When I saw him at Ronnie Scott’s he spotted the British drummer Kenny Clare in the audience and insisted he sit in with the band! Kenny had been battling cancer and was not at his full strength by a long way, but Buddy paid him this huge respect in giving him the stage… I’m so glad I saw them both.
Great story of humanity. Mind you, I played a gig to a public in a foreign country. At that gig I was approached by many of that attending public to give a local drummer an opportunity to sit in on some songs. I happily agreed considering my circumstances was that I was playing to a jovial public who enjoyed the music this far yet collectively felt inspired to have their local drummer have a shot in the spotlight. It was my band that objected to it but allowed the drummers guest spot after my persuasion. The unfortunate reality proved that ,while the young drummer had real rhymical talent, he had no ear for working with an ensemble. He , atleast to my ears, played interesting beats and interpretations which differed greatly to my own, which I loved consequently for that I was inspired to seek more creative contribution over my former conventional one. The band though felt second fiddle to his seemingly show off work which consequently made the band feel used as a vehicle for this new drummers talent rather than how they felt with me which was musically supported and compositionally relevant. To summarise, I took a risk on an unknown but with good faith due to the public majority request in attendance that night. My band scolded me after for persuading them to give the guy a shot but I still stand by my decision that day as it went over great with that public that night and the drummer in question felt credible finally. This story though is to emphasise that a pro drummer like rich inviting another pro drummer , whether ill or not, a spot is no kinder than to allow someone shotgun in a car when car pooling to a place. If rich invited his students up on stage I'd support that but to make safe bets isn't as kind or generous as one might like to think
I SWEAR this Buddy Rich story is 100% true , with no embellishments at all !! It was right around 1979-ish and I was approximately 10-12 years old. Being a huge Buddy Fan and drum nut , when my father (Band Director at Michigan's Novi High School) informed me that Buddy Rich and his Big Band would be putting on a concert at the N.H.S's brand new auditorium , I FREAKED !! Not only did I get to watch the whole show from the wings (amazing walk around the drum set solo !!) , but he also let me carry his ride tom out to the tour bus for him !! Quite an honor and one of a kind childhood memory experience !! 🥁
I was with Buddy in his dressing room when I was 15 in 1968. He was the warmest, kindest man! I still idolize him. Still have his autograph framed on my wall.
Great podcast Bart and Howie ! Buddy Rich will always be remembered as a true musician with talent and personality to match. This offers a unique perspective of the man.
I love listening to these kinds of stories of buddy rich, frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis. I consider them the pinnacle of entertainment and their era was the coolest of all.
I manage an. Excĺusive night club diner theater. Called. CHATEAU DE VIĹĹE. EASTWINDSOR. CTWERE I ONCE set UP HIS DRUMS because his. Drumteçh was. Inan. Accident we became very close friends a drummer myself. HE WAS THE GREATEST MISS HIMDEARLY
I'm a couple years younger than Howie. About 1980,81 I was at a A&W root beer stand in New Hampshire with my girlfriend when his bus pulled in. I almost passed out. A few guys got out and went inside. Buddy got out alone and lit up a cig. I just had to ask for his autograph. I was crappin' my pants with fear but I went up to him and he gave it to me without hardly a word spoken. Less than a week later I saw him and the band play at the University of Vermont. My seat was about 20 feet away. What a powerful show! Loved it!
Great interview! In 1976 I was a senior in High School and the local PBA had a fundraiser featuring Buddy and his band. I did lighting for the event and his riser was set up between the Front of House lights and first electric (light bar). I went to his manager and said “Can we move the riser forward so I can light Buddy and the band better?” The manager said “NO! Mr. Rich has to be 20.5 feet from the stage front”. I can’t believe I did this but I went directly to Buddy and said…”Mr. Rich would it be OK if I moved your riser 10 feet closer so I can light you better?” He said “No problem kid, do whatever you want!” Needless to say, the manager never spoke to me for the rest of the night! LOL! By the way, Buddy played with one foot in a cast as he’d broken his foot earlier! A magical performance.
Wow that is an incredible story. Good for you for going right to the source and asking Buddy! also cool about his foot being in a cast, I'm sure he still played great!
