Zutty Singleton (1898-1975) was long overdue for a retrospective on CD. During 1924-69, he was on nearly 200 sessions. While most listeners probably think of Singleton primarily for his participation on Louis Armstrong’s Savoy Ballroom Five recordings of 1928 (including “West End Blues”) and for his later work in New Orleans jazz bands, there was much more to his career than that. Born in Bunkie, Louisiana, and raised in New Orleans, he was playing drums professionally by 1915. After serving in the Navy during World War I, Singleton was part of the New Orleans jazz scene for a few years (working with Oscar Celestin, John Robichaux, and others), performed on the riverboats with Fate Marable, spent time in St. Louis working with Charlie Creath, and then moved to Chicago.
While there, Singleton performed with many theater bands (including those of Doc Cook and Dave Peyton) and Jimmie Noone in addition to making his classic recordings with Louis Armstrong. Singleton moved to New York City in 1929 where he worked with Armstrong, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. He spent the Depression years in both Chicago and New York, playing with small groups rather than big bands. Along the way he recorded with Billy Banks, Mildred Bailey, Roy Eldridge, Pee Wee Russell, Lionel Hampton and many others.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1943, Singleton appeared in t
