Cozy Cole

From left: Jack Teagarden, Sandy DeSantis, Velma Middleton, Fraser MacPherson, Cozy Cole, Arvell Shaw, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard at Palomar Supper Club, Vancouver, B.C. (March 17, 1951)

William Randolph "Cozy" Cole (October 17, 1909 – January 29, 1981) was an American jazz drummer who worked with Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong among others and led his own groups.

Life and career William Randolph Cole was born in East Orange, New Jersey, United States. His first music job was with Wilbur Sweatman in 1928.

Cole had hits with the songs "Topsy I" and "Topsy II". It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The track peaked at No. 29 in the UK Singles Chart in 1958. The recording contained a long drum solo and was one of the few drum solo recordings to make the charts at Billboard magazine. The single was issued by Love Records, a small record label in Brooklyn, New York. Cole's song "Turvy II" reached No. 36 in 1959.

In 1959, Cozy performed at the Peacock Alley in St. Louis with his wife Lee Parker who was an entertainer. She studied dancing under Katherine Durham. Cole and Gene Krupa often played drum duets at the Metropole in New York City during the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1978, Capital University in Columbus, awarded Cole an honorary degree of Doctor of Musical Arts.