Specs Powell

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Gordon "Specs" Powell (June 5, 1922 – September 15, 2007) was a jazz drummer who began in the swing era. He also worked in the Bebop and Hard bop idioms.

He started out on piano but became exclusively a drummer in the late 1930s. He worked with Benny Carter, Ben Webster, and others early in his career. He started working as a staff musician for CBS in 1943. He was lead drummer on The Ed Sullivan Show in the early 1960s. That said his only album as a leader was in 1957. He remained active until the 1970s and was honored by the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 2004.