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| Gene Krupa January 15, 1909 - October 16, 1973 |
Gene Krupa was a Jazz drummer who was known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.
Krupa worked with seminal artists such as Benny Goodman, Harry James and Tommy Dorsey.
His playing has influenced many artists, including John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Keith Moon (The Who) and Neil Peart (Rush).
His playing has influenced many artists, including John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Keith Moon (The Who) and Neil Peart (Rush).
Two of his pupils were Peter Criss (KISS) and Jerry Nolan (The New York Dolls).
In 1978, Krupa became the first drummer inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame.
(via wikipedia):
In the 1930s, Krupa prominently featured Slingerland drums. At Krupa's urging, Slingerland developed tom-toms with tuneable top and bottom heads, which immediately became important elements of virtually every drummer's setup. Krupa developed and popularized many of the cymbal techniques that became standards. His collaboration with Armand Zildjian of the Avedis Zildjian Company developed the modern hi-hat cymbals and standardized the names and uses of the ride cymbal, the crash cymbal, the splash cymbal, the pang cymbal and the swish cymbal. One of his drum sets, a Slingerland inscribed with Benny Goodman's and Krupa's initials, is preserved at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C.[9]
