Buddy took the drum, looked it over and cranked
it a bit with a key. Then he placed it on the ice as we were standing
in a hockey rink. He played a press roll, brought it up and then
brought it back down and finished it. “I don't like it man",
he said, which was ok. I wasn't upset or anything, but I couldn't
believe what I just saw. That snare drum never moved on the ice.
It was on its side as he played the darn thing and it never moved.
Not even a wiggle as though it was nailed to the ice. He just played
so clean. I now own and use this drum as part of my set.
Later that day I would have a heart to heart with
him about his future with Slingerland. He appreciated my honesty,
respect and concern. He put his arm around me as he walked Tom Osborne
and I out the dressing room. He insisted that I call him Buddy from
that point on as I always addressed him as Mr. Rich.
The day Buddy Rich passed away, I cried all day.
I was never going to see the single stroke, the tricks, or hear
his wise cracks. People have heard “the famous tapes”.
We heard them a few days after that all happened. We heard allot
of stories; that was a benefit at Slingerland. But I got a chance
to see a different side to him. A side others seldom saw and Donny
saw still a deeper side of him as they traveled together allot with
Mel Torme'. Buddy was really humble, funny, loyal and a person of
his word. He was complex and yet simple. He respected and appreciated
honesty, integrity, and loyalty. He didn’t care if you disagreed
with him; he respected people’s opinions. He wanted to learn
from people. I am so grateful that I knew him. He made my life special.
My time in music was fun but it expanded me as
a person in a spiritual sense, too. I got a call one morning from
a drummer that had a million questions. We talked and later that
night went to the Randhurst Ice arena to see three bands. This place
is now a Home Depot in Mount Prospect IL. I went to the show and
saw a band that blew me away. That special feeling came again and
this time it was telling me that in 6 months this band was going
be the hottest band in the country. I signed them and in the days
to come, I began to pitch percussion ideas to them. The guys were
open to them all and I killed myself every night after working in
the Slingerland office to go out into the factory to build drums,
tympani, pick gongs and other percussion items for the record they
were rehearsing for. I also was working with Hal Trummer from J.C.
Deagan to coordinate the construction of chimes and yes even a vibraphone.
Six months later, “Leftover” by Kansas was the fastest
selling album in the country. It was the first time I heard a snare
drum that was built as if it were going to Buddy Rich, being played
in a rock band. If you listen to “Wayward Son” closely,
you’ll hear it. The drums I built sounded awesome thanks to
producer Jeff Glixman, and the percussion suggestions I made were
applied by the band with imagination and taste. Steve Walsh never
studied vibes or any percussion instrument and cut his tooth as
a vibe player on the session. Oh, and in case you are wondering,
I never made a ‘chain-driven gong’.
The biggest kick I got was going into a record
store and checking out the inner sleeve, which gave Slingerland,
Hal, and I credit for what we did. Oddly enough, as I was walking
out of the store, I ran into the first girlfriend that dumped me.
I just walked by and thought the timing very odd.
I’m still friends with Phil Ehart. In my
opinion, he is the most underrated rock player on the road today.
He is another one that is solid, innovative, and when its show time,
ruthless. He will play the big fills and solos if you want but he
is always pushing and accompanying “Kansas”. He is also
the band’s business manager, and acts as producer.
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