Drum History

Jerry was the drummer for the iconic "A Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack and he shares the story of the writing and recording of the album and great info on the creation of the TV special. He tells us about how he wanted nothing to do with Charlie Brown for 30 years, until he came to the realization that he has made millions of happy people and he should embrace it. We also hear the full story of his illustrious career and his background in drumming. You can learn more about Jerry at his website: https://jerrygranelli.com/ Happy holidays and enjoy this episode!

We are lead to believe that the bass drum pedal was invented in the USA, and that the drum set as we know it today was first created in the states - but Fritz shares examples that show many revolutionary drum inventions that were first created in Europe. We also discuss brands like Sonor, Trixon, Paiste, plus drumming and drum building in communist countries and many other great facts and stories along the way. Fritz is a veteran in the drum industry and has owned and operated DrumHouse Freiberg since 2001 in Germany. He brings a very unique knowledge base to the show and shares lots of information that I have never heard anywhere else. Check out the DrumHouse here: https://www.drumhouse.com/ Enjoy this episode!

Orion was a 14 year old drummer boy in the Civil War when he earned the Medal of Honor for an extremely courageous act in battle. Marlene Shares his amazing story that begins when he enters the war at 12 years old through the rest of his life, and the lives of his musical family. We learn all about drummer boys and the role they played in the war, including Johnny Clem - the youngest noncommisioned officer in army history who began as a drummer. Marlene wrote "Diary of a Drummer Boy" which is Orion's amazing true story written in a diary format. She provides a great perspective on these heroic young drummers and paints a great picture of what life was like for these boys, including playing games on the battle field and putting their lives in danger on a daily basis. Enjoy!

Peavey Drums were short lived but the Radial Pro series has become a cult classic to many drummers. Rob shares his experience with the first generation of Peavey Drums that was full of problems from the beginning that never got off the ground and the second generation which is the ultra unique Radial Pro's that were short lived but are a part of drum history. This episode is a lesson in the harsh realities of the music business. Rob is an industry veteran of 40 years including running multiple music stores, creating Rebeats, and operating the Chicago Drum Show. He is a wealth of knowledge on many topics and has become a great friend of the show. Here is a webpage Rob has created covering Peavey Drums: https://www.rebeats.com/peavey%20drums.html Enjoy this episode!

N&C is the oldest drum company in the US, founded 166 years ago in 1854. The company began at a kitchen table with Silas Noble making Toy Drums for Christmas presents. Once the Civil War broke out, he then partnered with James Cooley to make drums for the Civil War and the company grew massively from there. Jay and Nick Jones are the the 6th and 7th generation to continue on the family business. They carry on the masterful drum building that has existed for almost two centuries, and they also still build toy drums to carry on the legacy. At one point, N&C was making 100,000+ toy drums a year and created most kids drums and drumsets in America through the 1900's. After a catastrophic logistics problem in 2001, they put the Toy Drums on the back burner and changed gears to become the powerhouse custom drum shop that we know today. Enjoy this great episode!

Mike has 650 rare and valuable snare drums in his San Francisco home! He tells us all about the rarest snares that he owns and how he got into this level of collecting. Mike also shares tips and trick for how to begin your own collection and how to utilize eBay to find great deals on legendary snare drums. Mike is a true legend in the drum community and his collection of snare drums has got to be one of the largest privately owned collections of snare drums in the world. Mike is not buying these drums to flip them, he buys them and restores them purely for the love of drums. Learn more about Mike here: https://www.curottodrums.com/ Enjoy this episode!

Mike is the co-founder of SJC and shares the great journey he and the company have been on in its 20 year existence. They erupted on the scene right when boutique drum companies were popping up everywhere, and I think it is safe to say that they came out on top - but it was full of serious ups and downs in the relatively short existence of the company. We hear about the rocky relationship that Mike had with his co-founder brother Scott, who is a true mastermind at drum building and a massive part of the DNA of the company, and also the behind the scenes story of being featured on the CNBC TV show, The Profit. This also features great information on the transition from a complete custom shop company, to partnering with Guitar Center to make affordable SJC drums available to everyone. This is the most modern company that I have had on the podcast and I had a blast learning about SJC. Check out SJC at https://www.sjcdrums.com/ and on social media at @sjcdrums Enjoy this episode!

Max Abrams was THE drum teacher in England in the mid 1900's and taught Stewart Copeland, Simon Phillips and my guest, Neal Wilkinson. He operated like a drill sergeant and didn't give his students much praise, but it created countless professional drummers. Before he was a teacher, Max was a top drummer around the Jazz and Big Band scene in England in the 30's, 40's, and 50's. Neal Wilkinson is one of the UK's top studio drummers and has worked with artists like Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Annie Lennox and has performed for multiple major films and TV shows. We also learn all about Drum Hangs, an awesome new project that Neal and Russ Gleason have created to bring the worlds top modern drummers to all of us via Zoom hang outs where you spend an hour with drummers like Nate Smith, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dennis Chambers, Peter Erskine and pretty much every other famous drummer you can imagine. Russ tells us all about it at the end of the episode. Learn more at www.drumhangs.com and find them on social media at @drumhangs

