Gene Krupa in Chicago. Bartłomiej was an immigrant from Poland. Anna was born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania and was also of Polish descent. His parents were Roman Catholics who groomed him for the priesthood. He spent his grammar school days at parochial schools. After graduation he attended Saint Joseph's College for a year but decided the priesthood was not his vocation. Krupa studied with Sanford A. Moeller and began playing drums professionally in the mid-1920s with bands in Wisconsin. In 1927 he was hired by MCA to become a member of Thelma Terry and Her Playboys, the first notable American jazz band—all-girl bands
Henry Wells (musician) the U.S. Army. During his time with Kirk, he was often employed as a vocalist, including on recordings. He also played with Gene Krupa and Teddy Hill in the early 1940s. After World War II he worked with Rex Stewart and Sy Oliver; he was active as a performer on the West Coast into the 1960s. Henry Wells (musician) Henry James Wells (born 1906, Dallas) was an American jazz trombonist, vocalist, and bandleader. He was the brother of Dicky Wells. Wells studied at Fisk University and the Cincinnati Conservatory, and worked professionally starting in the late 1920s. He joined Jimmie