Topsy

Oct 17, 1909 Cozy Cole was born. Landmark drummer who played with the likes of Wilber Sweatman and Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers among others.

This guy was cool. Never one to put the drummer way in the back, he often put drum solos in unexpected places and actually charted a song with a drum solo in it "Topsy Part 2" in 1958. This wasn't the era of Led Zeppelin, this was Les Paul and Mary Ford / Sinatra country. He had a stint with jazz violinist Hezekiah Smith, better known as Stuff Smith in the late 30's.

Always a ground breaker he joined the CBS radio networks band in 1942. His inclusion as an African American musician in those days was quite something.