Mapex was founded in 1989, but its parent company, KHS, goes back 80 years in China and has a very interesting story beginning in after school music programs. Jeff is the brand manager for Mapex and is full of great stories about this relatively young drum brand and goes through the origins of all the iconic lines of drums that Mapex is famous for today. Jeff is the brand manager of both Mapex and Sonor drums and is a working drummer in Nashville, Tennessee. Learn everything about Mapex at www.mapexdrums.com

Donn Bennett is one of the worlds foremost dealers in celebrity drums that were owned by the top drummers in the world such as Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Hal Blaine, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones and MANY more... Donn shares how he got into this unique profession and some stories of acquiring some ultra rare drums. He also tells us how he authenticates these ultra rare drums and what happened when he comes across a counterfeit drum that is being advertised as being owned by Ringo. Check out Donn's collection here: http://donnbennett.com/ Enjoy!

Dan Bailey shares his tips and tricks for recording with vintage drums in his studio including favorite drum brands, head choices, mics and recording gear. Dan and I go off the deep end in this episode and completely nerd out about recording and engineering..and it's great! Learn his entire mic and pre-amp choices he uses in his studio. Dan is the drummer and Music Director for Father John Misty, along with recording and performing with many other major artists. You find out everything about Dan at his website www.drichardbailey.com and find him on social media at @drichardbailey Enjoy this episode!

Norbert takes us through every decade in the history of Meinl and gives a detailed look at the 70 year history of this iconic company. We begin in 1951 when Roland Meinl started out making wind instruments and creating his own cymbals by hand in his home with his wife. He then went head first into distributing Hoshino (Tama) drums in Germany and carried on in that fashion until the company grew into what we know today in a slow and steady rise to the top. Meinl has now grown to be one of the most popular brands in all of drumming and has very popular sub-categories in the business including guitars, percussion, sticks/brushes, and therapeutic percussion. We learn all about what makes German manufacturing so special and how the distribution process works for a company like Meinl and how that was a massive part of the company history. Norbert knows the history of this company better than anyone and is a wealth of information. He is the International Artist Relations Manager and has been with the company for 30 years. Check them out online at https://meinlcymbals.com/en/about-us Enjoy!

We discuss how percussion is used in Ireland, Turkey, Iran, Africa, and other various countries in comparison to the downbeat focused western music that dominates pop culture. It is a big eye opener to learn that drummers are often used to support the melody of the music more commonly than providing a head-bobbing back beat that we are used to in American music. Colin O'Donohoe AKA "World Maestro" has had extensive travels and played with musicians across the globe where he has learned the history of many amazing percussive instruments and techniques. He brings his first hand experience to all of the cultures and techniques that he discusses in this episode and it really brings everything to life. Learn more about Colin at www.worldmaestro.com and find him on instagram at @worldmaestro Enjoy!

Vic Firth was a prolific timpanist, drum set performer, and educator all before he started his iconic drum stick company that we all know today. This episode starts as a biography of Vic, but then goes through the origins and rise of his company with great stories like how Vic used to have his employees matching sticks by tapping them on a tombstone he got from a friend in his basement. Mark Wessels is a long time employee of Vic Firth and is now the Director of Education at Vic Firth/Zildjian/Balter Mallets. He is a wealth of information and is very passionate about VF and has many great personal experiences he had from his time working with Vic. Check out Marks many great books at his publishing company: https://www.mwpublications.com/ and check out Vic Firth at www.vicfirth.com Enjoy this episode!

Nick takes us through an in-depth look at the full history of cymbals, bronze, the iconic brands such as UFIP and Paiste, and all of the processes that are used around the world to create cymbals through time. The episode starts 7000 years ago and works up to the modern revolution of independent cymbal makers like NickyMoon. Nick is a master cymbal maker that has a deep passion for preserving the history of this art form. Not only does he tell us about all the milestones throughout time in China, Turkey, Europe, America and South America - but he also teaches us all of the terms and processes that are used in the process across the globe. Nick has prepared an awesome outline that will be available on www.drumhistorypodcast.com/episodes and here is a link to the Chinese cymbals from 1200 AD: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbal#mediaviewer/File:(Jurchen)_Jin_Dynasty_bronze Learn more about Nick at his website: https://www.nickymoon.com/ And find him on Instagram at @nickymoon_cymbals

Learn the history of broadway drummers dating back to the days of Vaudeville, up to the modern times where shows are technical marvels that run Ableton, have screens on all the music stands, and the drummer is often playing remotely in a complete different part of the building! Warren Odze is a broadway veteran and has been performing on the stage since the 70's, but his music career has been in full swing for over 50 years. He takes us through the changes that drummers on Broadway have faced over the years and the importance that the Musicians Union plays in keeping them working. Warren has performed on broadway shows such as "The Life", "Civil War", "Kat and the Kings", "Seussical","Thoroughly Modern Millie", "Lennon" , "Come Fly Away", The Wedding Singer", “Priscilla", “Rocky” , “An American In Paris” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" - in addition to performing on the Tony Awards, being the drummer for the 1968 season of the Dick Cavett Show, and recording with a long list of A List artists. Enjoy this episode!

