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{{short description|American drummer}}
[[File:Dave Tough 1947 (Gottlieb 08701).jpg|right|right|240px|Dave Tough, 1947 in [[Eddie Condon]]'s basement, ca. 1947.<br/> Photography by [[William P. Gottlieb]].]]
'''Dave Tough''' (April 26, 1907 &ndash; December 9, 1948, sometimes known as '''Davie''' or '''Davey Tough''') was an [[United States|American]] [[Jazz drumming|jazz drummer]] associated with both [[Dixieland]] and [[Swing (genre)|swing]] jazz in the 1930s and 1940s. He has been described as "the most important of the drummers of the Chicago circle".<ref name="berendt">{{cite book|author=Berendt, Joachim E.|title=The Jazz Book|publisher=Paladin|year=1976}}, p. 286</ref>


{{for|American record producer|Dave Tough (record producer)}}
== Biography ==
{{Infobox musical artist
Born in [[Oak Park, Illinois]], Tough's interest for drumming was not fully supported by his family or community. Fortunately, his suburban Chicago home allowed Tough to find his way to southside Chicago, exposing him to an exciting and evolving jazz scene. Here Tough broke cultural and musical boundaries taking the scene's fresh sense back to a seemingly different suburban upper-middle class world. {{fact|date=January 2010}}
| name = Dave Tough
| image = Dave Tough 1947 (Gottlieb 08701).jpg
He worked with such musicians as [[Bud Freeman]], [[Woody Herman]], [[Eddie Condon]], [[Red Nichols]], [[Red Norvo]], [[Tommy Dorsey]], [[Bunny Berigan]] and [[Benny Goodman]]. Berendt describes him as "one of the most subtle and inspired of drummers" with "a rhythmic palette on which he held in readiness the right colour for each soloist".<ref name="berendt"/>
| caption = Dave Tough in [[Eddie Condon]]'s basement, c. 1947<br/>Photography by [[William P. Gottlieb]]
| birth_name = David Jarvis Tough
| birth_date = {{birth date|1907|04|26}}
| birth_place = [[Oak Park, Illinois|Oak Park]], Illinois, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1948|12|9|1907|04|26|mf=yes}}
| death_place = [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], New Jersey, U.S.
| genre = [[Jazz]]
| occupation = Musician
| instrument = Drums
| years_active = 1925–1948
}}


'''Dave Tough''' (April 26, 1907 – December 9, 1948)<ref name="LarkinJazz">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-580-8|page=398/9}}</ref> was an American jazz drummer associated with [[Dixieland]] and [[Swing (genre)|swing]] jazz in the 1930s and 1940s.
Dave Tough appears as the poet-drummer "Dick Rough," who played at Chicago's legendary Green Mask, in the ''Autobiographical Novel'' of [[Kenneth Rexroth]]. Rexroth describes Tough as the "first and greatest of the hipsters and one of the few really great musicians in the history of jazz." (p. 163)


==Biography==
In the later 1920s, Tough floated between Nice and Paris doing freelance work. Overseas he worked loosely with George Carhart and while in Paris sessioned extensively with [[Mezz Mezzrow]]. He toured and recorded throughout early 1930s Europe, mostly on the Tri-Ergon label. Though without official record, Tough spent portions of 1942-44 in the Navy playing behind Shaw's Naval Band.
Born in [[Oak Park, Illinois|Oak Park]], [[Illinois]], United States,<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> Tough was a friend of [[Bud Freeman]], who was part of a group of musicians known as the [[Austin High School Gang]] in Chicago.<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> In 1925, he became a professional musician, playing with [[Jack Gardner (musician)|Jack Gardner]], Art Kassel, Sig Meyers, and Husk O'Hare's Wolverines. After two years in Europe, he returned home and played with [[Benny Goodman]] and [[Red Nichols]].<ref name="Yanow">{{cite web|last1=Yanow|first1=Scott|title=Dave Tough|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dave-tough-mn0000678422/biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=21 April 2017}}</ref>
Tough was to lead only one album, a small-sided release by the Jamboree label. Although he had varied successes, he also had difficulties with [[alcoholism]] and illness that caused him to lose a number of prominent jobs.


