American jazz drummer, composer, director, and bandleader Bernard “Buddy” Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987). He has a reputation for being a groundbreaking drummer.
Rich is a native New Yorker who grew up in the borough of Brooklyn. He started playing the drums when he was two years old and developed his love for jazz music at an early age. He debuted on the jazz scene in 1937, performing with artists like Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, and Harry James. Rich was a member of the United States Marine Corps from 1942 until 1944. For three years, from 1945 to 1948, he was at the helm of the Buddy Rich Orchestra. Songs from West Side Story were arranged by him in a big band format and released in 1966. By 1966[citation required], he had established permanent success with the Buddy Rich Big Band, popularly known as the Buddy Rich Band and The Big Band Machine.
To say that Rich had virtuosic skill, power, and speed would be an understatement.
His preference was for the conventional grip, although he did use the matched grip on the toms on occasion. Commercially successful and musically talented as he was, Rich never learned to read sheet music, instead opting to memorize drum parts by listening to them.