My father was the singer Jimmie Rodgers of Honeycomb fame. When I was a kid my father took me along with him when he played the Andy Williams celebrity golf tournament. In our foursome was Buddy Rich. I was a huge fan of his playing. Each celebrity was given a brand new customized golf bag with their name stitched into the leather when they checked in. As the day progressed Buddy kept shanking shots all over the place until he finally couldn’t keep it together and his ball went into a lake. He let out a series of curse words that made the birds stop chirping. He dropped a ball and tried again but this shot also went into the lake. Buddy picked up his bag of clubs and tossed them into the lake and drove his cart away screaming as he left. We were all stunned and just standing there on the green when a few minutes later Buddy came back. We watched as he waded out into the water, picked up his bag and removed his wallet and car keys. He then lifted the bag over his head and threw it even farther out into the deep part of the water. We never saw him the rest of the day after that. I wanted to swim out to get the bag but my dad wouldn’t let me. I enjoyed his playing but as a person I think he fought some pretty big demons and no one around him was spared his anger.
Wow that is an unbelievable story Michael. Thanks so much for sharing that - you can't get information like that anywhere besides someone in your small golf group. I would absolutely want to go into the water to get the bag too, but I also get your dad not wanting his son swimming out in the water at a golf course to get Buddys bag :)
I met Howie one night at a Buddy Rich concert at the Fort Erie race race track in Fort Erie ,Ontario, Canada .I think it was in the early 80's It was supppsed to be outside but it was raining so I caught Howie bringing Buddy's drums inside . I sided up to him and what a guy ! . He was the sweetest guy who must have seen my mouth watering and agape so he asked me if i wanted to help him which i course leaped at. He then set up seats stage right where he hung out maybe 10 - 15 ft away from Buddy. What a thrill watching him that close .One would think that should have been enough BUT NOOOO. 😂.After the concert Buddy went to the bus and Howie asked me if I would help him tear down and carry BUDDYS DRUMS to the bus .He says go ahead Sit behind them 😱 until he was ready which I GLADLY did.! That should have be enough but NOoooO ! Howie then asked If I wanted to meet him ?? Man oh Man .I went with him into the bus and out from the back came buddy in a thick WHITE ROBE😮 who then shook my hand proceeded to give me a set of sticks plus his autograph Sooo WOW ❤ ! .I have thought of HOWIE and his genorsity to me many times. He made a dream come true for me ! ❤ ❤ Many ! Many ! Thanks to you Howie and of course to BUDDY for everything ..God LOVE U ❤ RIP to Buddy Rich the greatest drummer EVER in the World .😱WHAT A NIGHT IT WAS !❤❤❤
I saw Buddy countless times in the LA / So Cal area and met him on more than occasion and he was always friendly & a gentleman. The "had to see it to believe it" gig was one of countless shows at Disneyland and on this occasion Buddy Miles was in attendance and Buddy asked him to sit in to play "Them Changes." Everybody was slack jawed and looking around for Rod Serling! But it was no joke and Buddy LOVED Buddy Miles!
2 of his longtime musicians friends were both Steve Marcus and Andy Fusco Sadly both gone. I had a band that played weddings and lounges. Whenever either was available they would fill in dates with my band and others. To work with them was such a treat and boy did they have great Buddy stories. All told with love.
I saw Buddy in Vancouver, 1972. Drums before the machines took over. Good to hear these stories of music made by people touched by people. I'm gonna find that "Hague gig" knowing this old, toeless guys watches like it was the reason he was born: to take care of Buddy Rich for a little while. I'm getting close to tears just thinking about it. And Carl Palmer, in Toronto, know Buddy was in the crowd. Oh, to be a fly-on-the-wall for that one. Thanks, man. Love your channel.
Pianist Lee Musiker recorded Buddy Rich on the tour bus with his Sony Walkman cassette recorder, hidden in a rolled up newspaper, that he used to record his performances with the band in order to review them after the gig.
I was lucky enough to see Buddy and the band a couple of times before Howie was with him. In 70 or 71 at a club in Pittsburgh, my drummer friend and I double dated (we were 18 or 19) to see him. I think Buddy knew my friend's father who was a weekend musician. Buddy stopped at the table between sets to say hello and give my friend a set of brushes. Very cool!