He left music for three years until 1935, then joined the big bands of [[Tommy Dorsey]], [[Red Norvo]], [[Bunny Berigan]], and Benny Goodman.<ref name="Yanow" /><ref name="berendt"/> He played [[Dixieland]] jazz with Bud Freeman, [[Jack Teagarden]], [[Eddie Condon]], [[Mezz Mezzrow]], and [[Joe Marsala]].<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> In the 1940s, he played with the big bands of [[Charlie Spivak]] and [[Claude Thornhill]], in [[Artie Shaw]]'s Symphonic Swing Orchestra (1941) and the subsequent naval band led by [[Artie Shaw|Shaw]] (1942-1944), then joined [[Woody Herman]]'s big band (1945).<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> He subsequently worked with [[Eddie Condon]], [[Jerry Gray (arranger)|Jerry Gray]], [[Muggsy Spanier]], [[Will Bradley]] and [[Jazz at the Philharmonic]].<ref name="Yanow" />
Although he was not known as a bebop drummer himself, he was a fan of bebop, and he admired the drumming of [[Max Roach]]. Though not a flashy, crowd-pleasing drummer such as [[Gene Krupa]] or [[Buddy Rich]], he was widely admired by other musicians for his taste and subtle rhythmic drive.


He died, aged 41, from cerebral trauma after falling down in a [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] street.
Tough struggled with epilepsy throughout his life. He died at the age of 41 after falling down and hitting his head on the street in Newark, New Jersey.<ref name="Yanow" />


"...(Woody) Herman told (Ed) Soph that Dave Tough was an epileptic. This condition wasn't fully understood in the twenties and thirties. In many instances it was considered a mental deficency. As a recommended aid in reducing the epileptic attacks, Tough drank...
==Legacy==
...One cold icy evening in the winter of 1948, Dave Tough was out walking on leave from a stay at a Veterans Hospital. He had an epileptic attack, fell hitting his head on the sidewalk and was dead."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fish |first1=Scott Kevin |title=Profile of a Legend: Dave Tough |journal=Modern Drummer Magazine |date=1979 |issue=January/February 1979 |page=50}}</ref>
He was inducted into the '''Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame''' in 2000.

Can't believe his stint with Artie Shaw is not mentioned!! [from liner notes to the double album, "The Complete Artie Shaw, Vol. 5, 1941-42" on the RCA Bluebird label]
He was played by [[Shelly Manne]] in the 1959 [[Paramount Pictures]] biopic ''[[The Five Pennies]]'', a biography of [[Red Nichols]] starring [[Danny Kaye]], [[Barbara Bel Geddes]], and [[Louis Armstrong]].

==Critical reception==
Dave Tough has been described as "the most important of the drummers of the Chicago circle".<ref name="berendt">{{cite book|author=Berendt, Joachim E.|title=The Jazz Book|publisher=Paladin|year=1976}}, p. 286</ref>

==Awards and honors==
In 2000, he was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.

==Discography==

'''With [[Tommy Dorsey]]'''
* ''Tribute to Dorsey Vol. 1'' (RCA 1956)
* ''Tribute to Dorsey Vol. 2'' (RCA Victor, 1957)
* ''Yes Indeed!'' (RCA Victor, 1956)

'''With [[Benny Goodman]]'''
* ''Trio Quartet Quintet'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
* ''This Is Benny Goodman and His Orchestra'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
* ''Charlie Christian'' (Philips, 1959)
* ''Performance 1937-1938 Volume 2'' (MGM, 1959)
* ''Swing, Swing, Swing'' (RCA Camden, 1960)
* ''Portrait in Swing'' (Verve, 1964)
* ''This Is Benny Goodman'' (RCA Victor, 1971)
* ''Goodman On the Air'' (Nostalgia, 1979)
* ''[[The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings]]'' (RCA Victor, 1997)

'''With [[Charlie Ventura]]'''
* ''Jumping with Ventura'' (EmArcy, 1955)
* ''Carnegie Hall Concert'' (Columbia, 1956)
* ''East of Suez'' (Regent, 1958)
* ''Live at the Three Deuces!'' with Bill Harris (Phoenix Jazz, 1975)
* ''Aces at the Deuces'' with Bill Harris (Phoenix Jazz, 1976)
* ''Euphoria'' (Savoy, 1980)
* ''Live at the Three Deuces Vol. 2'' with Bill Harris (HighNote, 2000)

