Buddy Rich
| Buddy Rich | |
|---|---|
Buddy Rich at the Arcadia Ballroom, New York City, May 1947
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bernard Rich |
| Born |
September 30, 1917 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 2, 1987 (aged 69) Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Jazz, big band, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1919–1987 |
| Labels | Clef, Norgran, Verve, RCA, Pacific Jazz, Liberty, Blue Note, Groove Merchant, EmArcy, Mercury, MCA, Argo |
| Associated acts | Joe Marsala, Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Carter, Harry James, Les Brown, Frank Sinatra, Charlie Ventura, Jazz at the Philharmonic, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Krupa, Louis Armstrong |
Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Known for his virtuoso technique, power, and speed, Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" during his career. He performed with many bandleaders, most notably Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Count Basie, and led his own big band.
Rich was born in Brooklyn to Jewish-American parents Bess (née Skolnik) and Robert Rich, both vaudevillians. His talent for rhythm was first noted by his father, who saw that Buddy could keep a steady beat with spoons at the age of one. He began playing drums in vaudeville when he was 18 months old, initially billed as "Baby Traps the Drum Wonder". At the peak of Rich's childhood career, he was reportedly the second-highest paid child entertainer in the world (after Jackie Coogan).
At age 11, he was performing as a bandleader. He received no formal drum instruction and went so far as to claim that instruction would only degrade his musical talent. He also never admitted to practicing, claiming to play the drums only during performances and was not known to read music.
Rich first played jazz with a major group in 1937 with Joe Marsala and guitarist Jack Lemaire. He then played with Bunny Berigan (1938) and Artie Shaw (1939), and even instructed a 14-year-old Mel Brooks in drumming for a short period when playing for Shaw. At 21, Rich participated in his first major recording with the Vic Schoen Orchestra (the band that backed the Andrews Sisters). In 1938, he was hired to play in Tommy Dorsey's orchestra, where he met and performed with Frank Sinatra. In 1942, Rich left the Dorsey band to join the United States Marine Corps, in which he served as a judo instructor, never saw combat, and was discharged due to medical reasons. He rejoined the Dorsey group after leaving the Marines two years later. In 1946, Rich formed his own band with financial support from Sinatra, and continued to lead different groups on and off until the early fifties.
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