We go back to post World War 2 Japan and learn about the origins of Pearl as a music stand manufacturer in 1946. They then entered the world of drums in the 50's and began to rise to the drum company that we know today by creating "stencil drums" for over 30 other brand names, including CB-700 and Apollo, before creating the iconic Pearl "Presidents Series" in 1966. Raymond Massey is the Director of Product Development and gives us an extensive run through of each decade of this iconic drum brand. Pearl has been a family owned brand for almost 75 years and has continued to push the boundaries of innovation and quality since the first drum left the factory. This episode has been in the works for over a year and I am very happy to get it out in the world and share the history of Pearl. Enjoy!

Claus teaches us all about the Moeller Technique and its origins with Sanford Moeller, and how he passed the technique along to the legendary Jim Chapin who taught Claus and many famous drummers. This episode is full of great history and stories about how this method of playing was passed down through the generations, and also hear all about Claus's passion for rope tension drums, collapsed rudiments, and a number of other topics! Claus Hessler is an author, performer and educator who had a very close relationship with Jim Chapin and is a modern expert on rudimental drumming and the Moeller technique. In 2006, Jim Chapin was quoted saying "I hardly know anyone who is closer to the real Moeller than Claus Hessler." You can find out everything about Claus on his website at https://claushessler.com/ Enjoy this episode!

Jim was the director of marketing at Ludwig for 36 years and was the right hand man to Bill Ludwig II, aka "The Chief". He shares amazing stories about his time he had with the chief, and his four decade career in the drum industry with Ludwig, and also Premier and Slingerland. Jim brought The Chief out of retirement and back into the company after he had sold the company to Selmer, then he had a great rest of his career with Jim by his side. This episode is a great blueprint for how to work your way up the ladder in the drum industry while treating everyone with respect. Jim is basically a member of the Ludwig family and is full of behind the scenes stories that you wont hear from anyone else. Enjoy!

North drums are some of the most unique looking drums ever made. They are horn shaped fiberglass drums that were made between the late 60's through the early 90's and were created by my guest, Roger North. Early on, Roger played the first North Drums tom on stage at Woodstock 1969 with his band Quill before he ever actually went into production and created the business. A few years later, he was in full swing and creating drums for Billy Cobham, Alan White, Gerry Brown, Doug Clifford and many more. He shares with us the entire story of why he created these "Dr. Seuss-like drums" and the ups and downs of his journey as a business owner. Roger has had many great experiences and learned lots of lessons that he very openly shares with us. North Drums are still some of the most unique percussion instruments ever created and are becoming more and more valuable as the years go on. Enjoy this episode!

Joe Morello was one of the most innovative and masterful drummers of the last century, but did you know he was playing Violin with the Boston Symphony at age 9? Learn about how the iconic "Take 5" Drummer made the switch to drums and became the legend we know today. Steve Fidyk is a legendary drummer and educator in his own right, and he was lucky enough to study with Joe and have a very close relationship with him as a student and a friend. Joe began his music life as a virtuosic violinist who became discouraged at 15 after not feeling that he could surpass the sound of one of his heros - so he began studying drums with Joe Sefcik and George Lawrence Stone..and then the rest his history. Steve does a wonderful job of very thoroughly taking us through Joe's entire life including the hardships of being legally blind and pursuing a musical career. Steve Fidyk is a composer, author, educator, and a phenomenal drummer. He is a wealth of information and a very nice guy who is extremely well prepared for this deep dive into Joe's life. His passion for sharing the story of his friend, Joe Morello, makes this a special episode. Here is Steve's website: http://stevefidyk.com/ Be sure to check out Steve Fidyks latest album, "Battle Lines" which is streaming everywhere, but for information on how to purchase Steve's latest recorded effort, please visit www.bluecanteenmusic.com A portion of each sale is donated to Warrior Beat, an organization that helps Veterans that suffer from PTS and Anxiety. For more information, please visit www.warriorbeat.org Here are some links to Joe related content that Steve generously sent me: 1. Joe Morello DVD that breaks down the approach we discussed in detail: https://www.lessonsquad.com/items/299630784 2. Tribute homage of mine that I did for Modern Drummer: http://staging.moderndrummer.com/2011/03/steve-fidyk-tribute-to-joe-morello/ 3. "The Great Drum Solo" that I referenced of Joe with DBQ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kx1GVYPOos 4. Joe on the Conan O'Brien Show performing Take 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kc97rN4Af0 5. "Burning for Buddy" video performing with the Buddy Rich Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJHTWGs33qs 6. We discussed his brush work with Marian McPartland. Here's a video for Hudson Music where he talks about approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CVKbXn_UGg 7. Take 5 with DBQ 60's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-dtpYdQwPE 8. At the Playboy Mansion with DBQ performing Take 5 (slower tempo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tTyTc6FjjU 9. The Take 5 Cymbal documentary/Greg Caputo/Memphis Drum Shop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk_Th7vmLtY Thanks for listening!

