Chicago born, Gene Krupa's drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of "Sing, Sing, Sing" elevated the role of the drummer from an accompanist to an important solo voice in the band, and in 1978, he became the first drummer inducted into the Modern Drummer Magazine Hall of Fame | JazzCorner

Born in Chicago (January 15, 1909 - October 16, 1973), Gene Krupa may not have been the most advanced drummer of the 1930s - but he was in some ways the most significant. Prior to Krupa, drum solos were a real rarity and the drums were thought of as a merely supportive instrument. Gene Krupa made history with his first record. For a session in 1927 with the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans, he became the first musician to use a full drum set on records. In December 1934 he joined Benny Goodman. Krupa,