Louie Bellson

One of the great drummers of all time (and one of the few whose name can be said in the same sentence with Buddy Rich), Louie Bellson had the rare ability to continually hold one's interest throughout a 15-minute solo. He became famous in the 1950s for using two bass drums simultaneously, but Bellson was never a gimmicky or overly bombastic player. In addition to being able to drive a big band to exciting effect, Bellson could play very quietly with a trio and sound quite satisfied. Winner of a Gene Krupa talent contest while a teenager, Bellson was with the big bands of Benn...