The Master of Drums

Praise for The Master of Drums

“A substantial and engaging biography that contributes significantly to the history of jazz in the United States. . . . Rosenthal tells Krupa’s story with enthusiasm and an eye for detail in a narrative supported by extensive research.” —Library Journal

“An admiring biography of the drummer best known for his work with the Benny Goodman big band. . . . An enjoyable read for fans of early jazz. A valuable look at the life and career of one of the top stars of the Swing Era.” —Kirkus Reviews

“This is a biography that is worthy of its subject. Gene Krupa was a remarkable musician and a remarkable man. . . . Krupa was a genius masquerading as an ordinary guy. And that essence, for certain, Elizabeth Rosenthal captures very, very well.” —All About Jazz

“Elizabeth J. Rosenthal has done an excellent job in taking the myth and making it into a man. Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, John Bonham, and Animal from the Muppets are all happily in Gene Krupa’s debt. I know I am.” —Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats

“Gene Krupa was the swing drummer who rocked. His flair, talent, and obvious joy behind those Slingerland kits became the template for multiple generations of players who followed. He exploded the music with showmanship and dazzling technique, and dragged the drums out of the shadows and right onto the lip of the stage. Elizabeth J. Rosenthal has produced an exhaustively researched account of the man and the times. It’s the story of a famous drummer, but will surely appeal to everyone interested in the history of modern American jazz. Splendid!” —Rob Hirst, drummer/songwriter, Midnight Oil

“The worldwide jazz community has long needed a thorough, meticulously researched book about the man who made the drums a solo instrument. This is it! It’s been said that drums wouldn’t be played the way they are today had it not been for Gene Krupa. Elizabeth J. Rosenthal’s superb work tells us how . . . and why.” —Dr. Bruce Klauber, author of World of Gene Krupa and Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend

“Elizabeth J. Rosenthal brings Gene Krupa’s story to life with a precision and mastery that match her subject’s legendary playing—on-point, sharp, and, above all else, she makes it swing! Presenting Krupa’s earliest roots from the streets of Chicago to the heart of jazz’s golden age, this wonderful book makes it clear that modern music owes a great debt to Krupa—and music historians owe it to Rosenthal for her incredible modern take on his life and legacy. A must-read for jazz fans and drummers alike.” —C. M. Kushins, author of Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin

“No one played the drums like Gene Krupa, and no one has captured his life story as poignantly as Elizabeth J. Rosenthal does in The Master of Drums.” —Jeff Apter, author of Keith Urban and Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly

“The first superstar percussionist, Gene Krupa was not only a pioneer who led the way in establishing the drums as a solo instrument, but also an innovator whose influence has reached far beyond the jazz world to help shape numerous genres of popular music. So, an in-depth reappraisal of the man and his artistry has been long overdue—and it’s finally arrived with this definitive account of the Chicago Flash’s personal and professional peaks, valleys, conquests, and controversies. Liz Rosenthal knows how to tell a story, and this one engaged me right from the start. A must-read.” —Richard Buskin, New York Times bestselling author

“With deep affection and astoundingly detailed research, Elizabeth J. Rosenthal paints a rich portrait of Gene Krupa as a musician and a man. Krupa’s life in jazz gets the chronicle he deserves: powerful yet subtle as a player, restlessly inventive, tirelessly working, a true friend, and always looking to bridge racial divides through interracial music-making. Rosenthal assembles a cloud of witnesses to Krupa’s greatness and makes you want to listen again and anew.” —Todd Decker, author of Music Makes Me: Fred Astaire and Jazz

“The gods gave Gene Krupa fame and fortune in the ’30s, then terrorized him in the ’40s with a selective drug war on pot, as the Bureau of Narcotics became to musicians what HUAC soon would become to liberals. Rosenthal’s noirish narrative of stardom and scandal summons a time when the unseen was feared most.” —John McDonough, senior contributor, Down Beat, and professor of jazz history, Northwestern University

“One historian called drummer Gene Krupa ‘the first Elvis in some ways,’ by projecting sex and sensuousness. That statement might seem hyperbolic at first, but it is anything but. Indeed, Krupa was a gravitational pull in the development of jazz during the swing era, but as Elizabeth J. Rosenthal convincingly argues, he influenced generations of drummers in modern jazz, popular music, blues, rock, and even punk. For such a ferocious musical hurricane who was successful artistically and commercially, he was generous, modest, and approachable. As a member of the Benny Goodman Quartet in the 1930s, he was in the vanguard of racial integration in jazz. This well-researched and eminently readable biography also serves as a wonderful bookend to Stephanie Stein Crease’s 2023 biography of drummer/bandleader Chick Webb.” —Tad Hershorn, author of Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice

“Gene Krupa may not have been the greatest jazz drummer of the 20th century, but he was in the minds of millions and was certainly the most famous and influential. He was the consummate artist who first put the drums out front, where they remained for half a century, whenever he was onstage. In The Master of Drums, Elizabeth J. Rosenthal not only eloquently details the life lived by this legendary musician, but delves deeper, revealing the simple humanity that guided him beyond ‘Sing, Sing, Sing,’ ‘Drum Boogie,’ the movies, and concert halls. It is a wonderfully unique American story.” —Hank O’Neal, author, photographer, music producer, and Chairman of the Jazz Gallery

“Elizabeth J. Rosenthal has meticulously documented Gene Krupa’s fabulous career with the kind of thoroughness—including more than seventy personal interviews—that he’s long deserved. Krupa was revered by both the general public—he was a pop idol, the man who put drummers on the map and inspired countless youths to take up drums—and fellow musicians. Rosenthal details what Krupa contributed and why he mattered. It’s all here.” —Chip Deffaa, author of Voices of the Jazz Age, Jazz Veterans, and Swing Legacy

“Chronicling Gene Krupa’s ups and downs and registering his impact on contemporary music, The Master of Drums is a well-deserved account of one of the key musical artists of the past century.” —The Arts Fuse

“Meticulously examined . . . extremely well-detailed . . . an extremely interesting read.” —Percussive Notes, Percussive Arts Society

“Filled with fresh anecdotes and poignant stories (particularly about his physical decline and his final years), Elizabeth J. Rosenthal in The Master of Drums continually makes it obvious why Gene Krupa was one of the most beloved and significant of all jazz musicians.” —The Syncopated Times

“The Master of Drums is a loving, detailed, energetic portrait of a man and musician who deserves it. On an early Benny Goodman Quartet record, Lionel Hampton sings, ‘When Mister Krupa beats those riffs, he don’t let you down.’ This new biography doesn’t, either. . . . Rewarding in its feeling for its subject, its fairness, and its scope.” —Jazz Lives