Many famous and important drummers have either been born here, have lived here / still live here, or are buried here in the Chicago area. These include jazz drummers. blues drummers, rock drummers, percussionists, and all sorts of drummers of all types.
Drummers Tour Map -> Google Maps
Drummers in Chicago Tour Information -> PDF file
31 entries so far…
Fred Below
James A. “Jimmy” Bertrand
Cassell Burrow
Barrett Deems
Warren “Baby” Dobbs
Johnnie Mae “Big Boss Lady” (Hudson) Dunson
Elga Speed “Elgin Evans” Edmunds
Robert Lee “Bobby” Fields, Jr.
Anthony “Tony” Gooden
Nathaniel Haggins
Theodore “Ted” Harney
Willie Lee “The Touch” Hayes
Eddie “Porkchop” Hines
Armond G. “Jump” Jackson
Clifton James
James Knowles, Sr.
Gene Krupa
S.P Leary
John Panozzo
Odie Payne
Earl Warren Phillips
Robert Garlon Plunkett
Lawrence “Judge” Riley
Theodore Dudley “Red” Saunders
John Siomos
“Kansas City Red” Arthur Lee Stevenson
Marshall Thompson
William “Billy” Warren
Willie “W.W.” Williams
FRED BELOW (1926-1988)
Oak Woods Cemetery
1035 E. 67th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Grave: 41°46’20.1″N 87°35’40.7″W
Blues Drummer
Fred Below was an influential American blues drummer whose career helped shape the sound of modern Chicago blues and early rock and roll. Born in Chicago in 1926, Below developed his skills through jazz training and formal percussion study before serving in the U.S. Army, where he gained further musical experience. After returning to Chicago in the early 1950s, he joined the Aces, a group that later became the backing band for Little Walter, helping establish the powerful electric blues style that became a trademark of the era.
During the 1950s, Below became a key session drummer for Chess Records, recording with many of the biggest names in blues, including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry. His distinctive drumming style, especially his driving backbeat and jazz-influenced rhythms, became a foundation of Chicago blues and influenced generations of rock and blues drummers. He played on numerous classic recordings, including major works by Chuck Berry and other Chess artists.
Throughout the later part of his career, Fred Below continued performing and recording with blues musicians, including touring internationally and reuniting with former collaborators. Although he was often known more among musicians than mainstream audiences, his contributions were considered essential to the development of electric blues and the transition from blues into rock music. He remained active until his death in 1988, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most important drummers in blues history.
Fred Below -> Wikipedia
JAMES A. “JIMMY” BERTRAND (1900-1960)
Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery
6001 W. 111th Street
Alsip, IL 60803
Sec. 9, Blk. 8, Lot 38, Grave 1 (unmarked per cemetery staff)
Jazz & Blues Drummer
Jimmy Bertrand was an influential jazz and blues percussionist whose career was closely tied to the development of the Chicago jazz scene during the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, he moved to Chicago in 1913, where he studied percussion and began performing in theater orchestras before joining Erskine Tate’s Vendome Orchestra in 1918. Over the following decade, he established himself as one of the city’s leading drummers and washboard players, performing and recording with many of the era’s most important musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, Blind Blake, Ma Rainey, Tiny Parham, and Eddie South.
In addition to his work as a sideman, Bertrand led his own ensemble, Jimmy Bertrand’s Washboard Wizards, which featured notable collaborators such as Louis Armstrong and Jimmy Dodds. His recordings showcased not only his drumming but also his skill on the washboard, xylophone, and other percussion instruments, reflecting the versatility that made him a sought-after performer in both jazz and blues sessions.
Bertrand was equally significant as a teacher. He trained several future jazz greats, including Lionel Hampton, Big Sid Catlett, and Wallace Bishop. Hampton later referred to Bertrand as his “original idol,” highlighting the lasting influence Bertrand had on the next generation of percussionists. Although he continued leading bands into the early 1940s, he left professional music around 1944 to work in a Chicago meat-packing plant, making only occasional musical appearances thereafter. While he never achieved the fame of many of his contemporaries, Bertrand’s recordings, performances, and teaching established him as a foundational figure in early Chicago jazz and blues.
