Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, Sing" elevated the role of the drummer from an accompanist to an important solo voice in the band. In collaboration with the Slingerland drum and Zildjian cymbal manufacturers, he was a major force in defining the standard band drummer's kit. Krupa is considered "the founding father of the modern drumset" by ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

'' magazine.

Early life

The youngest of Anna (née Oslowski) and Bartłomiej Krupa's nine children, Gene Krupa was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, United States. Bartłomiej was an immigrant from Poland born in the village of Łęki Górne, southeastern Poland. Anna was born in

Shamokin, Pennsylvania Shamokin (; Saponi Algonquian ''Schahamokink'', meaning "place of eels") ( Lenape Indian language: Shahëmokink) is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Surrounded by Coal Township at the western edge of the Anthracit ...

, and was also of Polish descent. His parents were

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who groomed him for the priesthood. He spent his grammar school days at parochial schools. He attended the

James H. Bowen High School James H. Bowen High School (known simply as Bowen High School) is a public 4–year high school located in the South Chicago neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Bowen is operated by the Chicago Public Schools distric ...

on Chicago's southeast side. After graduation he attended Saint Joseph's College for a year but decided the priesthood was not his vocation. Krupa studied with

Sanford A. Moeller Sanford Augustus Moeller (1878–1960) was an American rudimental drummer, national champion, educator, and author. He was born in Albany, New York on February 16, 1878, and he began his music education by studying the piano. While still a ...

, and began playing drums professionally in the mid-1920s with bands in Wisconsin. In 1927, he was hired by

MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gen ...

to become a member of Thelma Terry and Her Playboys, the first notable American jazz band to be led by a female musician (except

all-female bands An all-female band is a musical group in popular music that is exclusively composed of female musicians. This is distinct from a girl group, in which the female members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universally followed. While ...

). The Playboys were the house band at the Golden Pumpkin nightclub in Chicago and toured throughout the eastern and central United States.

Career

Krupa made his first recordings in 1927 with a band under the leadership of Red McKenzie and guitarist

Eddie Condon Albert Edwin Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was an American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in Chicago jazz, he also played piano and sang. Early years Condon was born in Goodland, Indiana, the son of J ...

. Along with other recordings by musicians from the Chicago jazz scene, such as

Bix Beiderbecke Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer. Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical app ...

, these recordings are examples of Chicago style jazz. Krupa's influences during this time included Father Ildefonse Rapp and Roy Knapp (both teachers of his), and drummers Tubby Hall,

Zutty Singleton Arthur James "Zutty" Singleton (May 14, 1898 – July 14, 1975) was an American jazz drummer. Career Singleton was born in Bunkie, Louisiana, United States, and raised in New Orleans. According to his ''Jazz Profiles'' biography, his unusual ...

and Baby Dodds. Press rolls (dragging one stick across the snare head while keeping the beat with the other stick) were a fairly common technique in the early stages of his development. There were many other drummers (Ray Bauduc,

Chick Webb William Henry "Chick" Webb (February 10, 1905 – June 16, 1939) was an American jazz and swing music drummer and band leader. Early life Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to William H. and Marie Webb. The year of his birth is disputed. ...

George Wettling George Godfrey Wettling (November 28, 1907 – June 6, 1968) was an American jazz drummer. He was born in Topeka, Kansas, United States, and from his early teens was living in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of the young Chicagoans who fell ...

, Dave Tough) who influenced his approach to drumming and other instrumentalists and composers such as

Frederick Delius Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius ( 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934), originally Fritz Delius, was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prosperous mercantile family, he resisted atte ...

who influenced his approach to music. Krupa appeared on six recordings by the Thelma Terry band in 1928. In December 1934, he joined

's band, where his drum work made him a national celebrity. His tom-tom interludes on the hit " Sing, Sing, Sing" were the first extended drum solos to be recorded commercially. But conflict with Goodman prompted him to leave the group and form his own orchestra shortly after the Carnegie Hall concert in January 1938. He appeared in the 1941 film '' Ball of Fire'', in which he and his band performed an extended version of the hit "

Drum Boogie The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a sh ...