Wow, what a fantastic interview Bart. You need to get Howie back to chat about his experience in seeing the band she talked about in during the interview, ie Led Zeppelin etc. and ask him what was it like seeing those bands and what he his emotional experience was, being at the concerts. Keep up the great work.
Had to laugh at the story about going to Miller's Pub in Chicago for ribs. Basically a couple doors down from Frank's Drum Shop. Spent a lot of time on that street and had more than a few lunches at Miller's as an aspiring young drummer.
In the 70-80's? The Buddy Rich Band worked summers at Disneyland -- the Carnation Bandstand if I recall? In those days you could buy a general admission ticket real cheap like under 5 bucks. These were tickets that did not include ride coupons.I knew he was special but now I realize how amazing he was. I saw him 10+ times and looking back on it now I should have gone 50 times. He did have a temper but when the band was tight -- amazing. GREAT date night too...Chicks dug Buddy and the band...lol...
High five, I saw probably all of those great summer night Disneyland Buddy gigs at the oldschool Carnation Plaza pavilion where we all sat cross legged on the cement dance floor!
Back in 1978, my parents and I were waiting in line, on the tarmac of LAX, to board a flight to SFO. I noticed a number of passengers were carrying instrument cases. As I scanned the line, I was shocked to see Buddy Rich standing a few yards ahead of us. Once we got onboard, I summoned up enough courage to ask Buddy for his autograph. He was very nice to me and signed my ticket jacket. I told him that I had just seen him at Summerfest earlier that summer. He replied "Milwaukee, right?.......that's a great town!"
I love hearing about buddy he was truly the greatest and believe me I know all the other drummers and I’ve listen to them and they’re great but buddy is one of a kind
Drum history?😃 He’ll yeah! You just reminded me that I’ve known how to play drums for 35 years!! It’s been about two years since I’ve played. Got other irons burning but I should hit something hollow!! Thanx!
I sat about 15 feet away from Buddy about a year before he passed away. Got to go on the bus for an autograph afterwards. I could tell the crowd annoyed him for some reason and I told him that I wished that the crowd had been a little bit better, he said “Me too babe” lol
Funny Buddy Rich story: around the time I was born in 1985 or 1986 my dad was playing trumpet in the de Anza big band in San Jose CA. Buddy came to town and played with the de Anza big band at de anza. My dad stepped up to play first chair trumpet because everyone else was scared of Buddy and my dad and my uncle are huge fans of his, as am I. When they finished up buddy congratulated my dad on doing a great job and my dad asked if he would sign one of the tickets from the event for, me his son. Buddy said sure and my dad handed him the ticket. While buddy was signing it my dad asked if he could make it out to "Ian" (that's me!) Buddy slowly looked up from the ticket and said "don't push your luck..." He signed the ticket but not to me! A good guy but a hard guy. I still have the ticket but the ink has almost disappeared now. I love jazz music and totally look up to Buddy!!! Elvin and Buddy are my two heros
Buddy took shit from no one. He was opening for Johnny Carson when one night he played longer than Carson wanted. Later Johnny asked Buddy to cut his act just a few minutes. Next night Buddy played only what he closed his shows with got up and left. It was 45 minutes before Carson was to go on. Johnny said he never told or asked Buddy anything again. Buddy was all pro and insisted on perfection and he interpreted Johnnys request as an insult. Short fuse but one of the greatest ever.
Buddy had ridiculous power. Watch him as a young man playing blazing fast triplets at the end of "Hawaiian War Chant" from 1942. He could play hard and play soft. He had dynamics, power, speed, ridiculous left hand.
I played drums 4 Don Menza the father of Nick Meza megadeath drummer and recorded with Art pepper . Art and Don were the featured soloists on Buddy"s Caesar's palace album I heard stories of Buddy. from them and Freddie gruber famous drum teacher guru and Don Menza told me that the band would have a drummer learn a chart like westside story and have Buddy come in after the drummer learned the chart Buddy would hear the chart 1 time and get on the drums and play it perfectly without the chart cuz Buddy didn't read music UNBELIEVABLE no musicians have done that
Despite Howie not being a drummer, I thought it was very perceptive how he distinguished Buddy's playing finesse compared to other drummers. Too often Buddy is thought of strictly as a powerhouse with incredible speed but with the smoothness, the finesse, overlooked.
