Buddy Rich endorsements

[drumtek]

I was watching a Buddy Rich solo the other night and as always I struggled with whether to pic up some sticks and play or to just toss the drums out front with a free sign.
Well my love of drums prevailed and I started thinking if anyone has created a timeline of Buddy's endorsements. Any thoughts?

 

[dcrigger]

I was watching a Buddy Rich solo the other night and as always I struggled with whether to pic up some sticks and play or to just toss the drums out front with a free sign.
Well my love of drums prevailed and I started thinking if anyone has created a timeline of Buddy's endorsements. Any thoughts?

Well, glad you're still playing.

As for Buddy's endorsements - all I know is there were a bunch of them, and they really didn't mean much of anything other than them being a source of income for Buddy. Basically all about money - to that I begrudged him getting any of it (jazz music has never been a smart path to great wealth, so you take what you can get), but that also meant that they really said very little about the drums themselves. So far more of a paid product placement, than a true "I'm Buddy Rich and I think the drums are the best" sort of thing.

But in general, I'm very much of the mindset overall that "It's not the bow, it's the Indian".

David

 

[old_K_ride]

But in general, I'm very much of the mindset overall that "It's not the bow, it's the Indian".

David

you mean "it's not the bow,it's the Native American"...
TR

 

[bharrington]

The timeline as far as brands in order would go:

Ludwig & Ludwig ("Traps the drum wonder")
Slingerland (Radio Kings - 1938-46, Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey)
WFL (Superclassics - 1946-59, Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rich Big Band, Jazz At The Philharmonic, small groups)
Rogers (Celebrities - 1960-66, Harry James, Buddy Rich Big Band, small groups, etc.)
Trixon/Vox (very short period of 1967, Buddy Rich Big Band)
Fibes (second period of '67, Buddy Rich Big Band)
Slingerland (80n - 1967-76, Buddy Rich Big Band, small groups at Buddy's Place)
Ludwig (6ply Superclassics - 1976-80, Buddy Rich Big Band, Frank Sinatra gigs, Orchestra gigs) - Buddy lost his endorsement in 1980 but played the Ludwigs until 82-83'ish I believe.
Slingerland (Refurbished RK's, no endorsement, final Buddy Rich Big Band)


Obviously I'm missing a bunch of specific groups Buddy played with in each period, but I just included some of the bigger ones to give a general idea. Somebody correct me if they see something wrong, but I think this is about right.

Edit: The great TommyP over at vintagedrumforum supplying me with some specific years in there. He is THE man to talk BR with.

 

[Fungus Amungus]

Glad you didn't toss you're gear, if you ever do, I'll send you my address & I'll pay shipping! LOL!

Buddy was a true wh0re when it came to sponsors, but he was also a very generous guy, which really pi$$ed off a lot of the folks that gave him equipment. Buddy was a really strange character in the fact that he'd change the company he endorsed for a couple bucks & then give away the equipment they supplied him with like he was handing out business cards. Really wish I'd been in the right place at the right time & gotten a kit! LOL!

Currently building a kit I'm calling the "little Buddy", it's a 20x14, 10x8, 14x14, 14x14 & 13x5. Just a run of the mill Keller thin shell kit for practice. The next BR kit will be built from all VaughnCraft 1-Ply Maple Shells & will be traditional sizes...24x14, 13x9, 16x16, 16x16 & 14x5. All old school hardware & it's gonna be for me!

 

[bharrington]

Glad you didn't toss you're gear, if you ever do, I'll send you my address & I'll pay shipping! LOL!

Buddy was a true ***** when it came to sponsors, but he was also a very generous guy, which really pi$$ed off a lot of the folks that gave him equipment. Buddy was a really strange character in the fact that he'd change the company he endorsed for a couple bucks & then give away the equipment they supplied him with like he was handing out business cards. Really wish I'd been in the right place at the right time & gotten a kit! LOL!

Currently building a kit I'm calling the "little Buddy", it's a 20x14, 10x8, 14x14, 14x14 & 13x5. Just a run of the mill Keller thin shell kit for practice. The next BR kit will be built from all VaughnCraft 1-Ply Maple Shells & will be traditional sizes...24x14, 13x9, 16x16, 16x16 & 14x5. All old school hardware & it's gonna be for me!

That VC solid maple kit sounds awesome! RK-repro lugs I hope. Even Slingerland-type lugs with WMP would be killer.

 

[Fungus Amungus]

Glad you didn't toss you're gear, if you ever do, I'll send you my address & I'll pay shipping! LOL!

Buddy was a true ***** when it came to sponsors, but he was also a very generous guy, which really pi$$ed off a lot of the folks that gave him equipment. Buddy was a really strange character in the fact that he'd change the company he endorsed for a couple bucks & then give away the equipment they supplied him with like he was handing out business cards. Really wish I'd been in the right place at the right time & gotten a kit! LOL!

