The first professional female drummer Viola Smith dies aged 107

Viola Smith, widely considered the first professional female drummer, has died aged 107 in California, LA Times reports. The trailblazing drummer once heralded as the “fastest girl drummer in the world”, gained recognition as the percussionist for Frances Carroll & the Coquettes, an all-female big band group that became popular in the late 1930s. She was known not only for her speed and precision, but her 12-drum kit which featured high-mounted tom-toms.