First rock drummer to mount two toms on their bass drum?

[cochlea]

I was having a discussion this morning with another drummer and they were curious as to who was the first drummer from the rock era to use a kit with two mounted toms on the bass drum? He mentioned Dave Clark but was wondering if there were others from that era, or before, who opted for a 5-piece kit rather than the traditional single rack tom?

 

[Rich K.]

Ludwig and Rogers had double mounted toms in their '57 catalogs; Grestch and Slingerland by '63. So those sets were out there. It would be interesting to see what drummers used them.

 

[EvEnStEvEn]

Dino Danelli may've been among the first?

 

[swarfrat]

http://vicfirth.com/drumset-history/
VF dates this pic to 1941

And Louie Bellson in 1952 - his toms aren't mounted to the bass drum but there are lots of them and they're up high:

 

[harry]

Not sure this is considered "rock", but in the late 60s I remember seeing James Brown, both drummers had double toms.

 

[Way Out Wardell]

Eddie Hoh (Monkees, Mamas & Papas, etc) used the two-tom setup around '64 - and in this clip from Shindig! from '65 it looks like he even had the resonant head off the bass drum!

 

[Radio King]

Eddie Hoh (Monkees, Mamas & Papas, etc) used the two-tom setup around '64 - and in this clip from Shindig! from '65 it looks like he even had the resonant head off the bass drum!

Great find. You almost never see any footage of "Fast" Eddie Hoh.

 

[BennyK]

Dave Clark Five ? What about Buddy Holly's, Jerry Allison with that bizarre Trixon Speedfire kit ?

 

[K.O.]

Cubby O'Brien...perhaps not technically a "rock" drummer at the time and the toms are on a stand since it's a double bass drum set but still this is 1955. A year before Elvis released Heartbreak Hotel and the same year as Rock Around the Clock was a hit, it's not Cubby's fault that "rock" was just then being invented.

Later he played live with the Carpenters (among others, I saw him once in the early 70's at Six Flags over Mid America backing John Davidson), probably with a lot more than two mounted toms by then.

Obviously the twin tom idea had gained some traction before the Rock era and well before the late 60's when such sets became much more common. I think having a single mounted tom as the standard set-up continuing for so long can partially be attributed to Ringo's profound influence (and Rich, Krupa, Morello, Blakey, etc. in the pre-rock era) in establishing what a "rock" drummer did and what such a drummer needed to do it. The trend generally seems to drift towards having MORE drums (up to a point when it shifts back to less drums as a response and/or reset in fashion) but I think maybe Ringo's influence delayed that for a few years...right up to around the same time as Ringo got double toms...hmmmm?

 

[Iristone]

Keith Moon could be one I think.
Also a pioneer of double kick drums in rock music.
Iristone

 

[shilohjim]

Sandy Nelson had double toms on his Ludwig kit in 1961.

 

[RIDDIM]

There is video of Cozy Cole with 2 toms above from the 50's:

 

[fun2drum]

http://vicfirth.com/drumset-history/
VF dates this pic to 1941

And Louie Bellson in 1952 - his toms aren't mounted to the bass drum but there are lots of them and they're up high:

Man, Louie was a radical drum dude in his time.

 

[W&A Player]

I was playing in a rock and roll band since 1957. By 1964, I was playing drum sets with two toms up top. I don't think that I was a trend setter as much as a trend follower of an emerging trend.

 

[gezz]

Sandy Nelson had double toms on his Ludwig kit in 1961.

I was going to say "Sandy Nelson"
That's who I ever saw early fotos of double rack toms
Gerry

 

[AustinFitz]

I don't know who the first was, but I feel like I may be one of the last still playing with 2 bass drum mounted rack toms. Seems as though almost everyone is playing smaller 4 piece setups these days.

 

[swarfrat]

Perhaps mounted, but .. I just scooped a right side Gibraltar Stealth rack with the intention of seeing if I can get that 2nd rack tom back up. My 26" bass drum is undrilled though (and this gets a few more legs off the floor - my kid is older now but still not super attentive - the music room is always right on the edge of 'acceptable level of trip hazard', sometimes a bit over. I might even see if I can squeeze a 10" tom on the other side - always wanted a 3 up setup, especially once I started digging into tunes where it was used.

 

[Mackermanesq]

I believe it's Eddie Hoh in this clip from Monterey Pop

 

[Tama CW]

1964 TAMI show. A number of great acts with drum kits....and not a double rack tom to be found. I don't even think the Wrecking Crew which was the house band for that show used a DT set up. Even the Barbarian's drummer, who had a blast, didn't play them.

 

[moodman]

1964 TAMI show. A number of great acts with drum kits....and not a double rack tom to be found. I don't even think the Wrecking Crew which was the house band for that show used a DT set up. Even the Barbarian's drummer, who had a blast, didn't play them.

Moultie, the Barbarian's drummer had a hook replacing his left hand, he still tore it up. used to see him in a Boston music store in '67.