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
126
The History of Corder Drums with Don Corder
Corder Drums was born in 1979 when Jim Corder purchased the Fibes manufacturing equipment from C.F. Martin after they decided to no longer be in the drum business. My guest is Don Corder, Jim's son, was an employee since day one and helped his dad and brothers learn on the fly and create a drum brand that is now a part of the history of the instrument. Not only is this a great story because of the Fibes and Darwin drums connection, but it is a wonderful story of a family working together to make Jim Corders dreams a reality.
48 min
127
The History of Paiste (Part 2) with Dan Garza
This is the second in our two part series that covers the history of Paiste Cymbals. We pick up in the 1970's when 2002's were king and all the famous European rock bands were representing Paiste. The company also lost its distribution deal with Ludwig in the early 70's and had a period of about 4 or 5 years where distribution in America was slim to none - until Rogers picked up the slack and began selling Paiste's state-side. This and much much more is discussed in this episode, plus Dan corrects a few things from the first episode that came to light in the short time between us recording these two shows.
77 min
128
The History of Paiste (Part 1) with Dan Garza
This is an in-depth look at the fascinating history of one of the biggest names in cymbal making - Paiste! Dan is an expert on the history of the company and teaches us the origin story that dates back to the turn of the century in Estonia with the Paiste family up to the 1970's when Paiste was being played by some of the biggest names in the industry including John Bonham, Joe Morello, Carmine Appice and many more. Part 2 will pick up where this episode leaves off with the 70's rock explosion.
96 min
129
A Look at Basel Drumming with Edith Habraken
Edith teaches us about the amazing drumming culture in Basel Switzerland and the unique style of drumming that the region has made famous. We talk about the construction of the Basler drums and the history of the clubs and traditions that created this unique environment. Edith is a legend in the Basel drumming community and is a great ambassador to the region.
44 min
130
The History of Kent Drums with Dennis Brown (Mo...
The story of Kent Drums is a tale of the American dream as a family travels from Poland to America in the 1940's and starts a drum company that is created to make affordable drums for people who cant afford the big brands. My guest Dennis Brown aka Mouse, is the author of "History of the Kent Drum Company 1946-1977" and is an absolute expert on Kent with first hand information from his interviews with William and Edward Kent. Mouse has a great reason to be connected to the drum brand which you'll hear towards the end of the episode.
65 min
131
Bringing Rudiments to the Drum Kit with Jim Clark
Jim Clark is a 57 year veteran of the drums and an expert at applying traditional rudiments to the drum set for an everyday rock/jazz drummer (like myself). We discuss how drummers like Steve Gadd, Billy Cobham, Elvin Jones and many more are masters of the rudimental method, and how they apply it to commercial music without sounding like a traditional marching band drummer. Jim is a educator, historian, performer and author of books such as "Connecticut's Drum & Fife Tradition" and the brand new "Ten Pieces for Field Drums".
61 min
132
A Look at the Punk D-Beat with Spike T. Smith
D-Beat is a very specific beat that is used in punk music starting in the early 80's in the UK that then grew into its own style of the genre. My guest is Spike T. Smith who is a veteran punk drummer who came up in the D-Beat era of punk in the the UK and has played with greats such as Morrissey, The Damned, Killing Joke, New York Dolls, Steve Ignorant/Crass, Sona Fariq and Sacrilege. He created a great documentary about the history of the D-Beat and he shares the full story with us in this episode!
50 min
133
The Biography of Mitch Mitchell with Kevin John...
Mitch Mitchell was a successful child star on BBC before he ever became a drummer, then he changed gears to become a drummer full time and had a gold record with Jimi Hendrix by the time he was 20. This is an amazingly in-depth look at the life of one of the most swinging rock drummers that ever sat behind the kit. My guest is Major Kevin John Simon who is the founder of the very successful Mitch Mitchell Fan Club. He is an absolute expert on Mitch, his kits, and every important milestone of his prolific career,
105 min
134
A Look at Nelson Drum Shop with Bryson Nelson
Bryson Nelson has created a shop that not only is a mecca for vintage drum lovers, but also a place where drummers of all levels can come and enjoy the community that is very unique to our drum world. He shares the story of how he started his shop and the joys and pressures that comes along with starting a brand from scratch, Bryson has a very young family and has been dealing with health issues that has been pulling him away from his shop recently, while simultaneously he is expanding into a much bigger shop in East Nashville - enjoy this episode!
47 min
135
Desert Island Drums with Bob Henrit
Bob is a world class collector who has been a drummer in bands such as the Kinks. The Daybreakers, Argent and worked as a session/live drummer with musicians like Roger Daltrey and Don McLean. When he wasn't on stage, Bob was visiting mom and pop music stores across the world trying to find rare and unique drums and take them back home to the UK. Bob shares his "Desert Island Drums" that are his absolute favorites and most important to him in his extensive career. This episode is chocked full of rare and unique information from a living legend.
67 min
136
The History of French Drumming with Josh Harmon
66 min
137
A Look At Bearing Edges with Jeff Kirsch
Jeff is a great drum builder in Portland, Oregon who has a deep understanding of bearing edges and drum building in general. He spends majority of this episode discussing everything you need to know to understand how edges work, but we also talk about wood plys and other great information throughout.
70 min
138
Louie Bellson and Tuxedo Bags with Ron Weinstein
Ron Weinstein had a 40 year relationship with Louie Bellson and was the inventor of the iconic Tuxedo Bags. He shares the story of how he created the bags which revolutionized drum cases in the 1980's, and how his friend Louie Bellson rocketed his brand forward by attaching Louies celebrity to the brand . The best part is that Louie didn't ask for a dime and Ron tells many great stories that paint picture of how much of a gentleman the drumming legend really was. This is real drumming history that is not widely known, enjoy this great drum history!
