Phil Kraus

Phil Kraus was far and away one of the busiest and most prolific New York City studio percussionists of the postwar era, appearing on sessions headlined by Percy Faith, Hugo Winterhalter, André Kostelanetz, and virtually every other giant of easy listening and lounge music. Kraus was born in New York in 1918, and began playing xylophone at age eight. He continued adding other percussion instruments to his repertoire throughout his teen years, eventually winning a full scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music. In 1939, Kraus was hired to play vibes with the staff band at th...