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
George Williams (musician) George Williams (musician) George Dale "The Fox" Williams (November 5, 1917 – April 17, 1988) was a musician, composer, and an arranger for a number of major big bands, including Jimmie Lunceford, Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, Sonny Dunham, and Ray Anthony. He also wrote numerous hit songs, including "Whamboogie" and "It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake like That)" for Glenn Miller, "Hamp's Boogie" for Lionel Hampton, "Gene's Boogie" for Krupa, as well as Anthony's hit songs "Lackawanna Local", "The Fox," and "The Bunny Hop," and almost all of Anthony's recorded arrangements. He later wrote arrangements for Harry James,