I bought an LP album in the 50s called “King of the vibes. It featured Lionel Hampton on vibes, Oscar Peterson piano, Ray Brown bass, Buddy de Franco clarinet and Buddy Rich on drums. There are only 4 cuts on the record and all basically had the drum parts played with brushes. The drumming is very subdued and tasteful. Nuff said
saw Buddy once. it was a privilege. he gave the lighting guy at balcony level a hard time, hey, don't blind me w/ it! something like that. early '80's or so...I knew I was in the presence of greatness .I got high as a kite, while begging my neighbor to go, but no dice. it was 10 blocks away, at my former High school. very respectable auditorium, tho. Ray Charles later did a gig there that I went to. and drum roll, please, when I attended school there in '73...., Stevie Wonder showed up out of the blue, during my art class. again the venue was nice, but he had to settle on our ancient piano. my homeroom teacher, a lovely black woman(thank you Ms. Phillips)., asked him to come to help raise awareness of Sickle Cell Anemia. true story. he'd done a gig in Boston ,and she went backstage to speak w/ the gracious superstar of the day. he was at the height of his fame, but still, a veteran. he was winning Grammy's left & right. but he made time. he did a medley of his hits at Jenkins Auditorium, and then spoke. kids who were home sick, or skipped school, missed out. sorry, I digress.
Buddy rich firing a trumpet player for joking a response to giving an A demonstrates how asshole he was. What lesson can we learn from this story as musicians? What lesson in values had buddy rich on his side behind that move? Great musician and drumming historical figure. An example of cold heartedness too when one digs deeper. I've heard stories of James Brown, Prince and some others being unnecessarily harsh on musicians in a world where musicians have it tough anyways. Want the best from your band when you are the boss, fine. Being especially ruthless outside the parameters of music I cannot appreciate on a personal level. Most musicians are creative artists. Those who achieve a life employed in music did so against a world of normal employment where boss and employee dynamics exsisted. See how Alan Holdsworth treated his musicians or Frank Zappa for that matter. Tough with musical challenges but fair with creative input and say and also fair with pay and credit
Life was tougher back then and people were tougher. You had to grow a thick skin and tow what ever the line was. Clearly he was a beautiful human. He just had to rule with iron to keep a show on the road for 200 days and nights a year. The times are not comparable.
I'm willing to bet that this particular incident is not totally accurate. When I was on the band and a now infamous scene took place and Buddy fired a band member while on the bus driving to a gig in California, it didn't happen. When we got to the gig, the musician in question still played the gig and all was calm. That's because of the nice guy that Buddy was in spite of the situation that occurred just hours prior.
Howie says he was present when Buddy's rants were discreetly recorded, but the most notable of those took place in the fall of 1983. I know this because I was on the band a few feet away from Buddy when they went down. Howie was there from 1978- 80, so unless a similar situation with a trombone player and Buddy saying to shut the door took place, that is not quite accurate. Buddy's valet in 1983 was a young guy by the name of Mark Ratner. Still very interesting to relive those days via this video interview.
I'm a musician. One of my jazz professors in music school was in the Glen Miller Orchestra in the 1970's and his college roommate was in Buddy Rich's band. The roommate told us the story of the time Buddy's piano player had an injury and he had to pick up another pianist quickly. The man Buddy chose was also an evangelical Christian. Buddy Rich was Jewish and many claim he was also an "agnostic/atheist Jew". According to the roommate, while they were on the bus the piano player asked several of the band members if Buddy was a Christian to which they adamantly told the piano player, "Under no circumstances should you ever discuss Jesus with Buddy!" The piano player did not take his bandmates' advice. The roommate said the piano player sat down next to buddy and began talking. According to the roommate, "We don't know what he said, but suddenly Buddy yelled at the driver to stop the bus. Then he made the piano player grab his suitcase. Buddy then said, 'You're done, mother-f*cker!' and threw him off the bus...in the dead of night...in the middle of nowhere. Buddy then stood up and screamed, 'Any of you other mother-f*ckers want to talk to me about Jesus?!" My professor and his roommate refer to these stories as "Gigs From Hell!" LOL.
