Drum History

Robert Cataliotti is a music historian, critic, and educator and co-curator of the Drumsville! Evolution of the New Orleans Beat exhibit at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Bob also wrote the companion book to the exhibit that is a great historical look at the birthplace of Jazz. Bob does a great job in this episode describing the history and importance of the African culture that was at the core of t...

Keith Moon is one of the most explosive drummers in the history of Rock and Roll. This episode is an in-depth look at the short life of this incredible musician who packed more of the good, bad, and ugly bits of life into 32 years than anyone else. Tony Fletcher is the author of the definitive Moon biography and takes us from Keith's post-war upbringing in bombed out England, through his rise as a...

Mario DeCiutiis is not only the co-creator of KAT Percussion who made the iconic MalletKAT, but he also played vibes at Radio City Music Hall for almost 40 years! We learn all about the process of developing an innovative E-Percussion instrument WAY early in the advent of electronic instruments and how that morphed over time to become a staple in the industry. Mario is full of stories and experien...

Jim Uding describes Dixon as "the best kept secret in drums" and I completely agree after hearing the history of this unique company! Dixon is the house-brand of a very well established manufacturer in Taiwan that has created drums or hardware for most all of the major players in the drum industry since the late 1970's. We discuss the launch of the relatively new Dixon brand, the partnership with...

Mike and I start by discussing the DW/Roland acquisition that has been on everyones mind since it was recently announced. He uses his industry experience and knowledge to shine some light on what might be happening with this shocking announcement that took the drum world by storm. We then go through some historical examples of what happened to the big four drum brands (Gretsch, Ludwig, Slingerland...

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...

Hal Blaine is one of the most recorded drummers in history and is an icon from the golden age of session musicians. We learn about Hals parents heroic journey to America, Hal's early years and time in the Army, and his meteoric rise as a first call studio drummer. Mike Megaffin's business card says "Hal Blaine Disciple" and he definitely lives up to that title with this very in-depth episode. Mike...

Franks Drum Shop was one of the four original drum stores in America and was a Midwest hot spot for drummers like Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson and many more as they passed through town. From 1938 to the mid 1980's, It had a world class repair shop, amazing sales floor, and a lesson program that had teachers that were absolute legends like Roy C. Knapp. Rob Cook wrote his first book in 199...

Join Patreon to hear 65+ bonus episodes for only $2 a month and great perks up to $15 a month. This was a really cool bonus with Chris that I wanted to share so everyone could hear what the bonus episodes are like. You can also watch the video on YouTube to see the "No Rhythm Man" which he talks about in this episode. **JOIN PATREON: www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast watch it here: https://www.yo...

Chris has come up with a great list of tips and tricks for gigging drummers of all levels. He shares how his Honda Fit has been converted into a mobile drum repair shop and everything that he keeps on hand to make sure he never misses a beat. Not only is Chris a long time gigging drummer around the Boston area, he is a successful animator going back to shows like "Dr. Katz", and "Home Movies". Now...

The Northup Drums Museum is one of the only "Playing Museums" in the world where you can play some of the most rare drums known to man. You can walk in the door and play a Slingerland Black Beauty, a Ludwig Top Hat and Cain kit and 30 other rare drum kits, plus cymbals, traps, and great memorabilia! Tim is an antique dealer by trade and has taken his families historical dairy barn and turned into...

Will takes us on a fascinating deep dive into what Ethnomusicology is and how it applies to drums and percussion around the world. We learn the process of how to study different cultures and learn about the music, the instruments, and how to appreciate and apply the styles. Will is a cool guy who has a great way of explaining an interesting educational topic. Enjoy this episode! Check out Will's g...

Joe Barthelette has created a very unique drum shop in Massachusetts that offers some extremely rare drum sets that are presented with his unique style. He is a young guy but has accumulated a vast knowledge of instrument through years of hunting down vintage drums and presenting at the drum shows. Every drum shop is different and it is fun to speak with the owners to see what makes their shop dif...

OCDP is one of the most iconic brand of the late 90's/Early 2000's with endorsees like Travis Barker, Chad Sexton, Adrien Young, and Taylor Hawkins. My guests are Michael Kelley who was a part of OCDP from the very beginning through the mid 2000's and Jarrod Fallon who is an OCDP enthusiast, collector, and restorer. These two guys together cover the somewhat mysterious background of this iconic br...

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...

Drum Archive is the online home of more drum catalogs in one place than you will find anywhere else in the world! Andy has created a resource that I personally use multiple times a week and has become essential for vintage drum enthusiasts to learn and research about the instrument that we love. He shares the story of how and why he created this site and why he has such a passion for archiving dru...

Chick Webb fell down the stairs as a child and smashed multiple vertebrae which left him with a serious physical handicap, but he still managed to become one of the best drummers in the world in his short 30 year life. Chick Webb is one of the god fathers of modern drumming and was revered by Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and every top drummer of the 1920's and 30's. Chet is the author of a great Chick...

A group of armed bandits robbed the Payroll at the Gretsch Manufacturing Co. in 1927! This article has never been seen by the modern Gretsch family or Gretsch employees and is a glimpse into an exciting and scary situation that happened in Brooklyn at the factory! Here is the episode with Lucas von Gretsch: https://www.drumhistorypodcast.com/post/ep-159-gretsch-the-eternal-brand-with-lucas-von-gre...

Lucas takes us back to the Victorian Era when Gretsch was founded in 1883 and gives a family members inside scoop on this iconic drum brand. Lucas covers the origins of the company up to the 1950's in this episode which includes the birth of the drum set, the explosion of jazz, the great depression, and surviving through World War 2. We hear about all of the Gretsch family members and the importan...

English Newspaper articles about Premier selling drums behind the Iron Curtain to Soviet Russia and West Germany. This was a big part of Premiers business at the time and this made the evening news around the UK! Be sure to check out the other full length interview episodes of the podcast. Here is a link to this episode on YouTube so you can see the original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

This is a classic episode that I am excited to re-release! Charlie Watts purchased Gene Krupas long lost drum collection - what is better than that?! I also announce the start of a new series that I am launching simultaneously with the release of episode. Listen to learn more! Original Description: A large collection of Gene Krupa's gear has been in a storage unit since 1973 and has recently been...

1938 Drum Newspaper Ad for Gene Krupas "Drum Method" book from the Daily News in New York City. Gene Krupa is one of the god fathers of modern drumming and is responsible for many drummers picking up the sticks in the mid 20th Century. His drum book came out in the same year and can still be purchased today, here is a link to it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gene-Krupa-Drum-Method/dp/076040085...

In addition to Pork Pie, Bill has been the man behind the scenes doing work for DW, Tama, Mapex, new Rogers, OCDP, Gruv-X and a number of other brands for over 3 decades. Bill has also been building drums, doing edges, and painting drums for massive artists like Tre Cool, Chad Smith, Mike Bordin, and countless others all out of his small California shop where he has had a huge influence on the dru...

WFL Drums was born in 1937 when William F. Ludwig sold the company and rights to use his name to CG Conn and he became a competitor with Ludwig and Ludwig Drums. Kurt is an expert on this roughly 18-year period where William F. Ludwig and The Chief (William II) operated out of the Damen Ave factory as WFL Drum Co. and created beautiful drum sets and hardware that are still revered today. We discus...

This episode is all about the musicians who inspired the famous British Invasion drummers of the 1960's well before the music reached American soil. Daniel takes us through the 1950's in England to learn about the circumstances that created the famous Rock and Roll sounds that swept across the world, and we learn the geographic factors such as growing up in the completely bombed out post-WW2 Engla...