" (composed by Krupa and Roy Eldridge), sung by Martha Tilton and lip-synced by

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

. In 1943, Krupa was arrested on a trumped-up drug charge. This resulted in a short jail sentence and bad publicity. Krupa broke up the orchestra and returned to Goodman's band for a few months. When Goodman wanted him to go on a west coast tour, Krupa declined. He then joined Tommy Dorsey's band for several months and then put together his next orchestra. As the 1940s ended,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

closed his band and

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

reduced his band to an octet. In 1951, Krupa cut down the size of his band to a ten-piece for a short while and from 1952 on he led trios, then quartets, often with Charlie Ventura then

Eddie Shu Eddie Shu ''(ne'' Edward Shulman; 18 March 1918 New York City — 4 July 1986) was an American jazz musician who played saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, harmonica, and accordion. He was also a comedic ventriloquist. Career Shu learned violin and ...

on tenor sax, clarinet, and harmonica. He appeared regularly in the

Jazz at the Philharmonic Jazz at the Philharmonic, or JATP (1944–1983), was the title of a series of jazz concerts, tours and recordings produced by Norman Granz. Over the years, "Jazz at the Philharmonic" featured many of the era's preeminent musicians, including Lou ...

concerts. In the 1950s, Krupa returned to Hollywood to appear in the films '' The Glenn Miller Story'' and '' The Benny Goodman Story''. In 1959, the movie biography '' The Gene Krupa Story'' was released; Sal Mineo portrayed Krupa, and the film included cameos by

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band app ...

and Red Nichols. During the 1950s and 1960s, Krupa often played at the

Metropole A metropole (from the Greek '' metropolis'' for "mother city") is the homeland, central territory or the state exercising power over a colonial empire. From the 19th century, the English term ''metropole'' was mainly used in the scope of ...

near

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

in Manhattan. He continued to perform in famous clubs in the 1960s, including the Showboat Lounge in northwest Washington, D.C. With peer Cozy Cole, Gene started a music school in 1954 that carried on into the 1960s. Some of the school's students included

Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Ca ...

of KISS and Jerry Nolan of The New York Dolls. Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revival cited Krupa as an inspiration. Krupa was still busy in the early 1970s until shortly before his death. That included several reunion concerts of the original Benny Goodman Quartette. On April 17, 1973, the Gene Krupa Quartet, composed of Eddie Shu (tenor and clarinet), John Bunch (piano), Nabil Totah (Bass) and Krupa (drums), recorded a live performance at the New School featuring the Louis Prima composition "Sing, Sing, Sing". His compositions which he wrote or co-wrote included "Some Like It Hot" in 1939, "

", "Boogie Blues", his theme song "Apurksody", "Ball of Fire", "Disc Jockey Jump" with

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

, "Wire Brush Stomp", "Hippdeebip", "Krupa's Wail", "Swing is Here", "Quit and Roll 'Em" with Sam Donahue, and "How 'Bout This Mess".

Krupa-Rich drum battles

Norman Granz Norman Granz (August 6, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American jazz record producer and concert promoter. He founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, and Pablo. Granz was acknowledged as "the most successful impres ...

hired Krupa and drummer

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

for his Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. The two drummers performed at Carnegie Hall in September 1952 and it was issued by Verve as ''

The Drum Battle ''The Drum Battle – Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich at JATP'' (later issued as ''The Original Drum Battle!'') is a 1960 live album by drummers Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, recorded at a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert at Carnegie Hall in 1952. Recepti ...

''. The two drummers faced off in a number of television broadcasts and other venues and often played similar duets with drummer Cozy Cole. Krupa and Rich recorded two studio albums together: ''

Krupa and Rich ''Krupa and Rich'' is a 1956 studio album by jazz drummers Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, released on Norman Granz' Clef Records. Krupa and Rich play on two different tracks each and play together only on "Bernie's Tune." Krupa and Rich would recor ...

'' (Verve, 1955) and ''

Burnin' Beat ''Burnin' Beat'' is a 1962 studio album by drummers Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, the sequel to their 1955 album ''Krupa and Rich''. Track listing LP side A # "Jumpin' at the Woodside" (Count Basie) – 2:20 # "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain' ...

'' (Verve, 1962).

Personal life

Krupa married Ethel Maguire twice: the first marriage lasted from 1934 to 1942, the second from 1946 to her death in 1955. He remarried in 1959 to Patty Bowler and they were divorced within ten years. In the early 1970s, Krupa's house in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

, was damaged by fire. He continued to live in the parts of the house that were habitable. In 1973, Krupa died in Yonkers at the age 64 from heart failure, though he also had leukemia and emphysema. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City, Illinois.

