Drum History

A podcast all about the rich history of the drums - and how they became what they are today! Join Bart van der Zee as he speaks with experts about the curious journey of the ever-evolving drum set.

Music
Music History
History
226
A Look at Famous Funny Drummers with Steven Har...
We talk about celebrities who are also drummers such as Chevy Chase, Bob Crane, Johnny Carson, Andy Kaufman and many more.
34 min
227
The History of the Ludwig Black Beauty with Uli...
Uli is the Ludwig Marketing and Artist Relations Manager and shares the complete history of the iconic Black Beauty snare drum. We discuss how it originated as the 1919 "Inspiration Model" and then evolved into Black beauty we know today over the next 100 years.
77 min
228
Moeller, Gladstone & Stone - The Legends of Tec...
Dom Famularo teaches us about Billy Gladstone, Sanford A, Moeller, and George L. Stone - the godfathers of drumming technique.
61 min
229
The History of C&C Drum Co. with Bill Cardwell
Bill shares the full story of C&C Drums that began with the first kit he made for Carl Palmer, and then later grew to be one of the most popular boutique drum brands in the world.
45 min
230
A Modern Talk with David Frangioni
CEO of Modern Drummer Magazine, David Frangioni is this weeks guest. We discuss the history of Modern Drummer and talk about how drummers can make the best of the current "Stay Home" situation, plus we learn about his long and exciting career in the music world.
58 min
231
The Ringo Episode with Gary Astridge
Gary is a historian and expert on all things Ringo Starr. He has curated Ringo's collection of original Beatles drum kits and is full of great stories about Ringo that you won't hear from anyone else!
62 min
232
Exploring The Funky Drummer Breakbeat with Dyla...
This James Brown song from 1969 made a very small splash at first, until it's beat was re-discovered in the 80's and changed the world of music forever. We take a deep dive learning everything about Clyde Stubblefield's Funky Drummer beat including how and where it was recorded with James Brown, the gear he used, the impact on music, and Clyde's legacy.
61 min
233
New Orleans Jazz History with Stanton Moore, Wa...
This very special episode takes a deep dive into the history of New Orleans Jazz and features multiple interviews that I did in New Orleans while I was there to see the Rolling Stones and meet Charlie Watts in July, 2019. I was lucky enough to sit down with Stanton Moore and get the full history of Nola Jazz, and also backstage with Walter Harris and Joe Lastie at Preservation Hall Jazz Club, plus even more information from Greg Lambousy of the Nola Jazz Museum.
73 min
234
The History of Istanbul Agop Cymbals with Sezar...
Sezar teaches us the full History of Istanbul Agop, dating back to its origins in the Zildjian K Factory where Agop Tomurcuk learned how to make cymbals. We discuss how hand hammered cymbals are made and why Turkey is so special for cymbal making.
41 min
235
The History of Working Drummers with Dr. Matt B...
Matt takes us on a deep dive into the mistreatment of drummers in the musicians labour unions dating back to the early 20th century, through the rise of the Radio Stars of the 1940's all the way up to the great session drummers like Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer.
70 min
236
The History of Drum Engraving with John Aldridge
Drum Engraving goes back to the 1920's when drums such as the Slingerland and Ludwig Black Beauty's would become legendary thanks to the intricate engraving on the metal shells. Fast forward to today, John is the man behind the hand engraving for companies such as Ludwig, A&F, DW, Pearl, C&C and Joyful Noise. He is also the founder of Not So Modern Drummer!
52 min
237
The Legacy of George Way Drums with Ronn Dunnett
George Way is one of the most innovative people in drum history, and is known as the godfather of the modern drum set. George passed away in 1969, but Ronn Dunnett has been carrying on the legacy of George Way Drums since 2006.
54 min
238
The History of Learning the Drum Set with Steph...
We learn the evolution of how early drummers learned their craft by watching other drummers who passed through town and by apprenticing with drummers such as Chick Webb and Art Blakey. Then came the advent of drum notation books which allowed young drummers to learn at home, followed by drum tapes and DVD's, and now social media which has drastically changed the learning process.
70 min
239
Bringing the Slingerland Drum Shell Machines Ba...
Bernie purchased the original Slingerland radio frequency drum shell making machinery on an Ebay auction in 2001, and that began his decade long quest to figure out how they work.
50 min
240
The Art of Restoring Vintage Drums with Steele ...
A Pearl tom mount on an ultra-rare Ludwig Top hat and Cain kit? It happened... Steele teaches us his process of preserving and restoring classic drums in an effort to keep them as original as possible with tons of great stories along the way.
84 min
241
The History of the Hi-Hat with Rob Cook
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.
50 min
242
1920's Painted Bass Drum Heads with Jim Messina
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!
48 min
243
The History of Zildjian Cymbals with Paul Francis
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.
87 min
244
Trap Drummers and Sound Effect Instruments with...
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.
68 min
245
The History of Remo Drumheads with Herbie May
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.
59 min
246
The History of Country Western Drummers with Ma...
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.
51 min
247
The History of Camco Drums with Joe Luoma
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.
46 min
248
The Evolution of the Jazz Ride Pattern with Dr....
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.
53 min
249
The History of Rogers Drums with Po Shy and Jef...
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.
73 min
250
The Biography of Buddy Rich with Shawn Martin
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.
76 min