Cozy Cole

about

Cozy Cole (October 17, 1909 – January 9, 1981) was an American jazz drummer who scored a #1 Cashbox magazine hit with the record "Topsy Part 2" (also known as "Topsy II", "Topsy 2", and so on). That song peaked at number three on Billboard Hot 100 and at number one on the R&B chart. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The track, which also peaked at #29 in the U.K. Singles Chart in 1958, contained a lengthy drum solo and was one of the few drum solo recordings that ever made the Billboard Hot 100. The single was issued on the tiny Brooklyn-based Love Records label. According to his bio from Billboard.com, "Cozy Cole's drumming was an essential ingredient in much of the jazz recorded during the 1930s and '40s". William Randolph Cole was born in 1909 in East Orange, New Jersey. His first music job was with Wilbur Sweatman in 1928. In 1930 he played for Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers, recording an early drum solo on "Load of Cole". He spent 1931–33 with Blanche Calloway, 1933-34 with Benny Carter, 1935-36 with Willie Bryant, 1936-38 with Stuff Smith's small combo, and 1938-42 with Cab Calloway. In 1942, he was hired by CBS Radio music director Raymond Scott as part of network radio's first mixed-race orchestra. After that, he played with Louis Armstrong's All Stars. Cole appeared in music-related films, including a brief cameo in Don't Knock the Rock. Throughout the 1960s and '70s Cole continued to perform in a variety of settings. Cole and Gene K

top songs

albums

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Big Band Jazz And Gentle Jazz Vocals

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Lux and ivy's favorites volume two

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Jukebox Mambo

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Billboard Top 100 of 1958

Blop Up (Mono Version)

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The Greatest R&B Hits Of 1958

A Cozy Conception Of Carmen

Complete Jazz Series 1944

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Jukebox Hits of 1958 Vol.2

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Rock Instrumental Classics, Vol. 1

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Topsy II

Swing For A Crime

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