Posted on 05/02/2016 5:31:34 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Remo Belli, a musician who pioneered the synthetic drumhead in time to help a generation of rock-and-rollers shape their sound and then saw it become standard on kits across genres, has died in California.
His death was announced in a statement by Remo Inc., the California-based drum manufacturer that Belli founded and ran for six decades. Belli was 88 and had been treated for pneumonia at a Pasadena hospital, where he died April 25, said Sue Kincade, Remo's advertising manager.
Belli was a young professional drummer in the 1950s, backing singer Anita O'Day and others, when he grew frustrated with the limitations of animal-skin drumheads, which could wilt or expand depending on the weather.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbs5az.com ...
Bummer. I just bought a Remo drum head for my banjo. I wondered where the name came from.
I wouldn’t mind having backed Anita O’Day, back in the day.
I still have a couple of Remo Weather King drumheads with the Spirit of Atlanta logo.
RIP.
I was part of a band that opened for Anita O’Day, 1988, I think. Got to talk to her briefly, she was nice, but kinda scary lookin’...
We put a new "organic" head on an antique banjo in ~ 1970. Last time I saw the instrument (<5 year ago) the head had split again...
Come to think of it, I also have one with the Blue Devils logo. No idea how I obtained that one.
I suspect that the organic head will have a more mellow or muffled tone than a synthetic head.
I had a single synthetic head on my banjo since I bought it in 1968. I only replaced it recently because the old one was dirty and worn looking. I was restoring the banjo and the new Remo head looks awesome. Sounds good too.
Thank you for posting. This is a huge loss to the drumming community. He helped revolutionize our instrument. I’ve been playing Remo drumheads since 1984.
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