Joe Eldridge

This was the brother of trumpeter Roy Eldridge, who despite the nickname of "Little Jazz" cast a shadow big enough to obscure him. The siblings came up on the Pittsburgh music scene, where Joe Eldridge's first professional job was in the band of Henri Saporo. Older than Roy Eldridge by three years, he got in on the bandleading game early, taking over the Elite Serenaders for both local and regional gigs. In the '30s the Eldridge brothers led a group together, while the big brother continued freelancing with players such as Speed Webb and Cecil Scott. Joe Eldridge eventually set his sights on Baltimore, becoming a member of that city's Cotton Pickers band before accompanying singer Blanche Calloway in the mid '30s.



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