Free Republic

One of the greatest things about music is that it can be recorded and enjoyed at any time. This allows us to enjoy music made by people who are sadly no longer with us. There have been countless outstanding drummers since the beginning of popular music history, many of whom have passed away. Their legacy lives on through their songs, albums, live performances, and of course, the stories about them.

The legendary jazz drummer challenged the idea that a percussionist’s primary function was to keep time.Roy Haynes has passed away. He was the last surviving member of a small but elite cadre of drummers who rose to fame in the mid-1940s, introducing conversational elements into jazz’s rhythmic vocabulary and challenging the idea that a percussionist’s primary function was to keep time. Dubbed “Snap Crackle” by bassist Al McKibbon – purportedly in an approximation of his uniquely crisp snare drum sound – Haynes distinguished himself with his innovative use of cymbals, driving the groove while adding rhythmic commentary to what...

Robbie Bachman, a co-founding member and drummer for Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has died at the age of 69. Bachman-Turner Overdrive singer Randy Bachman announced the death of his brother and bandmate in a social media post. “Another sad departure. The pounding beat behind BTO, my little brother Robbie has joined Mum, Dad & brother Gary on the other side. Maybe Jeff Beck needs a drummer! He was an integral cog in our rock ‘n’ roll machine and we rocked the world together.” Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s core lineup consisted of Randy and Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner. During their peak in the 1970s,...

Ginger Baker, the prodigiously talented and volcanically temperamental rock drummer who helped form Cream, rock-and-roll’s first supergroup, and inspired awe and imitation in a generation of drummers, died on Oct. 6. He was 80. The Associated Press reported Baker’s family saying on Twitter that he died Sunday: “We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning.” Gary Hibbert, a media representative for Baker’s family, confirmed his death, the AP said. Cream, a trio that included guitarist-singer Eric Clapton and bassist-singer Jack Bruce, set a powerful standard for “supergroups,” bands composed of independent star...

Andy White, the Scottish studio session musician who played the drums on Love Me Do and other early tracks by The Beatles, has died in New Jersey. According to his family, the 85-year-old died on Monday following a stroke. White was chosen ahead of Ringo Starr in September 1962 to play drums on the single version of Love Me Do and its B-side, P.S. I Love You. White, who was born in Glasgow in 1930, is also believed to have played on the album version of Please Please Me. He could therefore legitimately claim to be one of the so-called...

BOSTON — A New Hampshire woman who is critically ill with gastrointestinal anthrax most likely swallowed spores while participating in a community drumming circle, state health officials said Tuesday...The woman was among some 60 people who attended the drumming session on Dec. 4 at the United Campus Ministry near the University of New Hampshire in Durham...Investigators found traces of anthrax on two African drums and an electrical outlet in the room where the event took place, Dr. Talbot said, and are theorizing that the woman swallowed spores that were aerosolized by the drumming. The state has not identified the woman...

Buddy Miles, the rock and R&B drummer who worked with Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and was best known for the song "Them Changes," died Tuesday at his home in Austin, Texas, according to a report on Miles' website. He was 60. Among the first artists to fuse psychedelic rock with soul, blues and jazz, Miles got his start performing with his father George's jazz band the BeBops at the age of 12 in and around their hometown of Omaha, Neb. He played with a number of performers and toured with Ruby & the Romantics, the Ink Spots and Wilson Pickett....

STREAMING LIVE RIGHT NOW FREE AT WWW.DRUMCHANNEL.COM http://drumchannel.com/entertainment/5941.aspx Buddy Rich Memorial Concert - Live From New York Posted By sophiamuse 10.17.2008 12:55 PM Concert Starts: 10.18.08 at 7:30 pm EST, 4:30pm PST. Preshow Starts: 6:00pm EST, 3:00pm PST. Buddy Rich Memorial Concert - Live From New York Posted By sophiamuse 10.17.2008 12:55 PM Concert Starts: 10.18.08 at 7:30 pm EST, 4:30pm PST. Preshow Starts: 6:00pm EST, 3:00pm PST. Concert Program: Tommy Igoe performing Preach & Teach and Little Train John Blackwell performing No Jive, Nuttville, and Mind of J Guitar Center Contest Winner Donnie Marple performing a solo Terry Bozzio...

'Drummers are natural intellectuals' By Gary Cleland Last Updated: 1:26am BST 17/04/2008 Drummers are better known for their beats than their brain power, but research has suggested that they might actually be natural intellectuals. Scientists who asked volunteers to keep time with a drumstick before taking intelligence tests discovered that those with the best sense of rhythm also scored highest in the mental assessments. Born smart? The late Keith Moon, drummer with The Who, could have had natural intellect Prof Frederic Ullen, from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, concluded that there was a link between intelligence, good timing and the...