Cozy Cole

• Born 17 Oct 1909, East Orange, New Jersey
• Died 31 January 1981, Columbus, Ohio

Cozy Cole had a long and successful career as a sideman, working with many of the greats in jazz: Louis Armstrong, Benny Carter, Cab Calloway, and Lionel Hampton. In 1943, he joined Raymond Scott's CBS radio orchestra. Scott later called him, "The most professional musician I've ever worked with."

In 1953, he formed a profession school for drummers with Gene Krupa in New York City. During the 1950s, he also led The Cozy Cole Combo, appearing regularly at the Metropole in New York. The combo recorded an instrumental featuring Cole on drums called, "Topsy" that sold over a million copies--one of the most popular instrumentals of the rock era.

He continued to tour with Jonah Jones, Cab Calloway, and others until he retired in the mid-1970s.