Gene Krupa's Polish-American mother was a hard-working hat-maker who was a devout Roman Catholic. She wanted Gene to study for the priesthood. He attended several parochial schools in Chicago and studied one year at St. Joseph's College, a prep school seminary in Rensselaer, Indiana. Instead, Gene wound up being one of the most exciting pioneer drummers of the age of Swing and Jazz. He became known to millions by his professional moniker, "The Chicago Flash."
If there is one distinctive recording that comes to mind when people mention his name, it is without doubt one that was made during a high-energy live performance in January 1938 as part of Benny Goodman's historic jazz concert at Carneigie Hall in New York. Even listening to that recording of Sing Sing Sing today, a listener cannot help but feel the electricity in that hall 68 years ago.
According to legend, in the middle of the song Gene started to play the first extended drum solo in history as other musicians left the stage to leave Gene alone in the spotlight. The solo seemed like an eternity but was really only a few very intense minutes of non-stop fast-paced tom toms. Finally the musicians returned to an exhausted Gene Krupa just in time to blast away the final stanzas. The solo itself drew a sponaneous round of cheers and when the song finished the hall exploded with decibels never heard before in such a refined venue. Soon, audiences all over the country were demanding drum solos in every upbeat jazz song. Krupa had put jazz drummers on the map.
Gene Krupa was born in Chicago on January 5, 1909. He was the youngest of nine children born to Bartley and Ann Krupa. His father died when Gene was very young and all of the children went to work at least part-time before finishing grammar school. At age 11, Gene's brother Pete got him a job as a chore boy to wash windows and stack inventory at Brown's Music Store on the South Side. Gene tried out several instruments including the saxaphone but a set of drums was the cheapest. "They only cost me sixteen beans," said Gene.