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The first vintage & Custom Drum Magazine, since 1988
W.S. “Fluke” Holland, longtime drummer for Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins and the original drummer in Cash’s famed Tennessee Three backing band, died Wednesday at the age of 85.
Dubbed the “Father of the Drums” by Cash, Holland died at his home in Jackson, Tennessee, following a short illness
Read moreBack at Berklee College of Music in 1973, I had become friends with Steve Smith. Of course, we came to a common denominator – Tony. Steve and I talked about muscle cars. Steve was driving a 1968 Camaro back then. He asked me to meet him in front of the 150 Massachusetts Avenue building around 7:00 pm or so. I got into his car and immediately felt like I was at home - a muscle car, 12 pack of beer, and Tony playing on Steve’s car stereo!
Read moreThree songs that accompany this book.
As I sit here wondering when life will get back to some sort of normal, I am pondering what to write about in a drum article that would make for a good distraction, yet relate to the state of things in the world today. One such drum that comes to mind for me is this WW II era Victorious snare drum. The very name Victorious is something that I think is appropriate because in due time, I feel we will all emerge stronger and victorious from the effects of Covid
Read morePlease allow me to introduce you to my WWII Restriction 1943-1944 Leedy Dreadnaught Victor Set In White Marine Pearl. I usually can finish a full set restoration in approximately two weeks, this set took almost two months. 11”, 13”, 15” 26”, 6.5” x 14”. It is simply gorgeous now.
Read moreSeveral years later I had the opportunity to work at the same club as the Tony Williams Lifetime when they were touring and playing the music that was on the “The OLD Bum’s Rush,” recording. He already had the big yellow Gretsch kit by this time with the 24” bass drum and multiple toms. Each night over the course of the week the band gelled better and on the final night it was truly amazing. The entire night was smoking; one tune would have been worth waiting the week to hear, let alone the whole night.
Read moreHolding everything together at “Live From Daryl’s House” and keeping it “in the pocket” (with his baseball cap always on backwards), is the rather quiet and unassuming Brian Dunne on drums, who, for more than seven years, has been the rhythmic force behind “Hall & Oates”.
Read moreI like to mix things up with Stick Control. Here I’ve moved the figures to the snare and bass and laid a ‘funk’ ride pattern over top. These can all be played at the same tempo but the feel changes depending on where you put the hi-hat.
I had a lot of fun playing with both the Royal1 and ProFlex1. I’m not sure if anything has changed, but they seemed so much better than many of the earlier Attack drum heads I had tried a few years ago. These heads were more versatile, open and dynamic than I expected. I can’t personally answer the question about durability but will continue to play them and see how they hold up. I should note that drummer, Rick Meadors, recently posted on drumforum.org about his experience with the Royal1 drum heads stating that, “Attack's coating is darn near indestructible in my experience… I've had that head on that snare for about 8 months now and have played it A LOT! Probably close to two dozen gigs plus a lot of playing at home during the past few months.”
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“I was just thinking about all the great jazz artists that didn't get a break -- and are still bringin' it and growing. They are heroes in my book. I was lucky to get a bit of love that has lasted me a lifetime”.
Read moreLudwig & Ludwig introduced Marble Pearl in 1928 and per Rob Cook’s book Drum Colors The Rebeats Color Swatch Book. This finish was listed from 1928-29, pretty short-lived and very rare. Personally I love the “ugly” finishes from the 1920s-30s.
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Rob Cook, founder of the Chicago Drum Show and Author of "The Complete History of Leedy Drums" and "The Leedy Way", gives us the complete history of the Leedy Drum Company. The amazing story begins with U.G. Leedy producing snare stands in his apartment in Indianapolis and evolves into becoming the largest manufacturer of drums in the world. Rob also teaches us about George Ways involvement in the rise and fall of Leedy.
Read morePart 2 uncovers another piece of the puzzle of how cymbals made their way from the orchestra to the rock band: the bass drum pedal and a device called a "clanger."
Read more1929-1930 was an important time for the Leedy Manufacturing Company. After the company was sold to Conn, the entire operation was moved from Indianapolis, Indiana to Elkhart, Indiana. The new Leedy company immediately introduced several important design changes which placed them firmly on the cutting edge of drum technology.
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Ludwig's Use of Paper Labels in 1971/1972 - Date Stamps and Date Codes - Rick Gier sheds light on this mystery.
Read morePearls of wisdom and other worthless jewelry from the editor of this magazine.
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It all started at George’s Drum Shop, my retail store in Jackson Mississippi from 1985 - 1987. Joe Partridge was my right hand man there, doing minor repair and refurbishing jobs like taking the old wrap off of drums and re-wrapping them (actually burning the wrap off of the old volatile pre-OSHA drums - the more sadistic customers wanted to be called when we did that so they could come watch!) Joe would also drill holes to put new hardware on some of the customers’ drums. We didn’t actually build any drums at that store, per se, just sold typical name brand drums and repaired then. Joe and I would start building drums separately in the years after that first shop .closed. But, I had some foil stickers made that looked like drum badges with the name of the store and a cool looking drum. So that was as far as we got with the drum building in those first years - badges!
Read moreNot being a “metal guy”, I am not very familiar with Frankie’s drumming. As I search around the internet for some insight into Frankie Banali’s drumming and history - something more than the Rolling Stone or Billboard obituaries -I ran across this quote on DrummerWorld.com. “I remember him telling me that his day wasn't complete if he didn't listen to Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes or Tony Williams. He was a huge jazz fan, which many people may not know.” Frankie
Read moreCharli Persip, whose career as a leading jazz drummer included close associations with Dizzy Gillespie, Randy Weston and many others — along with nearly 40 years at the helm of his own big band, SuperSound — died at Mt. Sinai Morningside in New York City on Sunday.He was 91. His daughter, Jean Elliott, confirmed his death.
Read moreAs a drum historian, Kelli has been collecting vintage and antique drum equipment, method books, photographs, and literature, creating a fine collection of resource material for a deeper understanding of the role her peers from 100 years ago played in the development of the drum set and how those innovations shaped the music we all listen to today. To help document her research, she has created a series of videos that address specific historical drum equipment.
