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
Read moreDrum History Podcast - Episode 7 - Gene Krupa: The Father of Modern Drumming with Brooks Tegler
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!
Read moreDrum History Podcast - Episode 6 - The History of Leedy Drums with Rob Cook
Rob Cook, founder of the Chicago Drum Show and Author of "The Complete History of Leedy Drums" and "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.
Read moreDrum History Podcast: Episode 5 - Long Live The Speed King with Vincent Leef
Vincent Leef of Vitalizer Drums (formerly Polyphonic) is keeping the legacy alive by restoring Speed Kings 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
Read moreDrum History Podcast - Episode 4 - Growing Up Slingerland with Jim Moritz
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.
Read moreDrum History Podcast - Episode 3 - Made in Japan: The History of Stencil Drums with Marc Patch
"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.
Read moreDrum History Podcast - Episode 2 with Joey "Boom" Mekler - Exploring WW2 Metal-Ration Drums
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!
Read more"Drum History Podcast" - episode 1 with Kelli Rae Tubbs: The Death of the Trap Drummer
Kelli Rae explains and demonstrates the sound effects used by drummers during the silent movie era, and also how the “talkies” eventually put many drummers out of work in the theatres. Bart van der Zee has graciously allowed Not So Modern Drummer to publish his podcast and direct our viewers toward his awesome podcast site at www.drumhistorypodcast.com
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