Sid Catlett

For the basketball player, see Sid Catlett (basketball).
Sid Catlett

Catlett in New York, 1947.
Background information
Birth name Sidney Catlett
Also known as "Big Sid" Catlett
Born January 17, 1910
Evansville, Indiana
United States
Died March 25, 1951 (aged 41)
Chicago, Illinois
United States
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Drums

Sidney "Big Sid" Catlett (January 17, 1910 – March 25, 1951) was an American jazz drummer.

Biography

Catlett was born in Evansville, Indiana, and started as a pianist, but switched to drums and entered formal study when his family moved to Chicago. His career began in Chicago in 1928 with Darnell Howard. In adulthood, he moved to New York City and worked with Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, Elmer Snowden, Ben Webster, and others. In 1941, he joined Benny Goodman's band and after that joined Teddy Wilson's Sextet. In 1944, he did an album with pianist Harry Gibson. He also had his own band and played for Louis Armstrong's All Stars from 1947 to 1949 and became his drummer of choice. He played bop (with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker), dixieland, and other styles.

In early 1951, he began to suffer from pneumonia. In that same year, he died of a heart-attack while visiting friends backstage at a Hot Lips Page benefit concert in Chicago, Illinois.[1]

In 1996, he was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.

Partial discography

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Sidney "Big Sid" Catlett: Busting Open Doors to the Modern Drumming Age". Modern Drummer. 22 March 2010.
  2. ↑ Commodore LP DL 30,006, 1951

External links