Today, it would be unthinkable to bar a musical artist from their place of performance. Yet seventy years ago it happened regularly. African-American musicians were often required to enter a club by the kitchen or back door, even if they were the headliner.
In 1940 a doorman turned away star trumpeter Roy Eldridge at the front door of the venue where he was performing with Gene Krupa’s big band. Even though right next to the entrance there was a large poster with Eldridge and Krupa’s pictures on it. When Krupa heard about the incident, he was furious and threatened to pull the band, unless the doorman was fired. That happened and the band played.
Even after Benny Goodman broke the color line by hiring Teddy Wilson for his band, it was not a common thing during the Swing Era for black and white musicians to share a stage, and certainly not to work together as members of the same band. When Krupa asked Eldridge to join his band in 1940, it caused a stir. But Eldridge and Krupa had been musical buddies for years, often going to late-night clubs after a gig to jam and eat ribs.
Here is Roy Eldridge with the Gene Krupa band and “I Hope Gabriel Likes My Music.”
“Soundtrack to the Struggle” is produced by Ron Adkins. Written by Bob Naujoks. Executive Producer Dennis Green. Host: Hollis Monroe.
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