The origins of the Hi-Hat pedal have long been debated, and Rob Cook introduces us to a new theory that a gentleman named Skip Retherford was the inventor in the 1922. This pre-dates Papa Jo Jones, who is widely thought to be the earliest user of the Hi-Hat.

In the roaring 20's, drummers would have beautiful hand painted artwork on their bass drum heads that would be illuminated by a lightbulb on the inside of the drum. This lightbulb looked great but also served a very necessary function, as well..keeping the calfskin heads from going out of tune when the temperature changes!

Paul Francis, a 30 year employee of Zildjian, takes us back to 1618 when Avedis I discovered the alloy that changed music for ever. We go on a deep dive into every detail of Zildjians amazing history, including the struggles with trademarks, jealous cousins trying to steal the formula, and all of the amazing innovations that have been made along the way.

Nick takes us back to a time when trap drummers were king and could be found in every theater around the country. He shares his vast collection of sound effect Instruments with us and plays examples of some of his favorite pieces. He also tells us the full history of trap drummers and describes what it would have been like to be a working drummer in the early 1900's.

Herbie is a 32 year veteran of the Remo Company and shares the full history of the company with us, including the controversial debate between Evans and Remo and who was first to invent the synthetic drumhead.

Learn the full history of Country Western drumming from its early jazz origins, to the "behind the curtain" days at the Grand Ole Opry, all the way up to the arena drummers of today. Before drummers became an integral part of Country music, they had to fight for the right to be on stage...and it didn't happen overnight.

Founded by George Way, Camco is one of the most iconic brands in Drum History and it only existed for 17 years... Without Camco, we wouldn't have the iconic round lugs that were later made famous by DW and the classic 5000 pedal that we all know and love.

Dr. Clark wrote her dissertation on the origins of the jazz ride pattern and shares the full amazing history with us! She teaches us about the pioneers who brought the famous pattern to the forefront of jazz music and the variations that made it evolve over time.

Starting in 1849 as a maker of drumheads, Rogers Drums has had a long life that is full of innovations such as the Dyna-Sonic snare, Swiv-O-Matic hardware, and countless iconic drum sets. Jeff and Po take us through the various eras of Rogers history in great detail, and we also learn about the recent resurgence of the iconic brand.

Drumming since he was 18 months old, Buddy Rich turned into one of the worlds most beloved drummers thanks to his incredible speed and tenacity on the kit. His story is full of tragedies and triumphs that shaped him into the one of a kind person that he became.

Daniel Glass explains the very beginnings of Rhythm and Blues drumming and the impact it had on all genres of music that we know today! Join us as we explore the tumultuous journey that African American musicians had to endure to be able to perform and innovate the music that they loved.

Yamaha has been involved in musical instruments since 1887, but didn't began making drums until 1967. Since then, they have made a huge impact on evolution of drums and drumming technology.

Did you know Mozart was the first person to use Hot Rods in his music? Matt takes us from the beginning of drum sticks in the 7th century up to when they got the sizes and shapes that we know today,

Did Papa Jo Jones invent the Hi-Hat with the help of a plumber? Listen to find out! Jaz takes us from the beginnings of drumming in Africa through the advent of the modern drum set as we know it today.

Keller has quietly made shells for many of the worlds greatest drum brands - learn about how the company got its start in 1946!

Evans or Remo - Who was first? Learn about the dramatic history of these two companies along with the origin of drumheads from the very beginning.

A large collection of Gene Krupa's equipment has been in a storage unit since 1973 and has recently been discovered! If that wasn't enough...It was all purchased by the legendary Charlie Watts! Our friend Brooks Tegler was the man who authenticated this collection and shares the story with us!

Mark takes us on a journey through the amazing history of what was once known as The Slingerland Banjo Company. Slingerland grew into one of the most well known names in drumming history.

Mike was one of the earliest pioneers of teaching drums online - He shares the history and evolution of this game-changing technology with great stories along the way!

"That Great Gretsch Sound" has been around since 1883, join me as I talk with John Sheridan about the full history of this iconic company!

It all started with a Cockatoo named Snowball on YouTube dancing to the Backstreet Boys... That is what got Dr. Ed Large interested in studying the rhythmic abilities of animals including birds, primates, and even a sea lion! This episode dives deep into the history of how Rhythm works in both humans and animals and what he has discovered over the course of his research.

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!

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.

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!

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.