Eldridge, Roy

Eldridge, (David) Roy “Little Jazz”

(1911–89) jazz musician; born in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was a passionate and original stylist and a major influence on trumpeters between 1935–45. He emerged in New York after 1930 as a featured soloist with Teddy Hill and Fletcher Henderson. He led his own band in 1939, and rose to national prominence with Gene Krupa and Artie Shaw in the 1940s. From 1950, he toured regularly with Jazz at the Philharmonic.