'''With others'''
* [[Mildred Bailey]], ''Her Greatest Performances 1929–1946'' (Columbia, 1962)
* [[Bunny Berigan]], ''Bunny Berigan Volume 2'' (Shoestring, 1975)
* [[George Brunies]] & [[Wild Bill Davison]], ''Tin Roof Blues'' (Commodore, 1980)
* [[Charlie Christian]], ''Solo Flight'' (Columbia, 1972)
* [[Eddie Condon]], ''A Legend'' (Mainstream, 1965)
* [[Bud Freeman]], ''Midnight at Eddie Condon's'' (Emarcy, 1955)
* [[Woody Herman]], ''The Thundering Herds'' (Columbia, 1961)
* Woody Herman, ''The Turning Point 1943–1944'' (Coral, 1969)
* [[Joe Marsala]], ''Joe Marsala and His Orchestra featuring Adele Girard'' (Aircheck, 1976)
* Joe Marsala, ''Lower Register'' (IAJRC, 1981)
* [[Flip Phillips]], ''A Melody from the Sky'' (Bob Thiele Music, 1975)
* [[Alvino Rey]], ''Uncollected 1946'' (Hindsight, 1978)
* [[Artie Shaw]], ''Born to Swing'' (Durium, 1976)
* Artie Shaw, ''Evensong'' (Hep, 2000)
* [[Rex Stewart]], ''Rex Stewart and the Ellingtonians'' (Riverside, 1960)
* [[Jack Teagarden]], ''Jack Teagarden'' (RCA Victor, 1966)
* Jack Teagarden, ''King of the Blues Trombone'' (Epic/Columbia, 1963)
* [[Claude Thornhill]], ''Buster's Last Stand'' (Hep, 2001)
* [[Ben Webster]], ''Ben and the Boys'' (Jazz Archives, 1976)

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107188 Dave Tough recordings] at the [[Discography of American Historical Recordings]].
*[{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p132464|pure_url=yes}} Scott Yanow, Allmusic]
*[http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Dave_Tough.html Drummerworld (Mostly the same as Yanow's, but with pictures and birthdate)]
*[http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Dave_Tough.html Drummerworld (Mostly the same as Yanow's, but with pictures and birthdate)]
* www.myspace.com/daveytough (Official Unofficial Fan Site)


{{Authority control}}
==References==
<references/>


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Tough, Dave
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American drummer
| DATE OF BIRTH = 26 April 1907
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 9 December 1948
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tough, Dave}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tough, Dave}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1907 births]]
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[[Category:American jazz drummers]]
[[Category:American jazz drummers]]
[[Category:Dixieland jazz musicians]]
[[Category:Dixieland jazz musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from Chicago, Illinois]]
[[Category:Musicians from Chicago]]
[[Category:People from Oak Park, Illinois]]
[[Category:Musicians from Oak Park, Illinois]]
[[Category:20th-century American drummers]]
[[Category:American male drummers]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Illinois]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]

Latest revision as of 03:05, 27 May 2024

For American record producer, see Dave Tough (record producer).
Dave Tough
Dave Tough in Eddie Condon's basement, c. 1947 Photography by William P. Gottlieb
Dave Tough in Eddie Condon's basement, c. 1947
Photography by William P. Gottlieb
Background information
Birth nameDavid Jarvis Tough
Born(1907-04-26)April 26, 1907
Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 9, 1948(1948-12-09) (aged 41)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums
Years active1925–1948

Dave Tough (April 26, 1907 – December 9, 1948)[1] was an American jazz drummer associated with Dixieland and swing jazz in the 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

[edit]

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, United States,[1] Tough was a friend of Bud Freeman, who was part of a group of musicians known as the Austin High School Gang in Chicago.[1] In 1925, he became a professional musician, playing with Jack Gardner, Art Kassel, Sig Meyers, and Husk O'Hare's Wolverines. After two years in Europe, he returned home and played with Benny Goodman and Red Nichols.[2]

He left music for three years until 1935, then joined the big bands of Tommy Dorsey, Red Norvo, Bunny Berigan, and Benny Goodman.[2][3] He played Dixieland jazz with Bud Freeman, Jack Teagarden, Eddie Condon, Mezz Mezzrow, and Joe Marsala.[1] In the 1940s, he played with the big bands of Charlie Spivak and Claude Thornhill, in Artie Shaw's Symphonic Swing Orchestra (1941) and the subsequent naval band led by Shaw (1942-1944), then joined Woody Herman's big band (1945).[1] He subsequently worked with Eddie Condon, Jerry Gray, Muggsy Spanier, Will Bradley and Jazz at the Philharmonic.[2]

