Gene Krupa was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 15, 1909. He was the youngest son of Bartley and Ann Krupa's nine children. His father died when Gene was very young and his mother worked as a milliner to support the family. All of the children had to start working while still young, Gene was only eleven. His brother Pete worked at Brown's Music Company, and secured Gene a job there as a chore boy. Gene started out playing the sax in grade school but took up drums at age 11 since they were the cheapest item in the music store where he and his brother worked. …
