Roy Harte was a jazz drummer who played with numerous orchestras during the 1940's, including Lucky Millinder, Bobby Sherwood, and Billie Rogers. As a studio musician, he backed hit records for Kay Starr, Tennessee Ernie Ford (Sixteen Tons), Les Brown, and Ella Mae Morse. He established Drum City in the early 1950's where he offered the professional drummer a wide range of drum kits from all of the major drum manufacturers. He also coached numerous Hollywood stars who had to fake being able to drum on screen, among them Sal Mineo and Fred Astaire. Harte is best known as the co founder of Pacific Jazz Records in 1952 and Nocturne Records in 1954.
The Roy Harte Jazz Archives contains the work of photographers Dave Pell and Tom Heffernan, among others, and preserves a unique photographic record of jazz in Los Angeles during the 1950s.
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