Well you know most likely the evangelist piano player Bringing up the subject Of Jesus may Have been an attempt to try to convert buddy to Christianity that’s what a lot of these evangelistic types do! And buddy would have none of it he wasn’t religious l but he was a damn proud JEW! He was a secular Jew if you will! Anyway personally I don’t think it’s cool it’s not cool at all to screw with another person‘s religion! If people of different religions had respect for people and other religions different from their own I think we all get along a lot better on this planet! “Live and let Live” I I say and don’t try to change someone’s way of looking at the world even if you think you’re doing them a favor because most times you’re not! What might work for you may be disastrous and not work for someone else? Play it close to the vest!
@@nealsausen4651 I agree...don't try to change.... But, we are commissioned to spread the good news...if someone doesn't want to hear, that's their choice. Share the gospel once, let the Holy Spirit work, if the person is closed to the message, that's all we can do. The rest is in God's hands. BR was a Secular jew though which means he's an atheist. Jews believe they are gods and can save themselves. Who did Buddy thank for his talent?
Ha, very cool! I went to BGSU and played with Rich Perry, Tim Hagans, and future Buddy Rich bass player Tom Warrington. I hooked up years later with Tom and I can only say he was a changed man! You're barely scratching the surface here, very entertaining but otherwise a huge load of "not much". Have a nice day
Buddy and Carl were very close in that Carl went out with Buddy's daughter. That's the way I understand it. It was about that time the ELP "Works" came out with Carls big band sound@@7karlheinz
I always wondered if there were any members of his bands that he actually liked and respected. Or did he just consider the members of his band his bands of grunts?
@@Malama_Ki Not entirely true. He was very close to pianist Barry Keiner, very close with Tenor player Steve Marcus and they used to drive together when Buddy at times drove his own car. They also went to movies together. Over the years I'm sure there were others that Buddy considered friends...not just "slaves". But I know that there was always a an employee/employer relationship at the same time.
Oh, I think there were musicians in his bands he respected. Guys like Pat LaBarbera,, Rick Stepton, Andy Fusco, Tom Garling and others he spoke highly of. When he discovered a guy could really play, he featured him. But yes, he was tough to work for.
Smoking can make you a little paranoid. It has to do with depletion og signal carriers in the brain (sorry, I'm danish I'm not sure of the right words), it could factor in.
What about Buddy's derogatory comment to Allan Holdsworth after playing a gig with him? Anyone know about that incident? He didn't seem to be open to gifted and unique artists, no?
@@Malama_Ki Yeah, I saw an interview with Holdsworth some years ago where he said that after the gig, Buddy said something to him like "Did you like the gig? Hope you did, because that's the last gig you'll ever play with me." As you said, MEGALOMANIAC!! People make all sorts of excuses for people with terrible toxic behaviors because they are so "gifted." I think that's BS. An asshole is an ASSHOLE, and a jerk is a JERK...
I grew up playing drums out of the Buddy Rich rudiment book. I have a lot of respect for Buddy he's one of the best. I know he got a little cocky with his people sometimes, but that's the norm with virtuosos to be expected. I know Buddy Rich used to like to take a little taste once in awhile a lot of musicians do. What gets me is the terrible things that Gene Krupa went through, these guys are kinda two peas in a pod, so to speak. I'm not sure what I'm getting at but I don't think it's fair what Krupa went through. Buddy was a bigger pot head than Krupa.
heard about Mel Torme and Buddy on the same date. Mel was out front on the mic doing his set and Buddy came up behind him with a giant cream pie and pied him in the face in the middle of his set. Mel had to do the rest of the set with cream pie smeared all over his face and suit.. haha holy crap
this puts me in mind of a story I heard last nite on YT about LBJ peeing (on purpose) on a secret service agent. he wasn't even in a men's room! I know he was low, but that takes the cake.
I’ve only watched Rich several times on various television appearances, but he seemed to have an exaggerated sense of self importance. And, he was critical of rock drummers that used a matched grip. He claimed that they couldn’t play as proficiently as he did because of his use of standard grip. Tell that to Neil Peart. In other words, he seemed like a dick.
When I saw him at Ronnie Scott’s he spotted the British drummer Kenny Clare in the audience and insisted he sit in with the band! Kenny had been battling cancer and was not at his full strength by a long way, but Buddy paid him this huge respect in giving him the stage… I’m so glad I saw them both.
