Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich are generally acknowledged to have been the greatest drummers of the big band era. Krupa, of course, gained fame with the Benny Goodman orchestra before leading his own band.
The stars of the highly regarded Krupa band, besides the leader, were trumpeter Roy Eldridge and singer Anita O'Day. The March 1941 New York session that produced Georgia on My Mind was O'Day's first-ever recording date. The 78 single on Columbia's OKeh label, with another O'Day vocal, Alreet, on the flip side, was released later that year and was a fairly substantial hit.
Georgia on My Mind
The Krupa orchestra's Columbia recordings have been endlessly repacked on vinyl and CD and as downloads. Take particular care in choosing downloads as many of them have been taken from substandard vinyl.
Anita O'Day was with Gene Krupa from 1941-43 and again briefly in 1945. She's heard in a brief vocal chorus at the end of this May 1941 recording of Green Eyes. Roy Eldridge and male vocalist Howard Dulany are also featured.
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