Dave Tough

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
Background information
Birth name	David Jarvis Tough
Born	(1907-04-26)April 26, 1907 Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Died	December 9, 1948(1948-12-09) (aged 41) Newark, New Jersey
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Drums
Years active	1925–1948

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

Biography

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Tough was a friend of Bud Freeman, who was part of a group of musicians known as the Austin High School Gang in Chicago. 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.

He left music for three years until 1935, then joined the big bands of Tommy Dorsey, Red Norvo, Bunny Berigan, and Benny Goodman. He played Dixieland jazz with Bud Freeman, Jack Teagarden, Eddie Condon, Mezz Mezzrow, and Joe Marsala. 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). He subsequently worked with Eddie Condon, Jerry Gray, Muggsy Spanier, Will Bradley and Jazz at the Philharmonic.

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

"...(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 1949, 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."

Critical reception

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

Awards and honors

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

Discography

With Benny Goodman

• The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (RCA Victor, 1935–39 [1997])

External links

• Drummerworld (Mostly the same as Yanow's, but with pictures and birthdate)