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. George worked for basically all of the classic American drum companies including Leedy, Slingerland, Rogers and many more. His designs were decades ahead of what was being used at the time and many of his inventions are still found on the modern drum set. Ronn and I go th...
Jan 07, 2020•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Stephen also teaches us all about brain science and how we can better use our practice time to most efficiently evolv...
Dec 24, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. He went through hundreds of attempts to figure out how these incredibly complex machines created drum shells before he got help from from Jack Moritz, a former Slingerland employee who ran the machines for 22 years. Once that happened, Bernie was off and running and making drum shells in under 5 minutes under his new c...
Dec 10, 2019•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. We discuss the hierarchy of his process, beginning with diagnosing the wrap, followed by what to do if extra extra holes were drilled in the drums, and then fixing the bearing edges. He has an amazing way of looking at the history of drums and loads of expe...
Nov 26, 2019•1 hr 28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Rob shares this great story with us and how he got involved after Zildjian decided he was the best man to handle this information. Find out what happened to Skip's invention and learn everything else you could want to know about the Hi-Hat i...
Nov 12, 2019•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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! Jim Messina is an icon in the vintage drum community and is the host and owner of Vintage Drums Talk. He is a long time collector and has expertise in many different areas, bu...
Oct 29, 2019•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. We learn the whole family timeline and the contributions each family member brought to the company, and even learn about one uncles assassinati...
Oct 15, 2019•2 hr 31 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Life was very different back then for musicians but drummers were never short of work thanks to the overwhelming need for theaters...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Remo is one of the most famous names in drums and it all stems back to one man, Remo Belli. Herbie was good friends with Remo and worked closely with throughout his career and shares many stories that come straight from Remo himself. We discuss the origins of synthetic heads and the trials...
Sep 17, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Matty Meyer is a Nashville drummer who has a deep knowledge and appreciation for the Roots of Country Music drumming. He is a working drummer who can always be found playing arou...
Sep 03, 2019•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Joe Luoma takes us through the history of this extremely sought after drum brand from the beginnings as the Geo. H. Way drum company, through the 4 seasons of the company, and the end when Tama and DW purchased all of the assets of the company....
Aug 20, 2019•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Colleen does an amazing job of explaining where things began in 1917 and ended up in 1941 with what we know as the jazz pattern today, but also fills us in on many great stories about our drumming heroes along the way including Tony Sba...
Aug 06, 2019•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Starting in 1849 as a maker of drumheads in Ireland, 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. Po Shy covers the first half of Rogers Drums that includes the origins in Dublin, followed by time in New York/New Jersey, and through the iconic Ohio day...
Jul 23, 2019•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. His incredible passion and unwavering dedication to being a drummer took him to the top of the drumming world, but ultimately lead to his demise. Shawn Martin is a drumming historian who specializes in Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. He shares...
Jul 09, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Daniel is an expert in the world of Drum History and has an extensive background that features live performances with the Bryan Setzer Orchestra and the Royal Crown Revue, plus he is an author, clinician and tou...
Jun 25, 2019•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Jim Haler, 16 year employee of Yamaha Corporation, gives a full run through of the full history of the company with tons of great stories and information along the way. Learn about the origins of all of the classic models like Recording Customs, and how all of the many divisions of Yamaha work together to cre...
Jun 11, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 (5A, 5B, 7A..etc). We cover many of the pivotal moments since the beginning of recorded history and use Matts great book as a reference. Check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Drum-History-Matt-Dean/dp/0810881705 Matt Dean is the man behind www.totaldrummer.com - Follow me on Facebook and Instagram...
May 28, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did Papa Jo Jones invent the Hi-Hat with the help of a plumber? Find out in this episode! Jaz takes us from the beginnings of drumming in Africa through the advent of the modern drum set as we know it today. The amount of different cultures drumming styles that blended together leading up to "double drumming" goes much deeper than I ever thought. Dr. Jaz Sawyer is a drummer and educator based out of Los Angelas. He has a long history in the music industry and has an enormous knowledge about drum...
May 14, 2019•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Keller has quietly made drum shells for many of the worlds greatest drum brands - learn about how the company got its start in 1946! I talk with Justin Owen, Special Accounts Manager at Keller Products, about how this company has been at the center of the drum universe for over 70 years and managed to remain out of the limelight. - you can visit Keller’s drum shell website here: https://www.kellershells.com - Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos! @drumhistory_podcast - P...
Apr 30, 2019•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Ben is a former employee of Evans and gives us the entire history of the drumhead, leading up to the controversial invention of the synthetic head. Find out which of these iconic brands was the first to create the drumheads we know today! - Ben O'Brien Smith is a co-creator and host of www.soundslikeadrum.com - Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for ...
Apr 16, 2019•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast A large collection of Gene Krupa's gear 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. Are the myths true about Gene playing a Dynasonic? You'll have to listen to find out! Brooks takes us through the whole story of how this amazing collection was found and what was included, and how it ended up ...
Apr 02, 2019•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 and had a major role in the evolution of the drum set! Follow along with the conversation by visiting Mark's website: www.coopersvintagedrums.com Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos and posts that correspond with the episodes! @drumhistory_podcast Please give me a rating and a review if...
Mar 19, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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! Mikes Lessons vs. Drumeo? Find out what makes these two giant platforms different and how they feel about each other. Mike is the co-host of the Modern Drummer podcast and the head honcho at www.mikeslessons.com, find him on social media as @mikeslessons Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for daily drumming videos! @drumhistory_p...
Mar 05, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast "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! John is an expert on Gretsch and co-wrote "The Gretsch Book" with Rob Cook. John takes us through the 136 year history with amazing facts and stories and also some information that you won't hear anywhere else! Here is the timeline on the Gretsch websites I used to follow along with John: http://www.gretschdrums.com/history The Gretsch Book is available for p...
Feb 19, 2019•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Read about many great things Ed has researched at: https://musicdynamicslab.uconn.edu/home/dr-edward-large/ Also, check out hi...
Feb 04, 2019•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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! check out Angelas writing in Tom Tom Magazine online at: www.tomtommag.co...
Jan 22, 2019•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Jan 08, 2019•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Teg...
Dec 19, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Rob also teaches us about George Ways involvement in the rise and fall of Leedy. Rob is the author of many great books (The Slingerland Book, The Ludwig Book, The Rogers Book..etc) and will soon be ...
Dec 11, 2018•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you know what the Speed King Squeak is? Think John Bonham... In 1937, the Speed King changed the world of drumming by being the most innovative pedal of the time. 81 years later, Vincent of Polyphonic Drums is keeping the legacy alive by restoring Speed King's and making them play like new. He shares the whole story of the pedal with us in this episode - from the journey through world war 2 through the 60's and 70's with Bonham and Ringo to its decline in the 2000's, and finally the current r...
Dec 05, 2018•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