Learn the origins of this iconic book that is the most thorough and extensive resource for all things cymbals! Hugo tells us how he gathered all the information for the book and we learn tons of valuable tips and tricks along the way. While writing the book, Hugo was taken all over the world by the major drum companies who wanted to teach him the origins of the companies that we all know and love. That gave him a great understanding of the cymbal making process, the history of the companies, and countless other bits of information that he used to write The Cymbal Book. This has been on my to-do list for a very long time because of how important the Cymbal Book was for me to start the podcast. This is a fun one, you will definitely learn something new from Hugo. Enjoy!

John Sparrow is the drummer for the Violent Femmes and a die hard Slingerland enthusiast! This is a fun episode where we talk about Slingerland high points in the history of this great American brand, and also some low points through the decades as the company evolved and tried to keep up with the constantly changing world of music. John is an endorser of A&F Drums but has been a Slingerland fan since he was a kid starting by playing his dads Radio King's. We talk about the great Gene Krupa, Rolling Bombers, the feud with Ludwig, and highlights from the 30's to today. I find it very interesting that John really likes the 1990's era Slingerlands. I have never heard much about this time period before talking with him and he has great things to say about them! Check out the Violent Femmes here: https://vfemmes.com/ Enjoy this episode!

Rob and Tony are the founders of the iconic American drum brand, GMS Drum Co. They were one of four custom-shop companies that started in the 1980's, well before the boom of boutique brands in the mid 2000's. It is a great story of an underdog brand exploding in popularity and how they kept up with demand! They are USA made drums that are known as some of the highest quality drums you can buy thanks to the extreme attention to detail. We learn about the origins of the brand and how they exploded in popularity in the 90's and became a regular sight on MTV with bands like Stone Temple Pilots using GMS. Tony shares his techniques for building and some very unique processes on creating snare drums, and Rob tells us some amazing stories such as James Brown picking GMS drums out of a line up of bass drums and commissioning them to build two drum sets for his 40th anniversary show at the Apollo. These guys are great and a lot of fun to listen to..enjoy this episode and check them out online at www.gmsdrums.com and on social media @gmsdrums

We learn about Ajax, Carlton, Hayman, Beverley, and Premier drums - just to name a few! We discuss pre and post war drums made in England, and the many similarities and differences between British drums and the classic American brands. Geoff is a renowned author and expert on the history of the drum set, with a special knowledge about British drums. We go through the full history of all these different brands that were at the top of the drum world for many years, and then disappeared as the American and Japanese brands took over the market. We learn about the horrible fate of some of these companies as the Nazi forces bombed England and they were forced to rebuild and start over. And also about the special relationship between England and the United States and how Jazz was one the most important exports of the USA that changed the world of music in the UK. Episode Edit - Geoff wanted me to mention: At 44’06”ish He said the Autocrat drums were made by John Dallas and Son (Jedson) where he meant John Grey. Geoff is the author of "The Drum Book", "The Drum Handbook", "John Bonham :Thunder of Drums" and more. Here is a link to Drum Book - Shop around a find the second edition second hand for under $10. https://www.amazon.com/Drum-Book-History-Rock-Kit/dp/B00FAKDYNU Enjoy this episode!

Rudimental drumming first appeared in in the Swiss Army in the 1300's to set the tempo and communicate commands during battle, and then spread around Europe where it evolved and was eventually documented in 1588 as the first form of drum notation. It then continued across Europe, and eventually made it to America and evolved into the 26 Rudiments that we have today. This is just scratching the surface of what we learn from Mark Beecher in this episode! Mark Beecher is the president of the National Association of Rudimental Drumming, He is a long time performer of Fife and Drum Corps in Philadelphia and also an author and educator at Drexel University. Check out Marks website here: www.markbeecher.com and his youtube page here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOFIyWf8zhB8BeLCbubqOOQ Learn more about NARD here - http://nard.us.com/Home.html Enjoy this episode!

Jeff takes us back to the ice age where drums were made of turtle shells that were flipped over, had skin stretched over them, and then dried in the sun for tension. We then move forward through history and touch on many of the highlights in the fascinating history of drum tuning. Jeff also gives us tips and tricks on how to get the sound you want out of your drums in a quick and easy way, without overthinking. Jeff Davenport is a UK based drum tuning expert who is a regular fixture at drum shows giving seminars on how to quickly tune your drums, and be able to do it over and over again. He runs a great new youtube channel called "Drum Tuning Workshops" that you can check out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmrotSD9zI-YS3zr7bD8xfw Find him on social media as well at @drumtuningworkshops Thanks for listening!