58 min
139
A Look At Animal Skin Drumheads with Jeff Stern
Jeff Stern owns and operates Stern Tanning Co. which acquired the United Rawhide Company of Chicago in 2001 - the former largest manufacturer or drumheads in the world before mylar became king. United Rawhide was the primary drumhead provider for Slingerland, Gretsch, Rogers, and Ludwig. Jeff teaches us the start to finish process of how a tannery works and creates high quality drumheads, plus lots of great information about how, when, and why you would want to use a calf or goat skin drumhead.
57 min
140
Can You Copyright A Drumbeat? with Kurt Dahl
Kurt is a drumming entertainment lawyer who breaks down the age old question - can you copyright a drumbeat? We discuss famous songs like "We Will Rock You", "Billy Jean", When The Levee Breaks", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and many more. Kurt also tells us how song credits work and how we can protect ourselves and get what we deserve as drummers plus tons of other great information. Kurt is the drummer for the very successful rock group, One Bad Son, and has some serious real world experience with his own band and many of his high level clients.
63 min
141
The History of Fibes Drums with Tommy Robertson
Tommy has been the owner of Fibes Drums since 1994, and he is the perfect person to tell us about the history of this iconic brand that dates back to 1965. They are very sought after and beloved drums that are the gem of many collections and we learn about the different eras and owners of the brand. They pushed forward both the technology of Fiberglass drums and Acrylic drums which helped shape the sound of drummers of the 60's, 70,s 80's through to today.
63 min
142
The Science of Why We Love Drums with Dr. Krist...
War drums, Primate communication, Indigenous peoples' sacred instruments, and hippie drum circles! Kristen tells us why we are hard wired to love the drums the way we do through her in-depth scientific research that begins 7000 years ago with the earliest drum and ends up today with blistering heavy metal drummers using the primal rhythms to make us feel the fear that our early ancestors felt. This is a really unique episode with a great perspective from a non-drummer who can help shed some knowledge on why we love this great instrument!
52 min
143
The Right Drummer for the Right Band with Mike ...
Mike Edison joins us to discuss when the stars align and Charlie finds The Stones, Bonzo joins Zeppelin, Ringo meets the Beatles, and Keith explodes into The Who. We talk all about what makes these (plus many another) drummer's the absolute perfect choice for each of the iconic rock groups and play a game where we switch drummers into different bands. Mike also discusses his great book, "Sympathy for the Drummer - Why Charlie Watt's Matters" which is now available on paperback, and he tells us about the phone call he had with Charlie himself to thank him for writing the book.
61 min
144
Creating A Long Career In Drumming With Peter J...
Pete Jarvis has had a very long and illustrious career that includes composing, arranging and drumming for a Wes Anderson film and the HBO series, "Boardwalk Empire", plus he has performed as a soloist, chamber player, Broadway musician and as conductor/player with chamber music ensembles, orchestras and choruses. Pete shares his story with us and many key pieces of advice on how to plan for a long and diverse career in the world of drumming. He is not only planning his next gig, but he is always thinking of his next 20 years of his musical career.
58 min
145
The Origins of Tempus Drums with Paul Mason
Paul is a master drum builder who used materials such as Hemp, Carbon Fiber, Carbon Kevlar, and Fiberglass. He started Tempus in Vancouver in 1985 and and ran the company until he decided to wind down and close his shop in 2012. His unique materials and production style made some of the most unique drums on the market that were widely loved by players around the world. Paul made over 7000 in his career and has some amazing stories about learning to use these materials, running a business, competing with the major players, and tons of other great stories along the way.
71 min
146
The History of Drum Endorsements with Rob Cook
Rob teaches us about the early origins of drum endorsements that dates all the way back to the early 1900's with drummers being featured in "The Ludwig Drummer" and "Leedy Drum Topics" magazines. We then go through the 50's and 60's where big money started to get involved and Rob shares stories of drummers like Buddy Rich receiving massive cash payments to play various drum brands and Gene Krupa's golden deal that he had with Slingerland. Rob also shares great information about how endorsements work with funding clinics and making it so we can all see the drummers we love at events like the Chicago Drum Show.
67 min
147
The History of Practice Pads with Beth Hamon
Beth is a passionate expert on all things to do with practice pads. She has an extensive collection of her own which she has used to get first hand knowledge, and is also a great researcher who has dug deep to find all the in-depth details that she shares in this episode. This is a fun episodes that is full of info on all the various practice pads that we all grew up with, and the pads of our ancestors.
57 min
148
Drumsticks of the Legends with Chris Bennett
Chris owns Bopworks drumsticks and he has recreated drumstick models of some of the most legendary players in drum history. Gene Krupa, Shelly Manne, Art Blakey, Mel Lewis are some of the stick's that Chris has gotten the rights to recreate and produce in Austin, Texas. He teaches us the process he had to go through to get the rights from the familys of these legends and then getting the sticks made. We also discuss the impact the different types of sticks can have on the sound and feel of cymbals. This is a great one with lots of different information.
55 min
149
The History of Zickos Drums with Wes Faulconer
The History of Zickos Drums with Wes Faulconer
61 min
150
Tony Williams Clinic Breakdown (1982) with Rob ...
This is a very fun episode where Rob Hart plays us multiple clips from a Tony Williams clinic that he tape recorded in 1982 in Boston. We break down each segment and Rob gives us his first hand experiences from being a student of Tony in the early 90's in the San Francisco Bay Area. We hear tony talk about his famous ride patterns, setting up his kit, hi-hat work, using brushes, and much more - and then each topic has a great explanation and discussion with Rob.
70 min