Currently building a kit I'm calling the "little Buddy", it's a 20x14, 10x8, 14x14, 14x14 & 13x5. Just a run of the mill Keller thin shell kit for practice. The next BR kit will be built from all VaughnCraft 1-Ply Maple Shells & will be traditional sizes...24x14, 13x9, 16x16, 16x16 & 14x5. All old school hardware & it's gonna be for me!

That VC solid maple kit sounds awesome! RK-repro lugs I hope. Even Slingerland-type lugs with WMP would be killer.

YEP, it's gonna be RK Repo's, the quality is so much better than the old pot metal stuff. I'm a dust sniffer, but those old lug casings are so brittle & the new stuff (the good one's) are mede with the old molds. Hoping that by the time I'm ready to build this out, they're making the COB Stick Choppers in all sizes. Last time I checked they only had the 14" for snares.

 

[bharrington]

Glad you didn't toss you're gear, if you ever do, I'll send you my address & I'll pay shipping! LOL!

Buddy was a true ***** when it came to sponsors, but he was also a very generous guy, which really pi$$ed off a lot of the folks that gave him equipment. Buddy was a really strange character in the fact that he'd change the company he endorsed for a couple bucks & then give away the equipment they supplied him with like he was handing out business cards. Really wish I'd been in the right place at the right time & gotten a kit! LOL!

Currently building a kit I'm calling the "little Buddy", it's a 20x14, 10x8, 14x14, 14x14 & 13x5. Just a run of the mill Keller thin shell kit for practice. The next BR kit will be built from all VaughnCraft 1-Ply Maple Shells & will be traditional sizes...24x14, 13x9, 16x16, 16x16 & 14x5. All old school hardware & it's gonna be for me!

That VC solid maple kit sounds awesome! RK-repro lugs I hope. Even Slingerland-type lugs with WMP would be killer.

YEP, it's gonna be RK Repo's, the quality is so much better than the old pot metal stuff. I'm a dust sniffer, but those old lug casings are so brittle & the new stuff (the good one's) are mede with the old molds. Hoping that by the time I'm ready to build this out, they're making the COB Stick Choppers in all sizes. Last time I checked they only had the 14" for snares.

Gretsch luckily just started releasing their stick chopper/double flanged hoops separately fromt he Brooklyn series through dealers (see Steve Maxwell). I haven't ordered a pair myself but they seem to be a great product. Slightly thicker rim on top, which could help cancel the "stick chopper" nickname most of the older rims have given the style. But - if you want to go really Buddy and old school RK, single flange with clips would be where it's at! Leaving the stick choppers for the snare drum, of course.

 

[K.O.]

The timeline as far as brands in order would go:

Ludwig & Ludwig ("Traps the drum wonder")
Slingerland (Radio Kings - 1938-46, Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey)
WFL (Superclassics - 1946-59, Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rich Big Band, Jazz At The Philharmonic, small groups)
Rogers (Celebrities - 1960-66, Harry James, Buddy Rich Big Band, small groups, etc.)
Trixon/Vox (very short period of 1967, Buddy Rich Big Band)
Fibes (second period of '67, Buddy Rich Big Band)
Slingerland (80n - 1967-76, Buddy Rich Big Band, small groups at Buddy's Place)
Ludwig (6ply Superclassics - 1976-80, Buddy Rich Big Band, Frank Sinatra gigs, Orchestra gigs) - Buddy lost his endorsement in 1980 but played the Ludwigs until 82-83'ish I believe.
Slingerland (Refurbished RK's, no endorsement, final Buddy Rich Big Band)


Obviously I'm missing a bunch of specific groups Buddy played with in each period, but I just included some of the bigger ones to give a general idea. Somebody correct me if they see something wrong, but I think this is about right.

Edit: The great TommyP over at vintagedrumforum supplying me with some specific years in there. He is THE man to talk BR with.

Don't forget Avedis Zildjian which Buddy endorsed from the 40's/50's up until the end of his life. There were one or two odd ads for K.Zildjian with Buddy in them but outside of those he seemed to stay true to the American Zildjians for his whole jazz career. Either nothing else worked for him, or maybe he was particularly friendly with the Zildjians on a personal level, or perhaps they simply were willing to give him whatever he required (or maybe a combination of all three).

 

[Fungus Amungus]

Glad you didn't toss you're gear, if you ever do, I'll send you my address & I'll pay shipping! LOL!

Buddy was a true ***** when it came to sponsors, but he was also a very generous guy, which really pi$$ed off a lot of the folks that gave him equipment. Buddy was a really strange character in the fact that he'd change the company he endorsed for a couple bucks & then give away the equipment they supplied him with like he was handing out business cards. Really wish I'd been in the right place at the right time & gotten a kit! LOL!

Currently building a kit I'm calling the "little Buddy", it's a 20x14, 10x8, 14x14, 14x14 & 13x5. Just a run of the mill Keller thin shell kit for practice. The next BR kit will be built from all VaughnCraft 1-Ply Maple Shells & will be traditional sizes...24x14, 13x9, 16x16, 16x16 & 14x5. All old school hardware & it's gonna be for me!

That VC solid maple kit sounds awesome! RK-repro lugs I hope. Even Slingerland-type lugs with WMP would be killer.