Barry James is the last living student of George Lawrence Stone (Stick Control, Accents and Rebounds) who still teaches the Stone technique. Barry is 81 years old and took lessons with Stone in 1957 in Boston College. He has had an amazing career and still teaches via Skype to people around the world. We learn what it was like to step into Stones Boston drum studio and learn from the author of one of the most beloved drum books in history, "Stick Control". Barry took his experiences and co-wrote a book with the great Joe Morello titled "Drum Lessons with George Lawrence Stone". It is a personal account on how to use Stick Control from two of his top students. This episode features tons of great information on Joe Morello - Stones Protege and legendary jazz drummer. This is the last book that Morello worked on before passing away. If you would like to take lessons with Barry James and learn from a direct student of stone, you can email him at [email protected] or call him directly at 321-297-3042 to set up a skype lesson. Here is a link to purchase Barry and Joe Morello's book, "Drum Lessons with George Lawrence Stone" - https://www.amazon.com/Drum-Lessons-George-Lawrence-Stone/dp/1470643391/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2KOFWU8YJUD53&dchild=1&keywords=drum+lessons+with+george+lawrence+stone&qid=1592532700&sprefix=lessons+with+george+lawrence%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1 Thanks for listening!

Charlie Watts is one of the most important drummers in Rock and Roll History. Mike Edison is the author of "Sympathy for the Drummer: Why Charlie Watts Matters" and he gives us a great in depth look at the importance of Charlie and the Rolling Stones on popular culture. Learn about the impact Charlie made on pop culture with The Rolling Stones and as a passionate jazz drummer. We discuss his personal life and his hobbies including his mega collection of drums, art, and all types of things. I have heard first had about this collection when I got to meet Charlie - It is unbelievable! Check out Mike's Website here: http://mikeedison.com/ Purchase the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sympathy-Drummer-Charlie-Watts-Matters/dp/1493047736/ A really cool trailer for the audio book narrated by Mike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK96LGCkrVY&t=3s Here is a few Spotify Playlist's that Mike Made based around Charlies Influences and his drumming with the Stones: https://mikeedison.com/playlists?fbclid=IwAR1y8NB8Ko-FhpmoWTSBv8_z2fDkCDfhQsVqnpTT8lA5-aWejw0Wt1okawY Enjoy this episode!

Did Premier secretly produce Ludwig Supraphonic shells in the 70's? Listen to find out! Founded in 1922, Premier is the most famous brand in British drum history and has a fascinating story. Mike Ellis is an expert on Premier and an avid restorer who shares the complete history with us plus tons of great stories along the way. Learn all about the comparisons between classic American brands and Premier through the brands evolution as they battled for market share, and inevitably what held Premier back from dominating the drum world. For one example, I was fascinated to learn that they produced Gun Sights during WW2 before the factory was bombed during the war. Mike Ellis is also known as "The Drum Fettler" and has a great youtube channel full of great restoration videos - check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeIdcGyqU23j1DIAiLPOFvA Enjoy this deep dive into Premier Drums!

We learn the role of drummers in the Military and the purpose they served as a form of communication and a way to keep the troops unified during battle starting with the US Colonies through to the Revolutionary War. Then we take a deep dive into the Civil War and learn all about the importance of the Fife and Drum Corp on both sides in the extremely bloody war that divided the country. Patrick Jones is a Fife and Drum Corps expert and regularly performs with Camp Chase Fifes and Drums at events all over the country. He also restores rope tension snare drums to exact detail. Patrick is a 5th grade history teacher and he does a great job of explaining all of these details so that people of any knowledge level of US History can understand this and learn a lot about Military drumming. Check out Camp Chase Fifes and Drums website at: https://www.campchasefifesanddrums.org/ and find them on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/pjdrums96/videos?view=0&shelf_id=0&view_as=subscriber&sort=dd A big thank you to Mark Robertson for connecting Patrick and I and being a Patron of the show and a good friend!

Rob tells us the story of the postponed 2020 Chicago Drum Show and what we can expect in 2021. He also tells us about the 30 year history of the show going back to year one with some great stories along the way. We also chat about drum legend George Way and fill in some gaps in his history that has been covered in previous episodes on Way. This is an unprecedented year for many things around the world, and drum shows are no different. Rob was faced with a tough decision but I think he made the right choice to keep everyone safe. This episode also fills in info about George Way that is to supplement a previous episode with Ronn Dunnett title "Legacy of George Way" and Rob's previous episode titled "The Leedy Way". Enjoy!

(You do not need to have listened to part 1 to enjoy this episode) Part 2 covers the role of working drummers starting in the 1960's with session drummers, then Rock and Roll superstar's, through the 80's monster drumsets and up to modern times. Matt is a brilliant historian and educator, and he brings us a very fun and relaxed conversation about this amazing history of how drummers survived and worked throughout history. We cover interesting bits such as why you cant copyright a drum beat, why you drummers rarely get as much writing credits as other musicians, and how things slowly changed over time. We are discussing chapter 5 of Matts book "Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit". You can purchase the book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/kick-it-9780190683870?cc=us&lang=en& Be sure to use promo code "AAFLYG6" to save 30% at checkout. Matt will be speaking at the 2021 Chicago Drum Show, I will post more details on social media as it draws closer. He was supposed to speak at the 2020 show but that was cancelled due to Covid-19. Part 1 is episode 36, go back and check it out if you haven't listened yet. You will love it!

