Who was responsible for more drum sales. Krupa, Rich, or Ringo?

[Piggpenn]

I guess I'm the crack in the mirror. I was influenced by my next door neighbors. Twin boys, one played bass one played drums. They were 4 years older than I and were the biggest influence of my youth. I learned more from Santana than any other band at the time. That is what they were into. I listened to the Yarbirds and about every other band besides the Beatles or the stones. Never really liked the stones TBH.

I gained an appreciation for the Beatles about 20 years ago when I picked the guitar back up and went to play in church. Then I had to study music to learn all the beautiful chords that Christian rock music had to offer. My ear got better and I finally understood how melodic and "pretty" some of the Beatles songs were.

I was never influenced by Ringo. They were my Saturday morning cartoon entertainment, as I think back on it.

 

[Piggpenn]

You trolling dude?

I guess I am too, then.

 

[bigbonzo]

You trolling dude?

How do you figure?

 

[Piggpenn]

How do you figure?

I guess because we don't fit the mold?

 

[Bandit]

How do you figure?

On this site, those fighten words.

 

[bigbonzo]

On this site, those fighten words.

In YOUR opinion those are fightin' words.

Also, learn how to spell.

 

[K.O.]

Bill Ludwig mentions some annual gross sales figures in his autobiography. They went from around $2 million a year pre-Beatles and jumped to around $10 million and over in the years right after the Beatles hit. Coincidence?

 

[Mcjnic]

It helps explain this thread.

Bill Ludwig mentions some annual gross sales figures in his autobiography. They went from around $2 million a year pre-Beatles and jumped to around $10 million and over in the years right after the Beatles hit. Coincidence?

Right. I've read the Ludwig books.
Unfortunately, we don't have the numbers from Bud.
He and his company were top dog pretty much from the 30s through the early 60s.
That's a lot of doggone years.
And Krupa was the draw ... his signature drum kits and siganture snares.
So ... how the heck do we quantify that? Seriously.
Thirty years of top sales numbers pretty much attributed to Krupa ... the top endorser and the top draw for drummers and non-drummers alike.

For those that maintain that Ringo had the film and television exposure and that Gene didn't have the "movie" thing ...
Gene appears in 19 films, 14 Television Shows, 44 Television Appearances as himself, and 12 Archive Footage features ... there are more but that is what's listed in his IMDBPRO page.
That's a heck of a lot of exposure through those years ... a few of those are current with him as a writer of the music. He hasn't left the table of discussion.

 

[1988fxlr]

It helps explain this thread.


Right. I've read the Ludwig books.
Unfortunately, we don't have the numbers from Bud.
He and his company were top dog pretty much from the 30s through the early 60s.
That's a lot of doggone years.
And Krupa was the draw ... his signature drum kits and siganture snares.
So ... how the heck do we quantify that? Seriously.
Thirty years of top sales numbers pretty much attributed to Krupa ... the top endorser and the top draw for drummers and non-drummers alike.

For those that maintain that Ringo had the film and television exposure and that Gene didn't have the "movie" thing ...
Gene appears in 19 films, 14 Television Shows, 44 Television Appearances as himself, and 12 Archive Footage features ... there are more but that is what's listed in his IMDBPRO page.
That's a heck of a lot of exposure through those years ... a few of those are current with him as a writer of the music. He hasn't left the table of discussion.

So we’re all agreeing it wasn’t Buddy?

 

[K.O.]

It helps explain this thread.


Right. I've read the Ludwig books.
Unfortunately, we don't have the numbers from Bud.
He and his company were top dog pretty much from the 30s through the early 60s.
That's a lot of doggone years.
And Krupa was the draw ... his signature drum kits and siganture snares.
So ... how the heck do we quantify that? Seriously.
Thirty years of top sales numbers pretty much attributed to Krupa ... the top endorser and the top draw for drummers and non-drummers alike.

For those that maintain that Ringo had the film and television exposure and that Gene didn't have the "movie" thing ...
Gene appears in 19 films, 14 Television Shows, 44 Television Appearances as himself, and 12 Archive Footage features ... there are more but that is what's listed in his IMDBPRO page.
That's a heck of a lot of exposure through those years ... a few of those are current with him as a writer of the music. He hasn't left the table of discussion.

I would suggest that while Gene was certainly responsible for a large slice of the sales for many years it was a large slice of a much smaller pie. Ringo/the Beatles caused that pie to expand exponentially and for Ludwig to get the dominate slice of that much much larger pie. As I said in a previous post, going from producing/selling a hundred sets a month to selling 100 sets a day. And whatever increase in sales Slingerland experienced after Feb. 1964 is going to be much more due to the Beatle boom than to Krupa or Buddy.

A person may not have embraced drumming in direct responce to seeing Ringo or maybe not even have liked Ringo or the Beatles but there is no denying that they were the catalyst for creating the environment where thousands of kids suddenly wanted to be in a band regardless of who their personal inspiration may have been.

And, let's not kid ourselves, 90% of those kids suddenly wanted to be musicians because they saw how the opposite sex reacted to the Beatles and their ilk. If we're honest that was the real bottom line for the majority of new musicians...get in a band...score with chicks.

 

[JDA]

Entertainment Lifestyle

the Glamorous life
intercourse about 9th on the list

 

[Mcjnic]

^^ABSOLUTELY agree!^^
LOTS of guys picked up the instruments as part of the mating ritual.
But guys were mating in the 30s through the 50s, too. Of course, they resembled excited accountants back then. But the moods were similar.

