Big Band Drummers

Neil Peart playing with the original Buddy Rich Big Band on the Burning for Buddy DVD of the same name.

Edwin Thomas “Ed” Shaughnessy was born January 29, 1929 in Jersey City, New Jersey and grew up in the New York City area. Ed is a big band and jazz drummer best known for his long association with Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.A self-taught drummer, Ed Shaughnessy came to prominence, mainly in the New York area in the late 40s working with George Shearing, Jack Teagarden, Georgie Auld and especially Charlie Ventura. In the 50s he became more widely known owing to engagements with bands led by Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey working also with Johnny Richards. In the 60s he was with Count Basie and also worked extensively in New York studios, securing a long-term engagement with The Tonight Show band.

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Without a doubt Bernard “Buddy” Rich was and still is arguably the greatest jazz drummer of our time, Buddy Rich exhibited his love for music and entertainment through the dedication of his life to the art. With a career that would span seven decades, beginning when Rich was just 18 months old and continuing until the time of his death in 1987. A gifted genius, Buddy Rich could play with incredible speed and dexterity despite the fact that he never received a formal drum lesson and refused to practice outside of his own performances.

Birth of a Legend - Buddy Rich Biography.

Born Bernard Rich to vaudevillians Robert and Bess Rich on September 30, 1917 Buddy was introduced to audiences at a very young age. By 1921, he was a seasoned solo performer with his vaudeville act, “Traps the Drum Wonder.” With a natural sense of rhythm, Rich was performing regularly on Broadway at the age of four. At the peak of Rich’s early career, he was the second-highest paid child entertainer in the world.

In 1937, Rich’s jazz career began when he started playing with Joe Marsala at New York’s Hickory House. By 1939, he had joined Tommy Dorsey’s band, and he later went on to play with such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Ventura, Louis Armstrong and Gene Krupa. Rich was regularly featured in Jazz at the Philharmonic during the late 1940s. He also appeared in such Hollywood films as Symphony of Swing (1939), Ship Ahoy (1942) and How’s About It (1943).

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Rich toured with his own bands and opened two nightclubs, Buddy’s Place and Buddy’s Place II. Both clubs were regularly filled to capacity by fans of the great master drummer. After opening Buddy’s Place II, Rich introduced new tunes with elements of rock into his repertoire, demonstrating his ability to adapt to his audience’s changing tastes and establishing himself as a great rock drummer as well as a jazz master.

Rich was a favourite on several television talk shows including the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Jerry Lewis, the Mike Douglas Show, the Dick Cavett Show and the Merv Griffin Show. During these appearances, audiences were entertained by Rich’s constant sparring with the hosts and his slights of various pop singers.

This famed musician received outstanding recognition throughout his career. The Downbeat Magazine Hall of Fame Award, the Modern Drummer Magazine Hall of Fame Award and the Jazz Unlimited Immortals of Jazz Award are just a few of his numerous honours. Rich gained international attention for such master compositions as his 10-minute West Side Story medley. During his lengthy career, Rich toured around the globe, performing for millions of fans and several world leaders including the King of Thailand, King Hussein of Jordan the Queen of England, and U.S. presidents Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

The passing of Buddy Rich.

On April 2, 1987, Rich died of heart failure following surgery for a malignant brain tumour. Long-time friend, Frank Sinatra, spoke a touching eulogy at Rich’s funeral. Today, Buddy Rich is remembered as one of history’s greatest musicians. According to jazz legend Gene Krupa, Rich was “The greatest drummer ever to have drawn breath.”

Buddy Rich Legacy.

Since Rich’s death, a number of memorial concerts have been held. In 1994, the Rich tribute album Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich was released. Produced by Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart, the album features performances of Rich live staples by a number of famous rock and jazz drummers, such as Kenny Aronoff, Dave Weckl, and Steve Gadd, with all being accompanied by the Buddy Rich Big Band. A second volume was issued in 1997.