Andy Zildjian is the president of Sabian Cymbals and takes us on a very fun journey through the history of the company that dates back to its founding in 1981 by his father, Robert Zildjian. This episode features tons of great information about his famous family in general and we discuss the factors that caused the split in the family and become the iconic Sabian cymbals that we know today. We learn all about how Robert Zildjian founded the company and how much of a visionary he was as a business man and used his international smarts to help Sabian come out of the gate as a major player in the cymbal company in the early 80's. Andy is continuing his fathers legacy by innovating and keeping the company on the cutting edge of cymbal technnology. Enjoy this episode!

We talk about celebrities who are also drummers such as Chevy Chase, Bob Crane, Johnny Carson, Andy Kaufman and many more. It is amazing how many classic celebrities of the silver screen enjoyed playing the drums, and could have easily been famous musicians if they didn't become famous for acting and/or comedy. This is a fun episode that features information about people you may not know are drummers, and also info on Ringo and Keith Moon - two men who are known for being funny guys. Find Steven on social media at: @lgdpodcast and @wcartsentertainment Thanks for listening!

Uli is the Ludwig Marketing and Artist Relations Manager and shares the complete history of the iconic Black Beauty snare drum. We discuss how it originated as the 1919 "Inspiration Model" and then evolved into Black beauty we know today over the next 100 years. Learn about how Ludwig was not the first company to use the "Black Beauty" name, but they became the most famous. We talk about the different processes that have been used to make the shells and what makes them some of the most sought-after snare drums in the world. Check out Ludwig's website: https://www.ludwig-drums.com/ and on social media at @ludwigdrumsHQ Find Uli Salazar on social media at @Damendrums Here is the information about the George B. Stone and Slingerland Black Beauty's - Slingerland - 1928 http://www.coopersvintagedrums.com/newslinghistory.htm George B. Stone.- 1925 http://blog.bostondrumbuilders.com/2013/09/stone-catalog-k-shelf-life.html

Dom Famularo teaches us about Billy Gladstone, Sanford A, Moeller, and George L. Stone - the godfathers of drumming technique. He also shares many great stories from his journey through learning from the students of these great teachers including Shelly Manne, Jim Chapin, and Joe Morello. The lineage of educators that run from these three men runs so much deeper than I ever imagined. This episode features one of my favorite Buddy Rich stories that I have ever heard. Dom got to hang out with Buddy and learn about his background as a young Vaudevillian who was on the road with Moeller, Stone, and Gladstone. Dom is known as "Drummings Global Ambassador" and he does that name justice. He can be found at any given time performing clinics around the world and spreading the love of drums to everyone he meets. Dom's Website: https://www.domfamularo.com/ The drum teacher lineage chart that we discussed: http://www.domfamularo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/DrumTeacherLineage_11x17-UpdatedOctober2016.pdf The Sessions Panel on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfz1KlQqycWBnTX6SMaCHHg Find Dom on Instagram at @Global2Dom Thanks for listening!

Bill shares the full story of C&C drums that began with the first kit he made for Carl Palmer, and then later grew to be one of the most popular boutique drum brands in the world. Before that, Bill Cardwell had a long background in vintage drum collecting and restoring including owning a drum shop and being involved with the very first issue of Not So Modern Drummer. Bill followed his passion and retired early from Bayer Corporation and followed his dream to work with drums and never looked back. He now spends every day working with his son Jake Cardwell building drums that are loved all over the world. Check out C&C drums at https://www.candcdrumsusa.com/ and on social media at @ccdrumco Enjoy this episode!

CEO of Modern Drummer Magazine, David Frangioni is this weeks guest. We discuss the history of Modern Drummer and talk about how drummers can make the best of the current "Stay Home" situation, plus we learn about his long and exciting career in the music world. In March 2020, we are all faced with the Covid-19 virus that has everyone staying at home to help control the spread of the virus. David has some great information on what we can do to make the absolute best of this time and come out on the other side as better drummers. Check out his website at: https://www.davidjfrangioni.com/ and find him on social media @davidfrangioni Also, visit www.moderndrummer.com to see everything that is going on with MD and be sure to become a subscriber, find them on IG at @modern_drumer

Gary is a historian and expert on all things Ringo Starr. He has curated Ringo's collection of original Beatles drum kits and is full of great stories about Ringo that you won't hear from anyone else! We talk about a biography of Ringo, A description of all of his drum sets through the years, and Garys involvement with Ringo and his drums including over 4 million dollars in auction sales from Ringo's collection that Gary curated. Check out Gary's website at https://www.ringosbeatlekits.com/ to learn about everything Ringo and also book Gary to speak at your event! Thanks for listening, if you like the show give me a rating and leave a review!

This James Brown song from 1969 made a very small splash at first, until it's beat was re-discovered in the 80's and changed the world of music forever. We take a deep dive learning everything about Clyde Stubblefield's Funky Drummer beat including how and where it was recorded, the gear he used, the impact on music, and Clyde's legacy. Dylan Wissing has created "sample replays" for artists such as Kanye West, Eminem, TI, John Legend and many more. Find out how he recreates drum beats like Funky Drummer for mega artists so they can legally get the sound of classic breakbeats. Check out Dylan at www.gettingthesound.com to learn directly from Dylan! You can also check out his website here: http://dylanwissing.com/ Check out Getting The Sound on Instagram at @gettingthesound and on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GettingtheSound/ Thanks for listening to this funky episode! Find me on social media @drumhistory_podcast for daily drum videos and visit www.drumhistorypodcast.com to for more Drum History.