YEP, it's gonna be RK Repo's, the quality is so much better than the old pot metal stuff. I'm a dust sniffer, but those old lug casings are so brittle & the new stuff (the good one's) are mede with the old molds. Hoping that by the time I'm ready to build this out, they're making the COB Stick Choppers in all sizes. Last time I checked they only had the 14" for snares.

Gretsch luckily just started releasing their stick chopper/double flanged hoops separately fromt he Brooklyn series through dealers (see Steve Maxwell). I haven't ordered a pair myself but they seem to be a great product. Slightly thicker rim on top, which could help cancel the "stick chopper" nickname most of the older rims have given the style. But - if you want to go really Buddy and old school RK, single flange with clips would be where it's at! Leaving the stick choppers for the snare drum, of course.

There's a couple of Taiwan Mfg's that are making retro hoops now...even single single flange. Not sure what I'm gonna do, but wanna do it right. Got about $3K invested in a 9 piece Walnut Stave kit that I'm gonna sell as two kits. That will more than finance this & a few other projects. The BR kit has been a dream for many years, pretty much since I started building & really look forward to sitting behind her!

 

[bharrington]

Good call, K.O.

Has anyone heard the Zildjian guys talking about one of their experiences they had with Buddy? I guess Buddy was at the factory picking out ride cymbals, leaving each cymbal with "it's not high enough." One of the workers bent down and raised the cymbal stand, with Buddy quickly replying, "who is he? a wiseguy?"

 

[wflkurt]

Would'nt surprise me if Lenny Dimuzio was that wise guy! It seemed like Buddy must have had a good relationship with Zildjian. That's an awfully long stay considering how many different drum companies he went through. Buddy could make a trash can cover sound good though...

 

[dwludzild]

Would'nt surprise me if Lenny Dimuzio was that wise guy! It seemed like Buddy must have had a good relationship with Zildjian. That's an awfully long stay considering how many different drum companies he went through. Buddy could make a trash can cover sound good though...

You got it! It was Lenny that raised the cymbal stand when Buddy said "it's not high enough". He was picking up a ride cymbal that day.

 

[hawker]

I believe Buddy also endorsed Remo heads in the 70's but I'm not sure how long that lasted officially. Also, didn't Buddy also endorse those Zil-Bel cymbal snaps he always used? Or maybe he just used them but there was no official endorsement?

 

[drumtek]

Thanks everyone for the data and stories.

 

[wflkurt]

Would'nt surprise me if Lenny Dimuzio was that wise guy! It seemed like Buddy must have had a good relationship with Zildjian. That's an awfully long stay considering how many different drum companies he went through. Buddy could make a trash can cover sound good though...

You got it! It was Lenny that raised the cymbal stand when Buddy said "it's not high enough". He was picking up a ride cymbal that day.

I figured it might have been him. I met him once at a Zildjian factory tour around 1996 and he seemed to have a funny sense of humor. He struck me as a guy that could handle his own with anyone which is probably why Buddy got along with him.

 

[retrosonic]

Fungus: Your BR set sounds like a great project. Retro RK lugs sounds like the way to go as well.

Ever think of using blue marine pearl wrap? While I love the classic WMP, the Blue really looks nice. Check out the SLingy 1973 catalog and Buddys Blue Marine Pearl set...really nice.

Good luck with your project!

Retro

 

[jfleck1956]

The timeline as far as brands in order would go:

Ludwig & Ludwig ("Traps the drum wonder")
Slingerland (Radio Kings - 1938-46, Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey)
WFL (Superclassics - 1946-59, Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rich Big Band, Jazz At The Philharmonic, small groups)
Rogers (Celebrities - 1960-66, Harry James, Buddy Rich Big Band, small groups, etc.)
Trixon/Vox (very short period of 1967, Buddy Rich Big Band)
Fibes (second period of '67, Buddy Rich Big Band)
Slingerland (80n - 1967-76, Buddy Rich Big Band, small groups at Buddy's Place)
Ludwig (6ply Superclassics - 1976-80, Buddy Rich Big Band, Frank Sinatra gigs, Orchestra gigs) - Buddy lost his endorsement in 1980 but played the Ludwigs until 82-83'ish I believe.
Slingerland (Refurbished RK's, no endorsement, final Buddy Rich Big Band)


Obviously I'm missing a bunch of specific groups Buddy played with in each period, but I just included some of the bigger ones to give a general idea. Somebody correct me if they see something wrong, but I think this is about right.

Edit: The great TommyP over at vintagedrumforum supplying me with some specific years in there. He is THE man to talk BR with.

Great timeline. I think those RK repros were made by Bill Eames using Eames shells and RK hardware

 

[Tilter]

(Clears throat and holds breath)...

 

[Frank Godiva]

Buddy did not drink. I think this was Miller Lite commercial #1

“A Most Congenial Group”: Miller Lite TV Ads, 1974 – 1991

The development of “light” beer came with a commensurate marketing challenge: how to persuade the traditionally masculine beer-drinking audience to try a lower-calorie version of their …

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