Drum History

Angela Sells takes us through the history of female percussionists dating from thousands of years ago up to modern times. She has a PhD, is a writer for Tom Tom Magazine, a professor of Womens Studies and also plays in a Seatle based rock band! Female drummers have had to work very hard throughout time to be able to do what they love. Give this a listen and then go check out some of the great female drummers we talk about! check out Angelas writing in Tom Tom Magazine online at: www.tomtommag.com find Angela on social media at: msangelamegan Angelas website is: www.drummergirldays.com Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos and posts that correspond with the episodes! @drumhistory_podcast Please give me a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone and hearing how you like the show, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!

Bill Ludwig runs us through the fascinating history of Ludwig Drums! Grandson of the Ludwig founder, William F. Ludwig, his family has had a long and winding history with the Ludwig drum company - founding it in 1909 with a subsequent sale of the company in the early 80's. They have gone through many ups and downs in that time, from losing the rights to the family name, to Ringo changing the world on The Ed Sullivan Show. Ludwig has always been an integral part of drumming since the drum set has existed. Bill, aka B3, is "starting over" with his new drum company, WFLIII Drums! They are a beautiful homage to a classic style of drums with all the modern touches we have today. Check them out online at: http://www.wfliiidrums.com/ Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos and posts that correspond with the episodes! @drumhistory_podcast Please give me a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone and hearing how you like the show, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!

We explore the entire life of the legendary Gene Krupa! I speak with Brooks Tegler about Genes beginnings in the early 1920's through his false conviction in 1943, all the way up to his death in 1973. In addition to being being such a revolutionary musician, Gene was a true gentleman and had a very rich and interesting life. Gene is responsible for many innovations in drumming that took the drum set from the "trap drums" of the early 1900's to what we now consider the modern drum set. Brooks Tegler is an expert on the subject of Krupa and his equipment and I'm honored that he took the time to share his knowledge with me! As quoted from Brooks, Some of these innovations include: * Deserves huge credit for making drummers (as he put it) "high priced guys." Brought drums to the forefront and more highly respected. *First (and Only) musician to be featured on the cover of instrument catalogs for 30 years straight *Fully tunable tom toms (top AND bottom) and other equipment innovations like cymbal stands and tom mount systems. *First to use two tom tom sizes that were not even cataloged (14 X 14 and 20 x 20). *Thinner cymbals but also larger (diameter) ones as well. *Set the 'standard' for drum set, set-up and drum sizes/depths (for close to 40 years and, in a way, even to this day!) *What has become the "standard" of front bass drum head art (shield/vertical stripes). Credit must also go to Bill Mather. *First to insist on a black musician being a regular member of the band, not just 'featured'. * Created what Gershwin called his "Freeze-Beat". (and a gazillion other drumming/musical innovations...) *Use of snare rim shots and a deep sense of dynamics. You can check out Brooks website here: https://gkthehistoryofgenekrupaandhisequipment.wordpress.com As mentioned in this episode, here is Bobby Scotts piece that reflects on Gene, titled "The World Is Not Enough" https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2018/01/gene-krupa-world-is-not-enough-by-bobby.html?fbclid=IwAR3Z-RaDuBvdi6NJtqkxJCcsvokmSoiJJiRUS3aFIEktEup2jSQXGJXPOkU I hope you enjoy this episode, find me on social media @drumhistory_podcast to see daily videos and pictures featuring the best drummers in the world. Give me a review and rating if you like what you hear! -Bart

Rob Cook, founder of the Chicago Drum Show and Author of "The Leedy Way", gives us the complete history of the Leedy Drum Company. The amazing story begins with U.G. Leedy producing snare stands in his apartment in Indianapolis and evolves into becoming the largest manufacturer of drums in the world. Rob also teaches us about George Ways involvement in the rise and fall of Leedy. Rob is the author of many great books (The Slingerland Book, The Ludwig Book, The Rogers Book..etc) and will soon be releasing "The Leedy Way" via Hal Leanord Publishing. I highly recommend reading anything that he writes, they are the most complete histories of all the major drum companies. You can purchase all of his books through his website, www.rebeats.com Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos and posts that correspond with the episodes! @drumhistory_podcast Please give me a rating and a review if you like the show. I love getting feedback from everyone and hearing how you like the show, get in touch and let me know what you want to learn about next!

