Gene Krupa

January 15, 1909 - October 16, 1973



Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was a famous and influential American jazz and big band drummer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.



Many consider Krupa to be the most influential drummer of the 20th century, particularly with regard to the development of the drum kit.



Krupa's main influence began in 1935 when he emerged a star with Benny Goodman's Orchestra, prominently featuring Slingerland drums. But he had already made history in 1927 as the first kit drummer ever to record using a bass drum pedal. His drum method was published in 1938 and immediately became the standard text.



At Krupa's urging, Slingerland developed tom-toms with tuneable top and bottom heads, which immediately became important elements of virtually every drummer's set-up. Krupa also developed and popularised many of the cymbal techniques that became standards. His collaboration with Armand Zildjian of the Avedis Zildjian Company developed the hi-hat stand and standardized the names and uses of the ride cymbal, the crash cymbal, the splash cymbal, the pang cymbal and the swish cymbal.



Krupa has been cited as an influence by 1960s rock drummers such as Ian Paice of Deep Purple, Keith Moon of The Who, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, Peter Criss of Kiss (to whom Krupa gave personal lessons), Neil Peart of Rush, and Paul Whaley of Blue Cheer. The British techno-rock group Apollo 440 had a hit with "Krupa" which featured the sampled phrase from the movie Taxi Driver; "Now back to Gene Krupa's syncopated style." The song itself is an electronic dance track written in the style of Gene Krupa, giving the impression of Krupa's style in the form of a 1990s dance track, blending his musical idioms with a modern song using samples and synthesised basslines.



Krupa's popularity was acknowledged in the 1946 Warner Bros. cartoon, Book Revue, in which a rotoscoped Krupa's dynamic drumming plays a prominent role in an impromptu jam session.



Sal Mineo starred as Krupa in the Columbia Pictures movie The Gene Krupa Story (1959).



Drum Boogie (from Ball of Fire, 1941)