Wow that is a cool story. Kenny Clare is a legend
So sorry to hear about the health problems he had. One of my favorite drummers.
Great story of humanity. Mind you, I played a gig to a public in a foreign country. At that gig I was approached by many of that attending public to give a local drummer an opportunity to sit in on some songs. I happily agreed considering my circumstances was that I was playing to a jovial public who enjoyed the music this far yet collectively felt inspired to have their local drummer have a shot in the spotlight. It was my band that objected to it but allowed the drummers guest spot after my persuasion. The unfortunate reality proved that ,while the young drummer had real rhymical talent, he had no ear for working with an ensemble. He , atleast to my ears, played interesting beats and interpretations which differed greatly to my own, which I loved consequently for that I was inspired to seek more creative contribution over my former conventional one. The band though felt second fiddle to his seemingly show off work which consequently made the band feel used as a vehicle for this new drummers talent rather than how they felt with me which was musically supported and compositionally relevant. To summarise, I took a risk on an unknown but with good faith due to the public majority request in attendance that night. My band scolded me after for persuading them to give the guy a shot but I still stand by my decision that day as it went over great with that public that night and the drummer in question felt credible finally. This story though is to emphasise that a pro drummer like rich inviting another pro drummer , whether ill or not, a spot is no kinder than to allow someone shotgun in a car when car pooling to a place. If rich invited his students up on stage I'd support that but to make safe bets isn't as kind or generous as one might like to think
Classic Buddy!
@@brianmcguire5175😅
I SWEAR this Buddy Rich story is 100% true , with no embellishments at all !! It was right around 1979-ish and I was approximately 10-12 years old. Being a huge Buddy Fan and drum nut , when my father (Band Director at Michigan's Novi High School) informed me that Buddy Rich and his Big Band would be putting on a concert at the N.H.S's brand new auditorium , I FREAKED !! Not only did I get to watch the whole show from the wings (amazing walk around the drum set solo !!) , but he also let me carry his ride tom out to the tour bus for him !! Quite an honor and one of a kind childhood memory experience !! 🥁
Cool! That is a great experience, thanks for sharing and thank you for watching!
Awesome history!
Let you? Shoulda told him fitty bucks.
what's a ride tom ?
do you mean a ride cymbal . maybe a typo mistake 🤷🏻♂️
Perhaps a side tom vs ride tom?
*I would have loved to have done a road trip listening to country music with Buddy!*
I was with Buddy in his dressing room when I was 15 in 1968. He was the warmest, kindest man! I still idolize him. Still have his autograph framed on my wall.
Great podcast Bart and Howie !
Buddy Rich will always be remembered as a true musician with talent and personality to match. This offers a unique perspective of the man.
Thank you as usual my friend!
thank you for this great interview, very insightful
Thank you for watching!
I love listening to these kinds of stories of buddy rich, frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis. I consider them the pinnacle of entertainment and their era was the coolest of all.
I agree completely!
I manage an. Excĺusive night club diner theater. Called. CHATEAU DE VIĹĹE. EASTWINDSOR. CTWERE I ONCE set UP HIS DRUMS because his. Drumteçh was. Inan. Accident we became very close friends a drummer myself. HE WAS THE GREATEST MISS HIMDEARLY
Fabulous interview!
Get well soon Howie! ✌🏻
Thank you Howie for a behind the scenes tale with Buddy! These are priceless
👍
I'm a couple years younger than Howie. About 1980,81 I was at a A&W root beer stand in New Hampshire with my girlfriend when his bus pulled in. I almost passed out. A few guys got out and went inside. Buddy got out alone and lit up a cig. I just had to ask for his autograph. I was crappin' my pants with fear but I went up to him and he gave it to me without hardly a word spoken. Less than a week later I saw him and the band play at the University of Vermont. My seat was about 20 feet away. What a powerful show! Loved it!
Great interview! In 1976 I was a senior in High School and the local PBA had a fundraiser featuring Buddy and his band. I did lighting for the event and his riser was set up between the Front of House lights and first electric (light bar). I went to his manager and said “Can we move the riser forward so I can light Buddy and the band better?” The manager said “NO! Mr. Rich has to be 20.5 feet from the stage front”. I can’t believe I did this but I went directly to Buddy and said…”Mr. Rich would it be OK if I moved your riser 10 feet closer so I can light you better?” He said “No problem kid, do whatever you want!” Needless to say, the manager never spoke to me for the rest of the night! LOL! By the way, Buddy played with one foot in a cast as he’d broken his foot earlier! A magical performance.
