I have interviewed and written
about many of these legends in my forthcoming book The Commandments
of Early Rhythm and Blues Drumming (co-written with Zoro and
available from Alfred Publishing).
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Three important drumming
names of the 20th century: (from left) Earl Palmer,
Louie Bellson and Freddie Gruber.
Each of these guys has been a teacher, mentor and friend
to me as I've explored the realm of drum history. I'm grateful
to them all for the wisdom, good humor and comraderie they
have shared. This particular shot was taken at a NAMM show
around 2002 or 2003.
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Ed Shaughnessy
- Legendary big band drummer and member of the Tonight Show
orchestra for more than two decades. Ed and I sat down for
this interview sometime in 2002. |
Hal Blaine
- One of the great studio drummers in the history of Los Angeles
recording. Hal was part of the fabled "Wrecking Crew,"
an elite group of L.A. studio musicians who played on thousands
of pop hits, TV shows and movie soundtracks in the 1960s and
'70s. He and Earl Palmer did the majority of important sessions
coming out of L.A. during those years - they were a big influence
on later recording legends like Jim Keltner and Jeff Porcaro.
Hal's book, The Wrecking Crew, is a really terrific
trip into these golden years of recording. I highly recommend
it!
|
Earl Palmer
- Pioneer of rhytm and blues and early rock'n'roll drumming.
An absolute giant in the world of pop and rock recording.
In 2007, Earl attended a Royal Crown Revue gig in Palm Springs.
It was one of the proudest days of my life. Earl signed
an original copy of his "Drumsville" LP for me.
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In 2001, at the opening of the Rockabilly
Hall of Fame in Jackson, TN. In attendance were
some of the greatest drummers of the rockabilly era. From
left, Buddy Harman, W.S. Holland, D.J. Fontana, J.M. Van
Eaton, Carl Griffin and Bobby Crafford. You can learn more
about all these gents in the following pictures.
|
In 2007, I went back to Jackson,
Tennessee to interview three legendary rockabilly drummers
- W.S. Holland (Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash),
Bobby Crafford (Sonny Burgess), and J.M.
Van Eaton (Jerry Lee Lewis, Sun Records Session Ace).
The finished piece was entitiled "The Dummers of Sun
Records" and appeared in the August, 2008 issue of Modern
Drummer. |
We taped the interview at the
International Rockabilly Hall of Fame and Museum
in Jackson, TN (birthplace of Carl Perkins). |
More from the Rockabilly
Roundtable.
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J.M. Van Eaton
recording at the original Sun Studios in Memphis, TN in
2007. J.M. played on more than 2/3 of all the recordings
ever made at Sun, including such classics as "Great
Balls of Fire," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On,"
and "Red Hot." Sun is still a functioning studio,
and it was a real thrill for me to be able to watch J.M.
record there just as he did more than 50 years ago!
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The legendary D.J. Fontana,
who is best known for his work with Elvis Presley in the 1950s
and '60s. That's D.J. playing the thunderous triplet run on
Elvis' version of "Hound Dog." Along with Buddy
Harman, D.J. played on the soundtrack to most of Elvis' 33
films from the 1960s.
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With W.S. Holland
at his home in Jackson, TN. W.S played drums with Carl Perkins'
(he's on the classic "Blue Suede Shoes"), and starting
in 1960, spent almost four decades backing up Johnny Cash.
He's on the famous "Fulsom Prison" album, and can
be seen backing up "the man in black" on the Johnny
Cash Show, which aired in the late 1960s.
|
With the legendary father
of country drumming, Buddy Harman. The
undisputed king of the Nashville studios, Buddy played on
over 18,000 sessions from the 1950s-1980s. Buddy was a dear
friend who shared a lot of incredible history with about
the dawn of the "Nashville Sound." Sadly, we lost
this drumming legend in August of 2008. For more on Buddy's
legacy and career, check out the Drum
History Minute on this website.
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With Los Angeles drumming
legend Johnny Kirkwood, in September, 1999
(about a year before he passed away). Johnny played with
Louis Jordan from1950-55, and went on to have a distinguished
career backing everyone from Lionel Hampton to Wes Montgomery.
He was the first drumer that I interviewed for what would
become the Commandments book, and we became great
pals. I wrote a cover story about Johnny for Stick It
drum magazine in 2000.
|
In Las Vegas, with Louis
Prima’s great drummer Bobby Morris.
Bobby was with Prima from 1954-61, during his incredible
run in the lounges of Las Vegas with Keely Smith and Sam
Butera and the Witnesses. We’re standing in front
of the booking agency Bobby has owned since 1966.
|
Hanging in Las Vegas with
Sam Butera, ace Tenor Saxman and musical
director for Louis Prima during the glory days of the 1950s
and '60s. RCR had the good fortune of befriending Sam in
the early 1990s, and we got to open for him on several occasions.
Amazing!
|
My pal Joey Altruda with
two of the biggest legends of ska/rocksteady music - Jamaican
drummer Lloyd Nibbs (left) and guitarist
Earnest Ranglin (right). Knibbs practically invented
the drumming technique that would become reggae. I write
about the birth of ska and reggae in my new book, The
Commandments of Early Rhythm and Blues Drumming (co-authored
by Zoro).