Endorsement

In the 1930s, Krupa became the first endorser of Slingerland drums. At Krupa's urging, Slingerland developed tom-toms with tuneable top and bottom

heads A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals m ...

, which immediately became important elements of virtually every drummer's setup. Krupa developed and popularized many of the

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

techniques that became standard. His collaboration with Avedis Zildjian developed the modern

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...

cymbals and standardized the names and uses of the ride cymbal, crash cymbal and splash cymbal. He is also credited with helping to formulate the modern drum set, being one of the first jazz drummers to use a

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

in a recording session (December 1927). One of his bass drums, a Slingerland 14×26, inscribed with

's and Krupa's initials, is preserved at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

in Washington, D.C.

Awards and honors

In 1978, Krupa became the first drummer inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame. The 1937 recording of

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...

's " Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" combined with

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

's "Christopher Columbus" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra featuring Krupa on drums was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982. Apollo 440's 1996 hit single " Krupa" is a tribute to Gene Krupa.

Discography

As leader

* 1946 ''Drummin' With Krupa'' (Columbia) * 1947 ''Gene Krupa And His Orchestra'' (Columbia) * 1948 ''Gene Krupa'' (Columbia) * 1950 ''Gene Krupa Plays "Fats" Waller For Dancing'' (Columbia) * 1952 ''The Original Drum Battle'' ( Verve) * 1952 ''

'' with Buddy Rich (Verve) * 1953 ''Timme Rosenkrantz' 1945 Concert Vol. 3'' (

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

) * 1953 ''The Exciting Gene Krupa'' * 1954 ''Sing, Sing, Sing'' (Verve) * 1954 ''The Driving Gene Krupa'' (Verve) * 1954 ''Gene Krupa, Vol. 1'' (

Clef A clef (from French: 'key') is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical stave. Placing a clef on a stave assigns a particular pitch to one of the five lines, which defines the pitc ...

) * 1954 ''Gene Krupa, Vol. 2'' (Clef) * 1955 ''The Jazz Rhythms of Gene Krupa'' (Verve) * 1955 ''G. Krupa-L. Hampton-T. Wilson'' (Verve) * 1955 ''The Gene Krupa Quartet'' (Clef) * 1956 ''Drummer Man'' (Verve) * 1956 ''

'' (Verve) * 1957 ''Krupa Rocks'' (Verve) * 1959 ''Big Noise from Winnetka'' (Commodore) * 1959 ''Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements'' (Verve) * 1959 ''Hey...Here's Gene Krupa'' (Verve) * 1959 ''The Gene Krupa Story'' (Verve) * 1961 ''Percussion King'' (Verve) * 1962 ''

'' with Buddy Rich (Verve) * 1963 ''

The Mighty Two Track listing #"Rent Man / Resident Area" - Black Uhuru / Jah Grundy – 7:18 #"Heavy Manners" - Prince Far-I – 3:16 #"Rockers" - Glen Washington – 2:34 #"Rockers Dub" - Joe Gibbs and The Professionals – 2:45 #"Navel String" - Dennis W ...

'' with Louis Bellson (

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

) * 1964 '' The Great New Gene Krupa Quartet Featuring Charlie Ventura'' (Verve) * 1972 ''Jazz at the New School'' (

Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

)

As sideman

With

* 1950 '' Live at Carnegie Hall (1938)'' * 1955 ''The Benny Goodman Story, Vols. 1–2'' * 1956 ''The King of Swing, Vol. 2'' * 1956 ''Trio Quartet Quintet'' * 1997 '' The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings'' (RCA Victor, 1935–39

997 Year 997 ( CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first child of the ...

References

External links

''Let Me Off Uptown: A Gene Krupa Biography'' by John Twomey

Gene Krupa
Profiles in Jazz *
Gene Krupa recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krupa, Gene 1909 births 1973 deaths American jazz drummers American jazz bandleaders American people of Polish descent American Roman Catholics Big band bandleaders Big band drummers Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from leukemia Dixieland drummers Musicians from Chicago RCA Victor artists Verve Records artists Columbia Records artists Swing drummers Benny Goodman Orchestra members 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Benson Orchestra of Chicago members