James A. “Jimmy” Bertrand -> Wikipedia
FRED BELOW (1926-1988)
Oak Woods Cemetery
1035 E. 67th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Grave: 41°46’20.1″N 87°35’40.7″W
Blues Drummer
Fred Below was an influential American blues drummer whose career helped shape the sound of modern Chicago blues and early rock and roll. Born in Chicago in 1926, Below developed his skills through jazz training and formal percussion study before serving in the U.S. Army, where he gained further musical experience. After returning to Chicago in the early 1950s, he joined the Aces, a group that later became the backing band for Little Walter, helping establish the powerful electric blues style that became a trademark of the era.
During the 1950s, Below became a key session drummer for Chess Records, recording with many of the biggest names in blues, including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry. His distinctive drumming style, especially his driving backbeat and jazz-influenced rhythms, became a foundation of Chicago blues and influenced generations of rock and blues drummers. He played on numerous classic recordings, including major works by Chuck Berry and other Chess artists.
Throughout the later part of his career, Fred Below continued performing and recording with blues musicians, including touring internationally and reuniting with former collaborators. Although he was often known more among musicians than mainstream audiences, his contributions were considered essential to the development of electric blues and the transition from blues into rock music. He remained active until his death in 1988, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most important drummers in blues history.
Fred Below -> Wikipedia
FRED BELOW (1926-1988)
Oak Woods Cemetery
1035 E. 67th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Grave: 41°46’20.1″N 87°35’40.7″W
Blues Drummer
Fred Below was an influential American blues drummer whose career helped shape the sound of modern Chicago blues and early rock and roll. Born in Chicago in 1926, Below developed his skills through jazz training and formal percussion study before serving in the U.S. Army, where he gained further musical experience. After returning to Chicago in the early 1950s, he joined the Aces, a group that later became the backing band for Little Walter, helping establish the powerful electric blues style that became a trademark of the era.
During the 1950s, Below became a key session drummer for Chess Records, recording with many of the biggest names in blues, including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry. His distinctive drumming style, especially his driving backbeat and jazz-influenced rhythms, became a foundation of Chicago blues and influenced generations of rock and blues drummers. He played on numerous classic recordings, including major works by Chuck Berry and other Chess artists.
Throughout the later part of his career, Fred Below continued performing and recording with blues musicians, including touring internationally and reuniting with former collaborators. Although he was often known more among musicians than mainstream audiences, his contributions were considered essential to the development of electric blues and the transition from blues into rock music. He remained active until his death in 1988, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most important drummers in blues history.
Fred Below -> Wikipedia
WARREN “BABY” DOBBS (1898-1959)
Lincoln Cemetery
Blue Island, IL
Grave: 41°40’19.5″N 87°42’16.5″W
Jazz Drummer Legend
Baby Dodds (Warren “Baby” Dodds), his musical career was one of the most influential in early jazz history. Born in New Orleans in 1898, Dodds became one of the first great jazz drummers, developing a highly expressive style that used accents, improvisation, and rhythmic variations rather than simply keeping time. He began playing in local New Orleans bands before joining the riverboat band of Fate Marable in 1918, where he performed alongside a young Louis Armstrong.
In 1921, Dodds joined King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band and became part of the Chicago jazz scene, where he helped shape the sound of early jazz drumming. He later recorded and performed with major figures including Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and his brother Johnny Dodds. His work with Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings helped establish him as one of the defining drummers of the 1920s.
During the later part of his career, Dodds remained dedicated to traditional New Orleans jazz and became an important figure in the jazz revival movement of the 1940s. Although health problems limited his performances in his final years, his innovations in rhythm and improvisation continued to influence generations of drummers. Baby Dodds died in 1959, leaving behind a legacy as one of the pioneers who helped transform drums from a background rhythm instrument into a central voice in jazz.
