| 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, Roy 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 Roy 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).
Roy Eldridge had a very bad time early on in his career. He became popular when he played with Krupa, but being the only black member of the band he was subject to racial discrimination that nearly resulted in a breakdown. In 1943, Krupa was jailed and Roy Eldridge fronted the band for a while before it broke up. He decided to try again and formed his own band but was once again plagued with racial discrimination. Roy Eldridge decided then to form only Small Groups. Working with Krupa again in the late 1940's he also joined Jazz at the Philharmonic. |
