Roy Eldridge
David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from the dominant style of jazz trumpet innovator Louis Armstrong, and his strong impact on Dizzy Gillespie mark him as one of the most influential musicians of the swing era and a precursor of bebop. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Pittsburgh (city and county seat in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States), Died February 26, 1989 (Valley Stream (village in Nassau County, New York, United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1935 - 1957
Roles Represented in DAHR: trumpet, vocalist, leader, composer, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 97 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-100360 | 10-in. | 4/9/1936 | I'm a fool for loving you | Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-100361 | 10-in. | 4/9/1936 | Moonrise on the lowlands | Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-100362 | 10-in. | 4/9/1936 | I'll always be in love with you | Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-100363 | 10-in. | 4/9/1936 | Jangled nerves | Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-100561 | 10-in. | 5/23/1936 | Mary had a little lamb | Roy Eldridge ; Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-100882 | 10-in. | 8/4/1936 | Shoe shine boy | Roy Eldridge ; Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-100885 | 10-in. | 8/4/1936 | Knock, knock, who's there? | Ed Cuffee ; Roy Eldridge ; Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | vocalist | |
| Victor | D5VB-0032 | 10-in. | 1/9/1945 | The grabtown grapple | Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | D5VB-0033 | 10-in. | 1/9/1945 | The sad sack | Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | D5VB-1045 | 10-in. | 4/5/1945 | September song | Artie Shaw Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | D5VB-1046 | 10-in. | 4/5/1945 | Little jazz | Artie Shaw Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer, instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | D5VB-1102 | 10-in. | 7/31/1945 | Scuttlebutt | Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw | Jazz/dance sextet | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | D5VB-1103 | 10-in. | 8/2/1945 | The gentle grifter | Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw | Jazz/dance sextet | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | D5VB-1104 | 10-in. | 8/2/1945 | Mysterioso | Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw | Jazz/dance sextet | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | D5VB-1105 | 10-in. | 8/2/1945 | Hop, skip and jump | Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw | Jazz/dance sextet | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Columbia | C1376 | 10-in. | 5/13/1936 | Mary had a little lamb | Roy Eldridge ; Teddy Wilson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist | |
| Columbia | C1793 | 10-in. | 1/28/1937 | Wabash stomp | Roy Eldridge Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
| Columbia | C1794 | 10-in. | 1/28/1937 | Florida stomp | Roy Eldridge Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | C1795 | 10-in. | 1/28/1937 | Heckler's hop | Roy Eldridge Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
| Columbia | C1796 | 10-in. | 1/28/1937 | Where the lazy river goes by | Gladys Palmer ; Roy Eldridge Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | leader | |
| Columbia | C1797 | 10-in. | 1/28/1937 | That thing | Roy Eldridge Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
| Columbia | C1798 | 10-in. | 1/28/1937 | After you've gone | Gladys Palmer ; Roy Eldridge Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | leader | |
| Columbia | W26572 | 10-in. | 2/29/1940 | Ghost of yesterday | Billie Holiday | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Columbia | W26573 | 10-in. | 2/29/1940 | Body and soul | Billie Holiday | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Columbia | W26574 | 10-in. | 2/29/1940 | What is this going to get us? | Billie Holiday | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, trumpet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Eldridge, Roy," accessed January 8, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103162.
Eldridge, Roy. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103162.
"Eldridge, Roy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 8 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Roy Eldridge
Discogs: Roy Eldridge
Allmusic: Roy Eldridge
Grove: Roy Eldridge
RILM: Roy Eldridge
IMDb: Roy Eldridge
Britannica: Roy Eldridge
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Eldridge, Roy, 1911-1989 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81058260
Wikidata: Roy Eldridge - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q376146
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/94211928
MusicBrainz: Roy Eldridge - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/58234c8b-954e-4617-9c7e-4a8712f41a23
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/73250 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/73250
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