Frank Carlson

Originating in the big band and swing jazz scenes of the 1930s, Frank Carlson established himself as a prolific studio-session drummer whose work appeared on numerous hit recordings by artists such as Doris Day, Bing Crosby, and Elvis Presley. Among aficionados his reputation rests particularly on the call to accompany the multitalented actor, notorious hell-raiser, and sometime vocalist Robert Mitchum.

His most visible jazz engagement placed him at the drum kit with the Woody Herman orchestra between 1937 and 1942.

Raised in a household that nurtured musical pursuits, Carlson had a brother, Anthony Carlson, who played bass; the siblings occasionally formed rhythm sections whose interlocking precision some bandleaders attribute to familial competition. Early in his career the drummer also worked under leaders including Gene Kardos and Clyde McCoy.

Eventually wearying of the forceful striking needed to cut through the Woody Herman ensemble’s thunderous volume—an aggregation known as the “herd”—Carlson relocated to the West Coast to pursue independent session work. Offers soon arrived for both the recording-studio dates already mentioned and percussion duties with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

He further contributed to numerous film soundtracks, later citing the chariot-race sequence in Ben Hur as one of the rare occasions when he played behind something louder than the Herman band. His busiest period spanned the 1950s and early 1960s. Once pop ensembles began supplying their own drumming on records, Carlson withdrew to Hawaii.