This very special episode takes a deep dive into the history of New Orleans Jazz and features multiple interviews that I did in New Orleans while I was there to see the Rolling Stones and meet Charlie Watts in July, 2019. I was lucky enough to sit down with Stanton Moore and get the full history of Nola Jazz, and also go backstage with Walter Harris and Joe Lastie at Preservation Hall Jazz Club, plus even more information from Greg Lambousy of the Nola Jazz Museum. New Orleans is one of the few places that can be called the home of Jazz. We cover as much of this history as possible with the help of these four great guests. I also tell the story of why I was in New Orleans and the amazing Rolling Stones experience I had thanks to Don McAulay (Charlie Watts Drum Tech) and the crazy few days I had visiting the city. We end the episode with a great interview with Greg Lambousy about the Drumsville exhibit at the New Orleans Jazz Museum that features tons of amazing pieces of Drum History. -Stanton Moore is a world class clinician, educator and the drummer for Galactic. You can check him out at www.stantonmoore.com Here is a link to the Ned Sublette book that he mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/World-That-Made-New-Orleans/dp/1556529589 -Walter Harris is the touring drummer for the Preservation Jazz Hall Band and tours the world spreading New Orleans Jazz. -Joe Lastie was the touring drummer for 27 years and is still performing regularly at the Preservation Hall Jazz Club. Find out more about Pres Hall here: https://www.preservationhalljazzband.com -Greg Lambousy is the director of the Nola Jazz Museum and was a wealth of information about New Orleans Jazz in general. Check it out here: https://nolajazzmuseum.org/ Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy this special episode!

Sezar teaches us the full History of Istanbul Agop, dating back to its origins in the Zildjian K Factory where Agop Tomurcuk learned how to make cymbals. We discuss how hand hammered cymbals are made and why Turkey is so special for cymbal making. We learn all about the history of the different lines Istanbul Agop offers and also the story behind the split with Istanbul Mehmet. Sezar Inceoglu is the International Sales Manager at Istanbul Agop and is a wealth of knowledge who is very passionate about the company. Check out Istanbul Agop online at https://istanbulcymbals.com/ and find them on instagram at @istanbulagop -Thanks for listening! FInd me on social media at @drumhistory_podcast and leave me a review if you like the show!

Matt takes us on a deep dive into the early mistreatment of drummers in the musicians labour unions dating back to the early 20th century, through the rise of the "Radio Stars" of the 1940's all the way up to the great session drummers like Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer. The episode kicks off by learning the origins of drummer jokes that we have all heard through our careers and is full of great information throughout. Dr. Matt Brennan is an author, musician, and educator at the University of Glasgow. He is a wealth of knowledge and is extremely down-to-earth and very passionate about drums. We are discussing his latest book: "Kick It: A Social History of The Drum Kit", specifically Chapter 5 - "Working Drummers, Musical Labour, Role Playing, and Authorship". This episode is Part 1 of our conversation, part 2 will come down the road and feature the Rock and Roll greats of the 60's and 70's along with writing credits for drummers. Matt provided a promo code to save 30% off "Kick It: A Social History of The Drum Kit". Use code "AAFLYG6" at this link: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/kick-it-9780190683870?lang=en&cc=us Thanks for listening! - Follow Drum History on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos! @drumhistory_podcast - Please give us a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!

Drum Engraving goes back to the 1920's when drums such as the Slingerland and Ludwig Black Beauty's would become legendary thanks to the intricate engraving on the metal shells. Fast forward to today, John is the man behind the hand engraving for companies such as Ludwig, A&F, DW, Pearl, C&C and Joyful Noise. He is also the founder of the amazing publication "Not So Modern Drummer", which has been an amazing resource for vintage drum enthusiasts for almost 30 years. We go through the full history of NSMD and tons of other great vintage drum talk along the way. Check out Johns website at: https://drumscratcher.com/ here is the current version of Not So Modern Drummer which is run by George Lawrence: https://www.notsomoderndrummer.com/ Here are some great NSMD articles by Bob Campbell about John Aldridge that go into further detail about this topic and have great pictures: https://www.notsomoderndrummer.com/not-so-modern-drummer/2019/5/8/the-drum-engravers-part-1-john-aldridge https://www.notsomoderndrummer.com/not-so-modern-drummer/2019/10/25/the-drum-engravers-part2-john-aldridge-custom-works Thanks for listening! - Follow Drum History on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos! @drumhistory_podcast - Please give us a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone and hearing how you like the show, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!

