I'd like to comment on some of this if I may... especially so the Buddy Rich connection being discussed here. That will ALWAYS flush me out of the shrubs!

Buddy Rich rarely if ever, gave lessons of any kind to anyone... and that statement is a fact. Now, I am NOT saying that the young man in the story by Gilnar didn't speak with Buddy, or even hang out with him for a bit, or even have Buddy show him a couple things.. ( more on THAT in a moment ) .. as I wasn't there... but lessons? Most probably not. The reason? Buddy didn't know HOW he did any of what he did! He just did it! This was one of the main reasons that he shied away from doing clinics, etc. He really didn't know how to demonstrate/show what he did. I have done tons of research on BR over the decades, and what I am saying here came straight from Louie Bellson and Joe Morello. Both friends of Buddy's, with LB being more so as they BOTH played with Norman Granz's JATP. Regarding Buddy's endorsement of drum companies and/or making recommendations on what drums to play:

Again... most probably didn't happen. However!, Buddy WAS extremely happy with Rogers drums and specifically Joe Thompson while he was with the company. I can believe that he might have told this young man to get Rogers drums in a moment of weakness or melancholy, as he DID in fact really like Rogers drums... 'till CBS took over that is, and we all know the result of that! Otherwise, Buddy played a particular drum companies drums because they PAID him to do so. Period. He really didn't care otherwise. Interestingly, the first company that came up with some bucks for him to play their brand was... Trixon/Vox! I believe the fee at the time was $25K, which was BIG BUCKS in 1967. Heck, I'd take that now! WFL/Ludwig, and then Rogers, did NOT pay a stipend to BR to play their drums. BR didn't stay with Trixon/Vox for very long despite the pay... then to Fibes ever so briefly.. no pay as far as I have ever found/researched, but then: Slingerland. Buddy did NOT play Slingerland because he thought they were the BEST drums at all. They PAID him MORE than anyone else was willing to at the time. They were and are excellent drums of course!, and much better built than Trixon/Vox, plus they were a large enough company to keep Buddy happy with whatever he wanted/needed equipment wise.. PLUS .. the paycheck. Buddy stayed with them from 1968 to 1977, and then returned to Ludwig. The reasons behind THAT would make this even longer... but it's interesting! I will say that Ludwig UPPED his yearly stipend to play their brand, and they wanted his visibility. They GOT somewhat of a nightmare! Buddy could be extremely... difficult.

Tommyp

Mark!

He didn't really "go back" to Slingerland per se... they were GIVEN to him. But he did go back in a way as he started with Slingerland when he was with Tommy Dorsey, so yeah... he did end up where he started! The truth is: Buddy had NO DRUM COMPANY ENDORSEMENT at the end of his career! His final 40's Slingerland Radio Kings were a gift from Joe MacSweeney of the EAMES Drum Company. The drums were all orphans that Joe restored and put together to make a full kit. He presented the drums to Buddy, and Buddy loved them. Up 'till then though, Buddy had been playing his Ludwigs, but without an endorsement deal! That's why certain pics of BR from this era show his Ludwig set, but with NO Ludwig logo on the front head. His BR shield was always present though. Buddy went on to say that that particular Radio King was "the best snare drum I ever played! " .. except .. he made that exact comment MANY TIMES over his career! Buddy certainly knew what he liked and didn't like, make no mistake, but... very rarely did he actually pitch for the company who's drums he was playing, and who were paying him to do so! Only Buddy could get away with something like that, but at the end...

... the drum companies had had it with him. NO ENDORSEMENT. Zildjian to their credit, NEVER abandoned him, and he continued to endorse Zildjian to the end of his life.

Tommyp

"WOW", what a load of k#*p. He follows a long line of drummers who will say or do almost anything for money and chase the great American dream, the history books are full of them. I just can't remember any that were this bad at it. Even he couldn't keep a straight face after saying what he did.I am sure Tama is now on damage control and wished they had spent a buck or 3 on writers, camera man, props,a game plan, costume design, lunch, producers, set design, budget and anything else they could have thrown at that. "WOW", that was bad. Next!

I love PE so I could care less what he chooses to do as far as endorsements, but...

If I had his fame and fortune(okay he's probably not super rich), I'd want something vintage

like a round badge Gretsch in bop sizes. I know, the whole idea behind endorsing an item is for the company to sell more units and they aren't making vintage kits anymore but alas...

Tommy, super interesting tid bit on BR and I believe it, you can kind of see what your saying all over youtube when watching old clips of him talking about his craft to Carson or Merv etc...

Peter Erskine is one of the finest drummers ever to come down the pike. That man has made his bones musically ten times over. Making a living as a professional musician is never 'easy.' As far as I'm concerned Mr. Erskine can do whatever he has to to feed himself. Erskine is an artist (and one hell of an artist too,) the only thing that matters is the music he makes. An endorsement is business and something musicians do to support themselves, or to save money on equipment, the tools of the trade. Musicians make music, they're not necessarily good business men. A lot of them make very bad decisions. Personally I don't care 'which drums' he may be endorsing this month as long as he keeps the music coming. We're talking about, Peter Erskine! Who gives a rats hindquarters what tubs he banging on? That cat could smoke any one of us even if all he had to play on was cardboard boxes. Tama is not a bad drum company. Cut the guy some slack. Some of the comments have been harsh.

John

Tommy yes I knew all of this, my remark was tongue and cheek from the other comment about rogers drums, Don't forget I saw Buddy at the end of his career on His Ludwigs and got to go on his bus with him for 30 minutes and talk with him at length.I talked about Johnny Carson, His martial arts but not about drums he could of given a rats rear about talking about them.

Mark!

Yes indeed! Actually, I probably should NOT have quoted your post as I knew that you knew, that I knew we both knew... about Buddy! Seriously though, my main intent was to let the other members that DIDN'T know just HOW Buddy ended up with that final 40's era Slingerland Radio King set. I do remember your telling that you met him on his bus too!.. as for me: It was 1973!... ( Slingerland's AND the infamous Fibes SFT 690/COF that night! ) ... we met one on one in his dressing room. What a story that is too! Know what though Mark? We didn't chat about his drums either!.. because .. yes, so true... he really didn't care!

Tommyp

I understand I didn't explain myself very well on that post.

Tommy, I enjoy your Buddy posts, as usual. Very informative. Thanks. :)

larryz!

THANKS Larry! I can't hide the fact that I am a LIFE LONG Buddy Rich fan!, and because of that, wow... I'm sitting on almost 50 years of research and info, as well as multiple friendships/interviews with people close to and connected with BR. Then, there's my collection of "ALL things Buddy". And so it goes... and goes... and, well you know. That's why I enjoy posting replies that get DEEPER inside a lot of the "stories" out there as I kinda know what is fact... or myth. THANKS again, and glad you enjoyed!

Tommyp