Rudimental drumming first appeared in in the Swiss Army in the 1300's to set the tempo and communicate commands during battle, and then spread around Europe where it evolved and was eventually documented in 1588 as the first form of drum notation. It then continued across Europe, and eventually made it to America and evolved into the 26 Rudiments that we have today. This is just scratching the surface of what we learn from Mark Beecher in this episode!

Jeff takes us back to the ice age where drums were made of turtle shells that were flipped over, had skin stretched over them, and then dried in the sun for tension, Learn about this and much more from master drum tuner Jeff Davenport.

Barry James is the last living student of George Lawrence Stone who still teaches the Stone technique. Barry is 81 years old and took lessons with Stone in 1957 in Boston College. He has had an amazing career and still teaches via Skype to people around the world.

Charlie Watts is one of the most important drummers in Rock and Roll History. Mike Edison is the author of "Sympathy for the Drummer: Why Charlie Watts Matters" and he gives us a great in depth look at the importance of Charlie and the Rolling Stones on popular culture..

Did Premier secretly produce Ludwig Supraphonic shells in the 70's? Listen to find out! Founded in 1922, Premier is the most famous brand in British drum history and has a fascinating story. Mike Ellis is an expert on Premier and an avid restorer who shares the complete history with us plus tons of great stories along the way.

Beginning with the Revolutionary War, we learn the role of drummers in the Military and the purpose they served as a form of communication and a way to keep the troops unified. Then we take a deep dive into the Civil War and learn all about the importance of the Fife and Drum Corp on both sides in the war that divided the country.

Rob tells us the story of the postponed 2020 Chicago Drum Show and what we can expect in 2021. He also tells us about the 30 year history of the show going back to year one with some great stories along the way. We also chat about drum legend George Way and fill in some gaps in his history that has been covered in previous episodes on Way.

(You do not need to have listened to part 1 to enjoy this episode) Part 2 covers the role of working drummers starting in the 1960's with session drummers, then Rock and Roll superstar's, through the 80's monster drumsets and up to modern times.

Andy Zildjian is the president of Sabian Cymbals and takes us on a very fun journey through the history of the company that dates back to its founding in 1981 by his father, Robert Zildjian.

We talk about celebrities who are also drummers such as Chevy Chase, Bob Crane, Johnny Carson, Andy Kaufman and many more.

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.

Dom Famularo teaches us about Billy Gladstone, Sanford A, Moeller, and George L. Stone - the godfathers of drumming technique.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.