Roy Eldridge

Genres:	Big Band & Swing • Jazz • Vocals
Descriptive "tags":	jazz • trumpet • swing • early jazz
Decades Active:	1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Links online:	Wikipedia

Biography

David Roy Eldridge, 30 January 1911, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 26 February 1989, Valley Stream, New York, USA. One of the chief figures in the established lineage of jazz trumpet playing, Eldridge paid his dues with territory bands in the Midwest, such as those of Speed Webb and Horace Henderson, before moving to New York in 1930. He then played with a number of bands, including that of Teddy Hill and one that he co-led with his brother, Joe Eldridge. In 1935 he joined Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra, then formed his own group, which was reasonably successful but not so much so that he could afford to refuse an offer to join Gene Krupa in 1941. The engagement brought Eldridge to great prominence thanks to extensive tours of the USA and numerous recordings, notably solo features on ‘Rockin’ Chair’, ‘After You’ve Gone’ and ‘Let Me Off Uptown’ (on which he partnered Anita O’Day).

Despite...

Read the Full Biography of Roy Eldridge