(1907-11-28)November 28, 1907 Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Origin
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died
June 6, 1968(1968-06-06) (aged 60) New York City, U.S.
Genres
Jazz, swing, Dixieland
Occupation(s)
Musician
Instrument(s)
Drums
Years active
1920s–1950s
Musical artist
George Godfrey Wettling (November 28, 1907 – June 6, 1968) was an American jazz drummer.[1]
He was born in Topeka, Kansas, United States, and from his early teens was living in Chicago, Illinois.[2] He was one of the young Chicagoans who fell in love with jazz as a result of hearing King Oliver's band (with Louis Armstrong on second cornet) at Lincoln Gardens in the early 1920s. Oliver's drummer, Baby Dodds, made a particular and lasting impression on Wettling.[3]
Ernie Caceres, Bobby Hackett, Freddie Ohms, and George Wettling, Nick's, NYC, 1940s. Photography by William P. Gottlieb
Wettling went on to work with the big bands of Artie Shaw, Bunny Berigan, Red Norvo, Paul Whiteman, and Chico Marx, but he was at his best with bands led by Eddie Condon, Muggsy Spanier, and himself.[2] In these small bands, Wettling demonstrated the arts of dynamics and responding to a particular soloist that he had learned from Baby Dodds.
Wettling was a member of some of Condon's bands, which included Wild Bill Davison, Billy Butterfield, Edmond Hall, Peanuts Hucko, Pee Wee Russell, Cutty Cutshall, Gene Schroeder, Ralph Sutton, and Walter Page. In 1957, he toured England with a Condon band that included Davison, Cutshall, and Schroeder.
Toward the end of his life, Wettling, like his friend clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, took up painting and was influenced by the American cubist Stuart Davis.[2] He has been said to have believed that "jazz drumming and abstract painting seemed different for him only from the point of view of craftsmanship: in both fields he felt rhythm to be decisive".[4]
^Yanow, Scott. "George Wettling". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ abcColin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 2663. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
^Yanow, Scott. "Drummerworld: George Wettling". Drummerworld.com. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^Berendt, Joachim E. The Jazz Book. Paladin. p. 286.
drummer, Baby Dodds, made a particular and lasting impression on Wettling. Wettling went on to work with the big bands of Artie Shaw, Bunny Berigan, Red...
Smith Rex Stewart Maxine Sullivan Joe Thomas Wilbur Ware Dickie Wells GeorgeWettling Ernie Wilkins Mary Lou Williams Lester Young Count Basie, having grown...
Sutton (piano), Bob Casey, Walter Page, Jack Lesberg, Al Hall (bass), GeorgeWettling, Buzzy Drootin, Cliff Leeman (drums). Condon toured Britain in 1957...
Simeon on clarinet, and the Chicagoan altoist Boyce Brown, as well as GeorgeWettling on drums, Jess Stacy on piano, Pat Pattison on bass, and Marvin Saxbe...
Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra, Gene Rodemich, Marion Harris, GeorgeWettling, and Erroll Garner; "The Lonesome Road", written with Nat Shilkret...
development. There were many other drummers (Ray Bauduc, Chick Webb, GeorgeWettling, Dave Tough) who influenced his approach to drumming and other instrumentalists...
University Press, 1992, and from a contemporary witness – drummer GeorgeWettling, who confirms that Dodds was the first drummer to keep the now-famous...
demand as a teacher, and drummers such as Gene Krupa, Sid Catlett, GeorgeWettling, and Lionel Hampton sought out Stone's expertise. Jazz drummer Joe...
worked in the Berigan band were: drummers Buddy Rich, Dave Tough, GeorgeWettling, Johnny Blowers and Jack Sperling; alto saxophonists and clarinetists...
clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, then led another band in Boston. After jazz critic George Frazier praised him in several articles, he moved to New York City in 1937...
as guitarist Eddie Condon, trumpeter Jimmy McPartland, and drummer GeorgeWettling. This became known as the first "jazz album". It consisted of six 78rpm...
reached the Billboard charts peaking at No. 30). Ethel Waters (1930) GeorgeWettling Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra (vocal: Bing Crosby) (recorded March...
drummers to be influenced by Warren "Baby" Dodds (some others being GeorgeWettling, Dave Tough and Gene Krupa, though with them Dodds's influence was...
(guitar), Marty Marsala (trumpet), George Brunis (trombone), Artie Shapiro (bass), Fats Waller (piano), and GeorgeWettling (drums). It was re-mastered and...
Circle was bought in the mid-1960s by George H. Buck, Jr. The Circle catalog is now under the control of the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation. Some of...
bassist Earl Murphy. That same year the drummer GeorgeWettling also released music with "GeorgeWettling's Chicago Rhythm Kings" for Decca Records. Currently...
Civilian Band. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House. ISBN 0-87000-161-2. Simon, George Thomas (1980). Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. New York: Da Capo paperback...
Lion' Smith band with Jimmy Archey, Pee Wee Russell, George 'Pops' Foster, and GeorgeWettling. The band won a Grammy Award for the soundtrack to the...
in the Jam Session at Victor with Fats Waller, Bunny Berigan, and GeorgeWettling. McDonough struggled with alcohol abuse during his adult life and died...
Max Kaminsky Max Kaminsky, Pee Wee Russell, Miff Mole, Joe Sullivan, GeorgeWettling, Jack Lesberg, Tavern in the Town, Harry Blons' Dixieland Band Concert...
Teagarden Butch Thompson Warren Vaché Sr. Warren Vaché Jr. Dicky Wells GeorgeWettling Bob Wilber Teddy Wilson World's Greatest Jazz Band Knocky Parker Yanow...
Condon's club (1952-1953) and eventually went on to perform alongside GeorgeWettling and Jack Teagarden in 1954 as well as Barbara Lea from 1995 through...
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