George Way is one of the most innovative people in drum history, and is known as the godfather of the modern drum set. George passed away in 1969, but Ronn Dunnett has been carrying on the legacy of George Way Drums since 2006. George worked for basically all of the classic American drum companies including Leedy, Slingerland, Rogers and many more. His designs were decades ahead of what was being used at the time and many of his inventions are still found on the modern drum set. Ronn and I go through the entire life of George H. Way and many of his greatest contributions, plus the many ups and downs he faced in his career. George was faced with tragedy towards the end of his ownership of his own company which later turned into Camco, but he continued to work in the world of drumming until the end of his life. Ronn tells us all about how he acquired George Way Drum's and the relationship he has had with DW about the use of the round lugs (a George Way invention). He is also the owner of Dunnet Classic Drums and makes some of the finest drums available today and is a master drum builder. -You can check out Dunnett Classic Drums here: http://www.dunnett.com/ -The George Way Drums website with the history I reference in this episode: http://waydrums.com/ -Here is a wonderful article written by Bob Campbell for Modern Drummer about George Way Drums and Ronn Dunnett: https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/february-2018-george-way-drum-company/ -Here is a link to Rob Cook's book "The Leedy Way" which is an amazing source for information on both Leedy and George Way: https://www.halleonard.com/product/266454/the-leedy-way Thanks for listening! - Follow Drum History on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos! @drumhistory_podcast - Please give us a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone and hearing how you like the show, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!

We learn the evolution of how early drummers learned their craft by watching other drummers who passed through town and by apprenticing with drummers such as Chick Webb and Art Blakey. Then came the advent of drum notation books which allowed young drummers to learn at home, followed by drum tapes and DVD's, and now social media which has drastically changed the learning process. Stephen also teaches us all about brain science and how we can better use our practice time to most efficiently evolve as drummers. We talk about tons of other great topics in this episode revolving around practice and learning from our percussion ancestors. Stephen Taylor is a wealth of information and really came very well prepared for the interview, enjoy! Check out Stephen's website here: https://www.stephensdrumshed.com/ And be sure to listen to his podcast "The Drum Show" available on all podcast platforms. He is on social media as @stephensdrumshed In this episode, I also mention Queen City Drums - Check out this great Cincinnati drums at https://www.queencitydrums.com/ and find them on social media at QueenCityDrums Thanks for listening! - Follow Drum History on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos! @drumhistory_podcast - Please give us a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone and hearing how you like the show, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!

Bernie purchased the original Slingerland radio frequency drum shell making machinery on an Ebay auction in 2001, and that began his decade long quest to figure out how they work. He went through hundreds of attempts to figure out how these incredibly complex machines created drum shells before he got help from from Jack Moritz, a former Slingerland employee who ran the machines for 22 years. Once that happened, Bernie was off and running and making drum shells in under 5 minutes under his new company, Stone Custom Drum. Learn all about how Radio Frequencies we're used to create drum shells, and also we discuss the recent acquisition of Slingerland by DW, plus tons of other great stories along the way. Stone Custom Drum has Slingerland in its DNA, but is its own brand that creates beautiful, one of a kind drums. You can check them out at www.stonecustomdrum.com. In this episode, we also discuss Jim Moritz who is the owner of Chicago Drum. He was the guest on episode 4 and you can check him out at www.chicagodrum.com Thanks for listening! - Follow Drum History on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos! @drumhistory_podcast - Please give us a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone and hearing how you like the show, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!

A Pearl tom mount on an ultra-rare Ludwig Top Hat and Cain kit? It happened... Steele teaches us his process of preserving and restoring classic drums in an effort to keep them as original as possible with tons of great stories along the way. We discuss the hierarchy of his process, beginning with diagnosing the wrap, followed by what to do if extra extra holes were drilled in the drums, and then fixing the bearing edges. He has an amazing way of looking at the history of drums and loads of experience with instruments that have been around longer than most of us have been alive. Steele Turkington is the owner of Kentville Drums in Sydney Australia and is a true master at the art of restoration. He is also the creator of the famous Kangaroo Hide Drumheads, learn all about him by visiting http://www.kentvilledrums.com.au And find him on social media at @kentville_drums Thanks for listening! - Follow Drum History on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos! @drumhistory_podcast and if you are interested in supporting the show, visit www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast for more information - Please give us a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone and hearing how you like the show, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!

The origins of the Hi-Hat pedal have long been debated, and Rob Cook introduces us to a new theory that a gentleman named Skip Retherford was the inventor in the 1922. This pre-dates Papa Jo Jones, who is widely thought to be the earliest user of the Hi-Hat. Rob shares this great story with us and how he got involved after Zildjian decided he was the best man to handle this information. Find out what happened to Skip's invention and learn everything else you could want to know about the Hi-Hat in this episode! Rob Cook is the founder of the Chicago Drum Show and runs www.rebeats.com . He is a wealth of information and publishes a number of great books that can be found on the Rebeats website. You can also hear him on previous episode of Drum history about the history of Leedy Drums. Here are the images of Rob's article about the hi-hat in Drum Magazine. http://rebeats.com/images/drum_magazine/hi-hat-part1-large.jpg http://rebeats.com/images/drum_magazine/hi-hat-part2-large.jpg Thanks for listening! - Follow Drum History on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos! @drumhistory_podcast and if you are interested in supporting the show, visit www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast for more information - Please give us a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone and hearing how you like the show, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!