Roy McCurdy

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American jazz drummer

title: "Roy McCurdy" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1936-births", "living-people", "usc-thornton-school-of-music-faculty", "musicians-from-rochester,-new-york", "american-jazz-drummers", "blood,-sweat-&-tears-members", "20th-century-american-drummers", "american-male-drummers", "jazz-musicians-from-new-york-(state)", "20th-century-american-male-musicians", "american-male-jazz-musicians", "cannonball-adderley-quintet-members", "the-jazztet-members", "drummers-from-new-york-(state)"] description: "American jazz drummer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_McCurdy" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American jazz drummer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

FieldValue
nameRoy McCurdy
landscape
backgroundnon_vocal_instrumentalist
birth_date
birth_placeRochester, New York, U.S.
death_date
genreJazz
occupationMusician
instrumentDrums, guitar
years_active
associated_acts
website
::

| name = Roy McCurdy | image = | image_size = | landscape = | alt = | caption = | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = Rochester, New York, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | genre = Jazz | occupation = Musician | instrument = Drums, guitar | years_active = | label = | associated_acts = | website = Roy McCurdy (born November 28, 1936) is a jazz drummer.

Early life

McCurdy began playing drums around the age of 10 in his hometown of Rochester and took lessons from Eastman percussionist Bill Street as a teenager. He spent three years in the Air Force before returning to Rochester to begin his career.

Career

Before joining Cannonball Adderley's Quintet in 1965 and staying with the band until Adderley's death in 1975, he had played with Chuck and Gap Mangione in the Jazz Brothers (1960–1961), as well as with Bobby Timmons, Betty Carter and Sonny Rollins (1963–1964), appearing on the classic 1963 album Sonny Meets Hawk!

He attended the Eastman School of Music from sixteen to eighteen, during which time he also played professionally with Roy Eldridge and with Eddie Vinson at seventeen. In 1960 he joined the Art Farmer – Benny Golson Jazztet and remained for two years.

Among the influences he cites Louie Bellson, Shelly Manne, Sam Woodyard, Buddy Rich, Papa Jo Jones, Philly Joe Jones and the bands of Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford and Lionel Hampton.

He has also played and/or recorded with Count Basie, Wes Montgomery, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Joe Williams, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, Art Pepper, and the jazz rock group Blood, Sweat and Tears, etc.

He appears on the classic 1983 recording Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company featuring Milt Jackson on vibes, J. J. Johnson on trombone, Ray Brown on bass, Tom Ranier on piano, and John Collins on guitar.

As of 2010, McCurdy is an adjunct professor in the Jazz Studies Department of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

Discography

As a member

Blood, Sweat & Tears

As sideman

With Gap and Chuck Mangione, The Jazz Brothers

  • The Jazz Brothers (Riverside, 1960)
  • Hey Baby (Riverside, 1961)

With Cannonball Adderley

References

References

  1. (2022-04-27). "Steps forward, and steps backward, with Hall of Famer Roy McCurdy".
  2. arwulf arwulf. "Sonny Meets Hawk!". [[All Media Network]].
  3. (August 2012). "Roy McCurdy, Adjunct Professor". [[USC Thornton School of Music]].
  4. (6 July 2011). "Interview: Betty Bennett (Part 2)". [[JazzWax]].

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1936-birthsliving-peopleusc-thornton-school-of-music-facultymusicians-from-rochester,-new-yorkamerican-jazz-drummersblood,-sweat-&-tears-members20th-century-american-drummersamerican-male-drummersjazz-musicians-from-new-york-(state)20th-century-american-male-musiciansamerican-male-jazz-musicianscannonball-adderley-quintet-membersthe-jazztet-membersdrummers-from-new-york-(state)