Buddy Rich - World's Greatest Drummer
Buddy Rich was perhaps the most famous drummer of the 20th century. He was born in 1917 to vaudevillian parents, who first noticed his talent at age one. He could hold a beat while drumming spoons on the table. By the time he was 18 months old he was performing on stage as “Traps, the Drum Wonder.” During his childhood he became one of the highest paid child entertainers in the world.
Buddy received no formal training on the drums, which made his proficiency all the more astounding, and claimed that he did not practice, only playing drums while performing. He admired the work of Chick Webb, Gene Krupa, Dave Tough and Jo Jones, and was greatly influenced by them.
Buddy played with Joe Marsala’s group, Bunny Berigan, and Artie Shaw. While playing with Tommy Dorsey’s big band in 1939, he met and performed with Frank Sinatra. During the next 20 years he drummed with Benny Carter, Harry James, Les Brown, Charlie Ventura and Jazz at the Philharmonic. Buddy formed his own band in 1944, and also performed with all-star groups. From 1966 until his death he was successful, even though the popularity of big bands had fallen off. He was the session drummer for the recordings of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstong, late in their careers when they enjoyed a comeback. During some of these sessions he worked with pianist Oscar Petersen, bassist Ray Bown and guitarist Herb Ellis.
Rich was also a frequent guest on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. One of his most famous television performances was in an episode of The Muppet Show, where he engaged Muppet drummer "Animal" in a drum battle. Rich won easily, and viewers were treated to the sight of Animal gone beserk, tossing a drum at Rich's head.
Rich played mostly Ludwig drums, with a traditional setup of 1 mounted tom and 2 floor toms. His dexterity, speed and smooth execution are legendary. Rich most often held his sticks using a tradtional grip, but he was also a master “match grip” player. He was one of few players to perfect the one-handed roll on both hands. His crossover riffs were spectacular, sometimes crossing over the arm and even under the arm, all at great speed. Rich often used a variety of tecniques to keep his drum solos fresh and interesting. Few drummers have been able to perfect the stick-trick, which is doing a fast roll just by slapping the two sticks together in a circular motion, but Rich did. His playing could be explosive and energetic, and then calm and quiet.
Many of his short solos employed a simple single-stroke roll on the snare picking up speed and power, then slowly moving sticks closer to the rim, getting quieter, and then playing just on the rim itself while still maintaining speed. He would them reverse this effect and slowly move to the center of the snare while increasing volume and power.
He was known for his amazing speed, power and incomparable technique, which earned him the title of “World’s Greatest Drummer.”