Warren “Baby” Dobbs -> Wikipedia
GENE KRUPA (1909-1973)
Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum
Calumet City, IL
Grave: Immaculata Section G, Lot A, Lot 22 – 41°36’16.9″N 87°32’33.9″W
Jazz Drummer Legend
Gene Krupa was one of the most influential drummers in the history of jazz and helped transform the drum set from a background rhythm instrument into a featured solo instrument. He also helped shape the modern drum set itself. Born in Chicago in 1909, Krupa began his professional career in the 1920s playing with local jazz groups before gaining wider recognition through early recordings with musicians such as Eddie Condon and Red McKenzie. He became known for his powerful style, showmanship, and innovative approach to percussion.
Krupa achieved national fame in the 1930s as the drummer for Benny Goodman’s orchestra, where his explosive performance on the famous recording of “Sing, Sing, Sing” became one of the defining moments of the swing era. His dramatic drum solos and energetic stage presence made him one of the first celebrity drummers and inspired generations of percussionists. In 1938, Krupa formed his own orchestra, which became highly successful and featured notable musicians such as trumpeter Roy Eldridge and singer Anita O’Day. The band produced popular recordings, including “Let Me Off Uptown,” and helped keep Krupa at the forefront of the big band scene.
During the later years of his career, Krupa continued performing with small jazz groups, participated in drum battles with other great percussionists, and helped educate younger musicians through drum instruction. He also appeared in films and was portrayed in the 1959 movie “The Gene Krupa Story” (which was not a very accurate story of Krupa’s life). Although the popularity of big bands declined after the 1940s, Krupa remained an important figure in jazz and left a lasting legacy by shaping modern drumming techniques and popularizing the role of the drummer as a front-line performer.
Gene Krupa Biography -> drummerman.net
Gene Krupa -> Wikipedia
JOHN PANOZZO (1948-1996)
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Alsip, IL
Grave: Section 19, Block 15, Lot A, Lot 24, Grave 1 – 41°41’19.9″N 87°46’02.3″W
Original Drummer For Styx
John Panozzo was an American drummer best known as a founding member of the rock band Styx. Born in Chicago in 1948, Panozzo developed an interest in drums as a child and began performing with his twin brother Chuck and future Styx vocalist-keyboardist Dennis DeYoung in the early 1960s. The group started as a local act called The Tradewinds, later becoming TW4, before adopting the name Styx and signing with Wooden Nickel Records in the early 1970s.
As Styx’s original drummer, Panozzo helped shape the band’s blend of progressive rock, hard rock, and melodic pop. He played on many of the group’s most successful albums, including The Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, and Paradise Theatre, contributing to major hits such as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Babe,” and “The Best of Times.” During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Styx became one of America’s biggest arena rock bands, achieving multi-platinum success and international recognition.
Panozzo remained with Styx through much of the band’s peak years, performing on their classic recordings and tours. Health problems related to years of alcohol abuse eventually limited his ability to perform, and he was unable to fully participate in later Styx reunions. He died in 1996, but his energetic drumming and role as a founding member of one of Chicago’s most successful rock bands left a lasting impact on fans and musicians.
John Panozzo -> Wikipedia
ODIE PAYNE (1926-1989)
Oak Woods Cemetery
1035 E. 67th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Grave: 1°46’22.2″N 87°35’58.3″W
Blues Drummer
Odie Payne Jr. was one of the most influential drummers in the development of Chicago blues, known for his powerful rhythm, innovative techniques, and work with many of the genre’s greatest musicians. Born in Chicago in 1926, Payne studied percussion after serving in the U.S. Army and began his professional career in the late 1940s, first working with pianist Little Johnny Jones and later joining Tampa Red’s band. He became widely recognized after playing with Elmore James and the Broomdusters, recording numerous sides during the 1950s, including the classic blues recording “The Sky Is Crying.”
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Payne became one of Chicago’s most sought-after session drummers, contributing to recordings by artists such as Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Buddy Guy, and Chuck Berry. He recorded for major blues labels including Chess Records and Cobra Records, appearing on important blues and early rock recordings.
Payne was especially admired for his distinctive double-shuffle drumming style, his use of the cowbell, and his energetic bass drum and cymbal work, techniques that influenced later blues drummers. His playing helped define the driving rhythm of electric Chicago blues and made him a respected figure among musicians. He continued performing and recording through the 1970s and 1980s before his death in Chicago in 1989, leaving behind a legacy as one of the foundational drummers of the blues.