44 Facts About Buddy Rich

Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader.

Buddy Rich is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time.

Buddy Rich discovered his affinity for jazz music at a young age and began drumming at the age of two.

Buddy Rich began playing jazz in 1937, working with acts such as Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, and Harry James.

Buddy Rich was known for his virtuoso technique, power, and speed.

Buddy Rich was an advocate of the traditional grip, though he occasionally used matched grip when playing the toms.

Buddy Rich was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish parents Bess Skolnik and Robert Buddy Rich, both American vaudevillians.

Buddy Rich was on Broadway as Baby Traps the Drum Wonder at age four, playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever" on a drum.

Buddy Rich became a member of big bands led by Bunny Berigan and Artie Shaw.

In 1942, Buddy Rich left the Dorsey band to join the United States Marine Corps, in which he served as a judo instructor and never saw combat.

In 1955, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich recorded the collaboration album titled Krupa and Rich, which featured the song "Bernie's Tune", in which they traded drum solos for a total of six minutes.

Buddy Rich continued to play clubs but stated in interviews that the majority of his band's performances were at high schools, colleges, and universities rather than clubs.

Buddy Rich was a session drummer for many recordings, where his playing was often less prominent than in his big-band performances.

In 1968, Buddy Rich collaborated with the Indian tabla player Ustad Alla Rakha on the album Buddy Rich a la Rakha.

Buddy Rich performed a big-band arrangement of a medley from West Side Story that was released on the 1966 album Swingin' New Big Band.

Buddy Rich received the West Side Story arrangement of Leonard Bernstein's melodies from the musical in the mid-1960s; he found the music quite challenging and it took him almost a month of constant rehearsal to perfect.

Buddy Rich's famous televised drum battles included Gene Krupa, Ed Shaughnessy and Louie Bellson.

Buddy Rich cited Gene Krupa, Jo Jones, Chick Webb, Ray McKinley, Ray Bauduc and Sid Catlett as influences.

Buddy Rich usually held his sticks with the traditional grip.

Buddy Rich used the matched grip when playing floor toms around the drum set while performing cross-stickings, which was one of his party tricks, often leading to loud cheers from the audience.

Buddy Rich often used contrasting techniques to keep long drum solos from getting mundane.

Buddy Rich was only in his teens at the time and his friend was my first pupil.

Buddy Rich did everything I wanted to do, and he did it with such ease.

Tommy Dorsey wanted Buddy Rich to write a book and he told him to get in touch with me.

Buddy Rich was married to Marie Allison, a dancer and showgirl, on April 24,1953, until his death in 1987.

Buddy Rich filed for bankruptcy the next month, and the IRS seized his home in Las Vegas.

Buddy Rich held a rivalry with Frank Sinatra which sometimes ended in brawls when both were members of Tommy Dorsey's band.

In 1983, Buddy Rich underwent quadruple bypass surgery, and was often visited by Sinatra in the hospital.

Buddy Rich held a black belt in karate, which proved beneficial to him, his temper, and his health.

At the time, Buddy Rich was prone to heart attacks and poor back structure following a surgery removing two of his spinal disks.

Buddy Rich claimed that the musicians "hardly look at the bandleader", and that the drummer is the real "quarterback" of the band.

Buddy Rich's temper was documented in a series of secret recordings made on tour buses and in dressing rooms by pianist Lee Musiker, who concealed a compact tape recorder in his clothing while on tour with Buddy Rich in the early 1980s.

The day before his death, April 1,1987, Buddy Rich was visited by Mel Torme, who claimed that one of Buddy Rich's last requests was to hear the tapes of his angry outbursts.

Torme was working on an authorized biography of Buddy Rich and included excerpts of the tapes in the book, but he never played the tapes for Buddy Rich.

Buddy Rich toured and performed until the end of his life.

Buddy Rich was discharged a week later, but continued to receive daily chemotherapy treatments at the hospital.

Phil Collins was featured in a DVD tribute organized by Rich's daughter, A Salute to Buddy Rich, which included Steve Smith and Dennis Chambers.

Buddy Rich's technique, including speed, smooth execution and precision, is one of the most coveted in drumming and has become a common standard.

In 1980, Buddy Rich was awarded an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music.

In 1986, a year before his death, Buddy Rich was elected into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in the category of bandleader, and drum set player.

On September 30,2017, Buddy Rich was honored with a Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.

Buddy Rich was known as a performer and endorser of Ludwig, Slingerland, and Rogers drums.

Buddy Rich switched exclusively to Ludwig in the late 1970s through the early 1980s.

Buddy Rich's cymbals were typically Avedis Zildjian: 14" New Beat hi-hats, 20" medium ride, 8" splash, two 18" crashes.