Buddy Rich

Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30 1917–April 2 1987) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his technique, speed, and ability to improvise.

Related Topics:
September 30 - 1917 - April 2 - 1987 - American - Jazz - Drummer - Bandleader

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He was born in Brooklyn, New York on either June 30 or September 30, 1917 (various biographies differ as to the date). It was his father who initially realized Buddy's talent for rhythm, when Buddy could keep a steady beat with a drumstick at the age of one! He began playing drums in vaudeville when he was 18 months old, billed as Traps the Drum Wonder. At eleven he was performing as a bandleader. He received no professional drum instruction.

Related Topics:
Brooklyn - New York - June 30 - September 30 - 1917 - Vaudeville

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In 1937 he entered jazz with Joe Marsala's group, then played with Bunny Berigan (1938), Artie Shaw (1939), Tommy Dorsey (1939–1942, 1945, 1954–1955), Benny Carter (1942), Harry James (1953–1956), Les Brown, Charlie Ventura, and Jazz at the Philharmonic, as well as leading his own band and performing with all-star groups. For most of the period from 1966 until his death, he led a successful big band in an era when the popularity of big bands had waned from its peak in the 1930s and 40s.

Related Topics:
Joe Marsala - Bunny Berigan - Artie Shaw - Tommy Dorsey - Benny Carter - Harry James - Les Brown - Charlie Ventura - Jazz at the Philharmonic - Big band - 1930s - 40s

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Always a perfectionist, Buddy was known to have a bad temper. Between gigs, he was notorious for screaming at band members on the tour bus, to the point where band members began surreptitiously tape-recording his outbursts. On one occasion, he got so angry at trombonist David Panichi that he fired him right on the bus — going so far as to order the bus to pull over to drop him off on the highway. However, Buddy's outrageous temper was overlooked by most because of his undeniable skill as a musician and his reputation for being very accommodating towards his fans.

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Buddy Rich died April 2, 1987. Reportedly, his last words (replying to a nurse, who asked if anything was bothering him) were: "Yes ... country music!" He is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Related Topics:
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery - Los Angeles, California

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