Tough struggled with epilepsy throughout his life. He died at the age of 41 after falling down and hitting his head on the street in Newark, New Jersey.[2]

"...(Woody) Herman told (Ed) Soph that Dave Tough was an epileptic. This condition wasn't fully understood in the twenties and thirties. In many instances it was considered a mental deficency. As a recommended aid in reducing the epileptic attacks, Tough drank... ...One cold icy evening in the winter of 1948, Dave Tough was out walking on leave from a stay at a Veterans Hospital. He had an epileptic attack, fell hitting his head on the sidewalk and was dead."[4]

He was played by Shelly Manne in the 1959 Paramount Pictures biopic The Five Pennies, a biography of Red Nichols starring Danny Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Louis Armstrong.

Critical reception

[edit]

Dave Tough has been described as "the most important of the drummers of the Chicago circle".[3]

Awards and honors

[edit]

In 2000, he was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.

Discography

[edit]

With Tommy Dorsey

  • Tribute to Dorsey Vol. 1 (RCA 1956)
  • Tribute to Dorsey Vol. 2 (RCA Victor, 1957)
  • Yes Indeed! (RCA Victor, 1956)

With Benny Goodman

  • Trio Quartet Quintet (RCA Victor, 1956)
  • This Is Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (RCA Victor, 1956)
  • Charlie Christian (Philips, 1959)
  • Performance 1937-1938 Volume 2 (MGM, 1959)
  • Swing, Swing, Swing (RCA Camden, 1960)
  • Portrait in Swing (Verve, 1964)
  • This Is Benny Goodman (RCA Victor, 1971)
  • Goodman On the Air (Nostalgia, 1979)
  • The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (RCA Victor, 1997)

With Charlie Ventura

  • Jumping with Ventura (EmArcy, 1955)
  • Carnegie Hall Concert (Columbia, 1956)
  • East of Suez (Regent, 1958)
  • Live at the Three Deuces! with Bill Harris (Phoenix Jazz, 1975)
  • Aces at the Deuces with Bill Harris (Phoenix Jazz, 1976)
  • Euphoria (Savoy, 1980)
  • Live at the Three Deuces Vol. 2 with Bill Harris (HighNote, 2000)

With others

  • Mildred Bailey, Her Greatest Performances 1929–1946 (Columbia, 1962)
  • Bunny Berigan, Bunny Berigan Volume 2 (Shoestring, 1975)
  • George Brunies & Wild Bill Davison, Tin Roof Blues (Commodore, 1980)
  • Charlie Christian, Solo Flight (Columbia, 1972)
  • Eddie Condon, A Legend (Mainstream, 1965)
  • Bud Freeman, Midnight at Eddie Condon's (Emarcy, 1955)
  • Woody Herman, The Thundering Herds (Columbia, 1961)
  • Woody Herman, The Turning Point 1943–1944 (Coral, 1969)
  • Joe Marsala, Joe Marsala and His Orchestra featuring Adele Girard (Aircheck, 1976)
  • Joe Marsala, Lower Register (IAJRC, 1981)
  • Flip Phillips, A Melody from the Sky (Bob Thiele Music, 1975)
  • Alvino Rey, Uncollected 1946 (Hindsight, 1978)
  • Artie Shaw, Born to Swing (Durium, 1976)
  • Artie Shaw, Evensong (Hep, 2000)
  • Rex Stewart, Rex Stewart and the Ellingtonians (Riverside, 1960)
  • Jack Teagarden, Jack Teagarden (RCA Victor, 1966)
  • Jack Teagarden, King of the Blues Trombone (Epic/Columbia, 1963)
  • Claude Thornhill, Buster's Last Stand (Hep, 2001)
  • Ben Webster, Ben and the Boys (Jazz Archives, 1976)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 398/9. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
  2. ^ a b c d Yanow, Scott. "Dave Tough". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  3. ^ a b Berendt, Joachim E. (1976). The Jazz Book. Paladin., p. 286
  4. ^ Fish, Scott Kevin (1979). "Profile of a Legend: Dave Tough". Modern Drummer Magazine (January/February 1979): 50.
[edit]
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