It's pretty easy for many (including myself, by the way) to knee jerk the response of more kits ... but without hard numbers crunched to compare, we're flying blind.
I would seriously love to see those numbers that Bud put up.

 

[Mcjnic]

musical intermission:

hahahaha
love you Joe.
Hey, did you by chance catch her MasterClass?
Good grief! That was pitiful!
It was like a beginner drummer vhs tape they would give away with a new student drum kit.
Like ... bad.
There were a few interesting stories, but the actual "teaching" portion ... just sad.
Needless to say, it wasn't a "MASTER"class.

 

[Frank Godiva]

If Ringo was the reason to play drums:

What I saw was the hair the smile and he was one of four guys playing an instrument. He (was the one that) swung his hands around.

Drums were are an aural thing and there was other drum sounds around at the time. In every single played on the radio. In television theme music. Can't (I can't) attribute "drums' to He. He was more a smiling "look" and that's not what interested or motivated. He was kinda ugly or goofy. There was drums on Elvis Presley records too in 1956.
Guess I'm pre-Ringo as far as drums go thanks. saw him more as a personality performer but not in actual notes (rhythms) as those notes (rhythms) were all around elsewhere too
None of those three (Krupa, Rich, Ringo) are what motivated me initially.
I think it was Elvis (and whomever the drummer was) on "It's Now Or Never" 4 years before and
It was aural not visual. I know for sure it was aural not visual. That hand on a hihat and the other hand playing the backbeats.
Within a musical foreground or background. The drummer (one guy) was like 4 -dimensions aurally. Bass drum right hand left hand and then accents.

now or never was 2 drummers on the session

“Elvis recorded the song in RCA’s Nashville Studio B late in the evening of April 3, 1960. The impressive list of musicians included Scotty Moore and Hank Garland on guitar; Bobby Moore on bass; D.J. Fontana and Buddy Harman on drums; and Floyd Cramer on piano. The Jordanaires provided vocal backing. It took only four takes to produce a master recording.”

It's Now or Never … When Elvis Became a Pop Singer

With "It’s Now or Never" Elvis Presley left rock ’n’ roll for pop music’s mainstream in 1960

www.elvis-history-blog.com

 

[Ludwigboy]

In my opinion, it would be Ringo.

Many have stated good reasons and I would add that in the 60's, more families perhaps could afford drum sets for their son or daughter than in previous generations so more drum kits were sold in that time period as opposed to the 1940's and 1950's....I do not have facts to support that but just think families in general were more affluent than in the earlier decades.

Interestingly enough, 60's Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl drums continue to be desirable and in high demand and thus, command high prices despite being arguably the most produced drum made by Ludwig in the 1960's .... and then continuing on as bowling ball black oyster after mid 1968 or so.....

... and are we including modern day Ludwig black oyster kits. (post 2000)? as

Kits such as:

-Ludwig Fab 4 kits,
- Ludwig Legacy oyster black kits including Legacy Classic Liverpool 4
Ludwig classic maple oyster black kits
Ludwig Classic Oak Pro Beat vintage black oyster


..... and the list goes on and on.

And last but not least, how about the rubb-off effect of Ringo playing oyster black Ludwigs on the the continuing desirability high prices of Ludwig Oyster Blue drums?

Just a couple of things to ponder .....

 

[Houndog]

I never liked the Beatles, let alone know who Ringo was. I only had their Let It Be album, and never listened to it much.
I believe that Ringo was not much of an asset to the Beatles. He was just the drummer and road on their coattails.
Why were so many drums bought because of Ringo? Because a lot of kids figured drums were easier to learn than guitar.

Dude , Ringo is a very good drummer .
You do realize he was widely regarded as the best drummer in Liverpool . The Beatles sought him out I believe……
Now why would 3 great songwriters choose a so so drummer ?????

 

[bigbonzo]

Dude , Ringo is a very good drummer .
You do realize he was widely regarded as the best drummer in Liverpool . The Beatles sought him out I believe……
Now why would 3 great songwriters choose a so so drummer ?????

Dude, you have your opinion, I have mine. And, you're certainly entitled to it.

 

[Whitten]

And Krupa was the draw ... his signature drum kits and siganture snares.
So ... how the heck do we quantify that? Seriously.
Thirty years of top sales numbers pretty much attributed to Krupa ... the top endorser and the top draw for drummers and non-drummers alike.

For those that maintain that Ringo had the film and television exposure and that Gene didn't have the "movie" thing ...
Gene appears in 19 films, 14 Television Shows, 44 Television Appearances as himself, and 12 Archive Footage features ... there are more but that is what's listed in his IMDBPRO page.
That's a heck of a lot of exposure through those years ... a few of those are current with him as a writer of the music. He hasn't left the table of discussion.

Don't really know why you are doggedly sticking to this line.
Most people in the UK didn't have a television until the early 60's.
Only 9% of American households owned a tv in 1950, but it was 80% by the 60's.
You remember the Great Depression right? 1930's. How many families had the spare cash to buy their kid a drum kit during the depression, or during WWII?
By contrast the 1960's was a more positive era, a boom time.
I imagine 90% of the Ludwig drums bought after Ed Sullivan never led to a professional music career, but ended up in the loft storage space a few months after their purchase.

 

[Skyrm]

I thought about this episode when I read this thread. It encapsulates the whole thing.

Thanks - that was a great clip. I remember having basement jams that probably sounded like that.

 

[KingLudwig]

Ringo! Rich, Krupa, etc. combined couldn't touch what Ringo did for not only Ludwig sales but drum sales in general.