Chicago born, Gene Krupa's drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of "Sing, Sing, Sing" elevated the role of the drummer from an accompanist to an important solo voice in the band, and in 1978, he became the first drummer inducted into the Modern Drummer Magazine Hall of Fame | JazzCorner

Born this week— Gene Krupa (Jan 15, 1909) From his explosive work with Benny Goodman to iconic solos like “Sing, Sing, Sing,” Krupa helped pull the drummer out from the backline and into the spotlight, shaping the sound of swing-era jazz. #genekrupa #jazzlegends #jazzdrums | WBGO

Roy Eldridge was as one of the most influential musicians of the swing era and a precursor of bebop. He was given the nickname Little Jazz; not only because he was short in stature, but he was full of jazz in every note he played. In the 1930s, it was not common for white bands to have a black featured soloist, as was the case with Eldridge; both with Artie Shaw and Gene Krupa's bands. Krupa, on at least one occasion, spent several hours in jail and paid fines for starting a fistfight with a res