Buddy Rich
September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987
Buddy Rich was an American jazz drummer who was considered by many to be the greatest drummer, period. His power and speed were unmatched. He was the backbone behind classic recordings by a who’s who of popular music, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson. His television appearances were frequent and ranged from sitting in with Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show band to having a “drum off” with The Muppet Show’s “Animal.” Buddy Rich passed away from a heart failure while being treated for a malignant brain tumor. He was 69.
What You Should Own
Thank you for bringing this video to our attention. Buddy Rich sounds to me as the much better drummer in comparison with Shaugnessy. As Buddy Rich was a guy with a wide field of interests, he also participated in other tv shows and programs, besides the Muppet Show, here is Buddy Rich apparently playing upside down
Buddy Rich what more can you say for the greatest “Big Band”
drummer i have ever seen!!! without a doubt. his style is #1 the
way i see it. i love the Big Band sound & his orchestra had a great sound with him in the “spotlight” playing the drums the way
only he could do it. i own a few of his albums/cds & was very
impressed the first time i ever saw his perform. his contribution
will be very much missed. wayne seay
After watching Ed and Buddy over and over again and listening to Ed and Buddy over and over again you can come down to one conclusion. Both drummers are special in so many ways. What I like the most is that they are both musical and they both play their hearts out on this. Buddy always said I Take No Prisoners. He proves himself here again like he did with Krupa and Bellson and a host of many top drummers. Buddy Rich never ever wanted to take a second chair or be a second. I know Buddy always said this when he dueled with KRUPA. I never ever wanted it to be a Drum Battle. Gene and I were up there to have fun we were not there to battle it out. Same goes here with Ed. the magnificent Ed. Its not a drum battle perse its two great musicians Ed and Buddy showing their talents. I know if you see Buddy do those Cross Overs rapid fire you think the drum solos are all over with. And in the same token Ed plays some great great drumming here. The winner here is Buddy Rich. once again. Max Roach and Buddy did this thing many many moons ago. Rich out played Roach technically and speedily but Max could and would be more musical. Take your pick? I will still go with Buddy Rich
The first time I meet Buddy Rich was when my dad, Dick Kastel was playing with the Harry James Band. My father had moved us from Mesquite, TX to Las Vegas, where he would be joining the group. They were going to Disneyland to play on one of the stages and my dad brought my sister, Linda and me along with him. My mom couldn’t go because my youngest sister, Crystal, was less than a year old.
We stayed at the Rip Van Winkle Motel across from Disneyland. All the band members went swimming in the pool along with my sister and me. Buddy was funny, always joking with all the guys, picking us up out of the water and throwing us back in the pool. We would hold our noses to keep the water out. We had so much fun that day. Then at night we went to Disneyland with Dad. We got to go on some of the rides, but mostly we watched the band set up and practice before the performance that night. Lots of people sat or stood around to watch the band. The stars were shining in the sky and the music went everywhere in the open air.
I’ll never forget that trip to Disneyland with the Harry James Band and Buddy Rich.