Artist: Baby Dodds

Warren "Baby" Dodds was an American jazz  drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is regarded as one of the best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era. Early influences included Louis Cottrell, Sr., Dave Perkins, and Tubby Hall. Dodds was among the first drummers to be recorded improvising while performing. 

Dodds gained a reputation as a top young drummer in New Orleans. In 1918, Dodds left Sonny Celestin's group to play in Fate Marable's riverboat band. A teenaged Louis Armstrong also joined the band. They played jazz, popular, and classical music while on the boats.

Dodds and Armstrong left Fate Marable's band in 1921 due to a disagreement about musical style, and Dodds soon joined King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. At that time, the personnel in Oliver's band were Joe "King" Oliver on cornet, Baby Dodds' brother Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Davey Jones on alto saxophone, Honoré Dutrey on trombone, Lil Hardin on piano, Jimmy Palao on violin, and Eddie Garland on bass fiddle.

Dodds recorded with Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Art Hodes, and his brother Johnny Dodds. Dodds played in Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven  groups. In May 1927, Armstrong recorded with the Hot Seven, which consisted of Johnny Dodds, Johnny St. Cyr, Lil Hardin Armstrong, John Thomas, Pete Briggs, and Baby Dodds. From September to December 1927, the Hot Five Armstrong assembled consisted of Johnny Dodds, Kid Ory, Johnny St. Cyr, Lonnie Johnson, and Baby Dodds. During the decade, he also performed with the Black Bottom Stompers, Chicago Footwarmers, Willie Hightower, and Charlie Elgar. 

Dodds continues to be admired for the creativity of his playing. He believed in playing something different for every chorus of every tune. Most of his contemporaries played a short buzz or press roll on the backbeats (the 2nd and 4th beats), but Dodds played a long roll that lasted till the following beat, which created a smoother time feel that he later developed into the jazz ride pattern most commonly used ever since. Dodds was best known, however, for what he called his "shimmy beat", which he first used in 1918 at Jack Sheehan's in New Orleans.