolved out of the Bennie Moten Orchestra. The Count joined the group in 1929, collaborating with Moten on compositions and effectively co-leading the band, and then formed his own group after Moten's death in 1935.