Do you know what the Speed King Squeak is? Think John Bonham... In 1937, the Speed King changed the world of drumming by being the most innovative pedal of the time. 81 years later, Vincent of Polyphonic Drums is keeping the legacy alive by restoring Speed King's and making them play like new. He shares the whole story of the pedal with us in this episode - from the journey through world war 2 through the 60's and 70's with Bonham and Ringo to its decline in the 2000's, and finally the current revitalization. Check out what Vincent is up to with Polyphonic Drums at his website, or find him on Social Media www.polyphonicdrums.com I hope you enjoy this episode, if you like the show please rate the show and give me a review! Find me on facebook and Instagram and get in touch! @drumhistory_podcast

Jim has a deep family history that revolves around Slingerland drums dating back to when Slingerland was a guitar company. His great uncles and father were long time employees of the company running the woodshop, and Jim worked there in his high school years during the night shifts. Did you know "The Ludwig Boys" used to go through the dumpsters at Slingerland to try and figure out what they were working on? Jim shares a number of great stories that only someone on the inside of the company would know! Nowadays, Jim is the founder of Chicago Drum - a company that prides itself on building drums in the vintage Slingerland style, but with all the modern innovations. Check out the amazing kits they build at Chicago Drum at www.chicagodrum.com We touch on the company history a little bit in this episode, but I'll be doing a full history of Slingerland in the coming episodes so stay tuned for that! (P.S. This was the first interview I did for the podcast back in April 2018, so some of the dates we talk about in this episode for various drum shows have already passed but you can catch them next year) Find me on instagram at @drumhistory_podcast for great historical drum videos that I post daily. Subscribe, rate, and leave a review if you like the show, thanks for listening! -Bart

"Stencil drums" were Japanese copies of major drum manufacturers like Slingerland and Rogers that were created in the 50's to the 80's. They feature some of the most unique finishes that you can find and have become a unique category of affordable collectors drums. They have a somewhat mysterious history, but fortunately Marc Patch has written a book documenting the history of MIJ (Made In Japan) drums and took the time to talk with me. To check out and purchase any of Marcs Books, check out his website http://www.marcpatch.com Thanks for listening to Drum History, Please subscribe and give me a review. Let me know topics that you want to hear about and find me on all the social media platforms!

For a moment in time, it was ILLEGAL to use more than 10% of metal per drum for drum making in America! The result is a fascinating collection of beautiful drums that feature wooden lugs, hoops, pedals, and hardware...most famously Slingerlands "Rolling Bomber." Find out the reasoning behind this quirk in our nation's Drum History, as we discuss this and much more with war-era drums expert, Joe Mekler, a.k.a. "Joey Boom" of the Delaware Drum Show! Joey Boom's website: www.joeyboom.com The Delaware Drum Show: www.delawaredrum.com Another great resource, Coopers Vintage Drums: www.coopersvintagedrums.com/war%20effort.htm Find me online @drumhistory_podcast and please rate and write a review!

What was it like to be a Trap Drummer in the silent movie era as talking pictures take over - making the job obsolete? Listen as Kelli and I discuss this topic - and how a great percussion genre became extinct. Trap Drummers were percussionists who performed alongside silent films and performances before the advent of "Talkies" (talking pictures). Using a wide array of instruments and devices (contraptions), Trap Drummers aimed to make audiences believe these sounds were one with the film or performance. To dive into the world of Trap Drumming, we listen to real samples performed by legendary William F. Ludwig III. In 1927, Talkies took over popular culture and overshadowed America's once-beloved silent films. This left thousands of talented Trap Drummers jobless, with nothing but a forgotten craft to call their own. So what was it really like to be a Trap Drummer in the silent movie era as talking pictures take over? Hear about this and much more on this episode! Check out everything Kelli is up to on her website: www.kelliraetubbs.com Please Subscribe, Share, and write a review if you like the show! Check me out on social media at @drumhistory