[78-L] Roy Eldridge 100

[Scott]

As a 16 year old I was lucky enough to get an invite to attend Roy's 66th
birthday party at a restaurant in Port Chester, NY. I saw him right after
that in NYC - wasn't Jimmy Ryan's. Carnegie? Town Hall? At any rate, he
remembered me coming up to him to have him sign the Columbia 78 reissue of
"Rockin' Chair" with Krupa's band. I found him to be quite warm, friendly
and funny. I still have a WKCR radio birthday tribute where he was at the
studio and the station personnel all sang "Happy Birthday" to him. When they
had finished he replied, "that was a little 'free' wasn't it"?! 

Some all-time favorite Roy? Listen to the master and alternate take of
"Wabash Stomp" on Vocalion, the Chocolate Dandies session on Commodore and
the recreation of hits with Gene Krupa on Verve. 

Scott Wenzel