Gene Krupa American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader Born 15 January 1909 in Chicago, Illinois, USA Died 16 October 1973 in Yonkers, New York, USA He played with many artists including Red Nichols, Red McKenzie, Eddie Condon, Bix Beiderbecke, Frank Teschemacher, Benny Goodman, and in his own bands excellent players including Vido Musso, Milt Raskin, Floyd O'Brien, Sam Donahue, Shorty Sherock, Roy Eldridge and singers including Anita O'Day and Irene Daye. Review: Drummer Gene Krupa became a star playing behind Benny Goodman at the start of the Swing era. He went on to form his own hard-swinging band and had a string of hits during World War II. The handsome tub-thumper became a household name by introducing the drum solo to popular music (though it would be unkind to blame him for the percussive excesses of the rock era) and he became a mainstay on records, radio and film -- he even had a key part in the classic screwball comedy, Ball of Fire. Krupa entered the '50s by hiring Bop and Cool jazz modernists like Gerry Mulligan, and then released a string of solid albums on Verve long after many Swing era bandleaders were made obsolete. Krupa, who set the stage for such master percussionists as Shelly Manne, Max Roach, and Buddy Rich, was portrayed by pint-sized rebel Sal Mineo in a Hollywood blockbuster about his troubled life. Aliases: Chicago Flash

Gene Krupa Discography