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With my teacher and mentor
Freddie Gruber, at a NAMM show around 2001.
Freddie is truly a master teacher, and in addition to sharing
a tremendous amount of knowledge about stick control, rudiments,
independence and the like, Freddie helped me to understand
the drumset as a real instrument, complete with its own
set of timbres, moods and textures. Studying with Freddie
was like walking into the pages of history, complete with
stories that brought to life all the great players of the
past. Freddie knew them ALL, and for me, this was the ultimate
hang!
|
At lunch with all around
groove monster Earl Palmer. What more can
be said about this studio legend and pioneer of the big
beat? He helped create rock 'n' roll while backing Little
Richard and Fats Domino in New Orleans, then went on to
turn his craft into an art form in the studios of Hollywood.
You probably can't turn on an oldies station without hearing
Earl's groove in the first five minutes. Check out Backbeat:
Earl Palmer's Story, written by Earl and Tony Scherman;
it's a wonderful autobiography that takes you through the
history of rock via Earl's colorful and fascinating perspective.
|
With the legendary Jimmy
Cobb at Fat Cat's jazz club in Greenwhich Village,
NYC. In addition to playing on probably the most popular
jazz album of all time (Miles Davis' Kind of Blue),
Jimmy has played with every great name in jazz over the
last five decades. He still gigs constantly in New York
and sound amazing!
|
Sharing some coffee and a
few licks with veteran r&b drummer Charles Connor.
Charles was the original drummer in Little Richard's group,
The Upsetters, and spent many years touring the globe with
Mr. Tutti Frutti. His opening groove on Richard's "Keep
a' Knockin'," is the influence behind John Bonham's
famous intro to Led Zep's "Rock and Roll."
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Going to church with LA studio
drumming ace Jesse Sailes. Along with Earl
Palmer and Hal Blaine, Jesse was one of the top aces in
the Hollywood studios during the '50s, '60s and '70s. From
Big Joe Turner to Diana Ross, Jesse was around for it all.
Today, he's retired and works as the Deacon of a church
in South Central Los Angeles.
|
With the legendary swing
master Dave Black at his home in Alameda,
CA. Dave won the Gene Krupa drum contest as a teenager in
Philadelphia, and went on to take over the drum chair in
Duke Ellington’s band when Louie Bellson left in 1957.
Check out just how amazing Dave's hands were in this You
Tube clip.
|
With Louie Bellson, reviewing
a copy of my book, The Ultimate History of Rock'n'Roll
Drumming: 1948-2000. To this day, Louie tells me that
the profile I wrote about him for Stick It magazine in 2002
is "the best thing anyone's every written about me."
|
With Harold Chang
in Honolulu, Hawaii. Harold played with “Exotica”
artists Martin Denny and Arthur Lymon from 1957-1973, and
was undoubtedly one of the pioneers of the exotica genre.
He was also my very first drumset teacher, way back in 1979.
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At the Viva Las Vegas
festival with some more rockabilly legends: Rocky
Burnette (son of rockabilly pioneer Johnny Burnette), Paul
Burlison (guitarist with the Rock'n'Roll Trio) and D.J.
Fontana.
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With swing drumming legend
Johnny Blowers at his home Long Island,
New York, around 2001. Johnny was a member of the NBC Studio
Orchestra in he 1940s and '5s, and played with such legends
at Sidney Bechet and Louis Armstrong. At the time of this
photo, Johnny was 91 years old and still gigging! He sat
down with a snare drum and showed me a bunch of press rolls
he had learned from Zutty Singleton!
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Al Foster
- Legendary jazz drummer with Miles Davis, etc. Blue Note,
NYC, 2008
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At the Rockabilly Fest, 2001
in Jackson, TN with Bill Haley's drummer Dick Richards.
Dick toured and recorded with Haley back in the 50's, playing
on some of the Comets' biggest hits. Now, in his seventies,
Dick still tours constantly with the reformed version of
Bill Haley's Comets.
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With two drumming masters,
one American (the great Ed Thigpen), and
one Cuban (Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez).
Ed's brushwork with Oscar Peterson and others establishes
him as one of the true masters of the artform. This picture
was taken at the Percussive Arts Society Convention in Dallas,
TX in November, 2000.
|
With two big band legends, Frank
Devito (Frank Sinatra, 1960s studios sessions), and
Jake Hanna (Woody Herman,
Maynard Ferguson). Taken at the 2008 Sweet and Hot Festival
in Los Angeles, where all three of us perform every year.
These two guys always cut everybody up at the festival afterparties
with their amazing stories about Buddy Rich and life back
in the day! |
With veteran swing dancer and teacher Frankie Manning.
Manning was one of the original dancers at the Savoy Ballroom
during the 1930s, where he is credited with helping to invent
classic dances like the Lindy Hop and the Shim Sham. A veteran
of countless film and television performances, Manning is
still actively touring and teaching at the age of 94! This
shot was taken at a Swing Dance festival in Phoenix, March,
2008.
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