Buddy Rich

Chris Macholz

English 11 Thesis

“When it comes to my playing, I take no prisoners,” Buddy Rich tells Mel Torme in February 1949(Unofficial 1). Buddy Rich has taken drumming to new levels, developing ensembles that are centered around his stunning display of endurance and velocity, not to mention his remarkable showmanship. Buddy Rich is one of the most talented and influential drummers of all time.

Born to the name Bernard “Buddy” Rich on September 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, NY to parents Robert and Bess, Rich quickly jumped into the world of show business at the early age of 18-months. He made his first appearance as a vaudeville act called “Traps, The Drum Wonder”(Torme 45).

It wasn’t always just his act though. Touring the country at an early age with his parents, they had little time to attend to their son during their rehearsing and performing. During one such rehearsal as ‘Pal’ (as Rich was often called during his younger years) was sitting on the side, a bit of commotion arose from where the drummer was. Pal was making such a fuss about not having any attention that the drummer, with intentions to keep him quiet, gave him a pair of drumsticks. But instead of keeping quiet, he did quite the opposite. Little Rich, not even a year old, was making quite a spectacle of himself. “As the orchestra began to play again, the baby began tapping the stage in perfect rhythm, with a pair of drumsticks the drummer had given him. Each time the tempo changed, the little hands adjusted to the new pace without missing a beat”(Torme 22). This was just the start, as Rich only took off from this point forward. The next step was getting him a snare drum, bass drum, and a cymbal, which he borrowed from a drummer in the band (Torme 23).

Things were now different for the Rich Family. The newest addition to the family was now the breadwinner in the house. Soon the whole Rich family would find themselves depending on the extra money Pal earned. (Torme 32)

With intentions to make it to Broadway, Robert, with advice from others, decided to make his son a one person act, to go under the name “Traps the Drum Wonder.” This was a big gamble in these days. Although loved in hometowns of the south, could a one-person child act attract enough in big northern cities? This was a chance he bet his money on, and finally made it big. Soon afterwards, many big Companies, such as Ludwig were sponsoring Traps. (Torme 27)

Rich’s family life at those times was very strenuous. His father with all the stresses of the common world, plus the new ones added by his child prodigy would often lead to physical confrontations in the household. Rich was often abused as a result of this (as were his brothers). This ultimately would help to contribute to his arrogance as an adult (Torme 2)

As Rich grew his grand abilities would help place him in the spotlight for the duration of his life. His career quickly took off. From 1951 to 1966, Rich played with many groups and people. Such