Biography of Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich is by far one of the best drummers to walk this earth. Buddy rich was a drummer ever since his early years of his life, and lived a life full of drumming. With such skill with his sticks, there’s no question to why he was so popular in the drumming community. In fact, even a lot of non drummers know his name. His outgoing personality, his skill, and his dedication to the art of drumming has made Buddy one of the top of his league. Specializing in jazz drumming, Buddy Rich played with speed and control which amazed everyone - very amazing for a drummer who never really practiced between performances.
 The Start of Buddy Rich’s Career
Bernard (Buddy) Rich was born in September 30, 1917. He was introduced to the drum sticks at the amazingly early age of 18 months; by 1921, he was already a seasoned drum soloist for his Vaudeville act. Buddy Rich has such a natural sense of rhythm; he was performing on Broadway at the early stages of his life. In fact, he was the second highest paid child performer of his time. By 1937, Buddy Rich landed his first Jazz gig, playing for Joe Marsala at the New York’s Hickory house. This was just the start of an amazing Jazz career, eventually playing for such famous Jazz musicians as: Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Ventura, Louis Armstrong and Gene Krupa. Check out these Buddy Rich videos if you want to see him in action.
More than just a Drummer
Buddy Rich was more than a drummer, he also made guest appearances on a number of movies like “Symphony of Swing”, “Ship Ahoy”, and “How’s About It”. Buddy also opened a few night clubs called Buddy’s Place, and Buddy’s Place II. These night clubs were packed every night with loyal Rich fans. Buddy was known for his quick wit and humor. This led him to many talk shows such as the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, the Mike Douglas Show, the Dick Cavett Show and the Merv Griffin Show. Buddy also appeared on an episode of I Love Lucy. Buddy went beyond drumming by showing his fans his true colors, humor, and loving personality.
The Career of Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich toured around the world many times, playing for literally millions of fans. He played for top political figures as well as famous actors and musicians. Some top political people Buddy played for are: The King of Thailand, King Hussein of Jordan the Queen of England, and U.S. presidents Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Buddy was Close friends with Frank Sinatra, who he played for in many of his shows. Buddy Rich played a variety of drum sets growing up; however he found himself playing a signature Ludwig set for most of his career. These were the American standard of the time; Buddy had his own initials on the front the bass drum. Something many drummers copy to this day.
The amount of people Buddy played for and inspired cannot be listed in any single article – he truly was an amazing musician and man. In 1987, on April 2, Buddy Rich passed due to a heart failure. This happened when he was going into surgery for a brain tumor. To this day, Buddy is still hailed as one of the best drummers ever to live.
Check out the drum videos website for videos of Buddy Rich.
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