Wow that is an incredible story. Good for you for going right to the source and asking Buddy! also cool about his foot being in a cast, I'm sure he still played great!
The only reason Buddy didn't put his foot up your ass is because it was already broken! 🤣
Wonderful interview with some interesting and unique information. Loved it, thanks much!!
Thanks for watching!
My father was the singer Jimmie Rodgers of Honeycomb fame. When I was a kid my father took me along with him when he played the Andy Williams celebrity golf tournament. In our foursome was Buddy Rich. I was a huge fan of his playing. Each celebrity was given a brand new customized golf bag with their name stitched into the leather when they checked in. As the day progressed Buddy kept shanking shots all over the place until he finally couldn’t keep it together and his ball went into a lake. He let out a series of curse words that made the birds stop chirping. He dropped a ball and tried again but this shot also went into the lake. Buddy picked up his bag of clubs and tossed them into the lake and drove his cart away screaming as he left. We were all stunned and just standing there on the green when a few minutes later Buddy came back. We watched as he waded out into the water, picked up his bag and removed his wallet and car keys. He then lifted the bag over his head and threw it even farther out into the deep part of the water. We never saw him the rest of the day after that. I wanted to swim out to get the bag but my dad wouldn’t let me. I enjoyed his playing but as a person I think he fought some pretty big demons and no one around him was spared his anger.
Wow that is an unbelievable story Michael. Thanks so much for sharing that - you can't get information like that anywhere besides someone in your small golf group. I would absolutely want to go into the water to get the bag too, but I also get your dad not wanting his son swimming out in the water at a golf course to get Buddys bag :)
I've heard that story about 25 guys throwing bag into lake, then retrieving keys, then throwing it back in. Popular story.
@@stuartdorsey1362 Perahaps. I was there for this one.
Your father was a vocal genius and that is the greatest Buddy story EVER!!!!!!
Today he’d be ‘me-too’d’, beaten like a rented mule, or both.
I met Howie one night at a Buddy Rich concert at the Fort Erie race race track in Fort Erie ,Ontario, Canada .I think it was in the early 80's It was supppsed to be outside but it was raining so I caught Howie bringing Buddy's drums inside . I sided up to him and what a guy ! . He was the sweetest guy who must have seen my mouth watering and agape so he asked me if i wanted to help him which i course leaped at. He then set up seats stage right where he hung out maybe 10 - 15 ft away from Buddy. What a thrill watching him that close .One would think that should have been enough BUT NOOOO. 😂.After the concert Buddy went to the bus and Howie asked me if I would help him tear down and carry BUDDYS DRUMS to the bus .He says go ahead Sit behind them 😱
until he was ready which I GLADLY did.! That should have be enough but NOoooO ! Howie then asked If I wanted to meet him ?? Man oh Man .I went with him into the bus and out from the back came buddy in a thick WHITE ROBE😮 who then shook my hand proceeded to give me a set of sticks plus his autograph Sooo WOW ❤ ! .I have thought of HOWIE and his genorsity to me many times. He made a dream come true for me ! ❤ ❤ Many ! Many ! Thanks to you Howie and of course to BUDDY for everything ..God LOVE U ❤ RIP to Buddy Rich the greatest drummer EVER in the World .😱WHAT A NIGHT IT WAS !❤❤❤
A fascinating insight! BR came to the UK many times playing the regional theatres, sadly I never got round to seeing him play. Keep up the good work!
Thank you very much for listening! Buddy definitely loved the UK
I saw Buddy countless times in the LA / So Cal area and met him on more than occasion and he was always friendly & a gentleman. The "had to see it to believe it" gig was one of countless shows at Disneyland and on this occasion Buddy Miles was in attendance and Buddy asked him to sit in to play "Them Changes." Everybody was slack jawed and looking around for Rod Serling! But it was no joke and Buddy LOVED Buddy Miles!
I believe I was at that particular show! Very cool. Carnation Plaza, right?
@@stevejenkins6919 Yes, Carnation Plaza!
Thank you for this great interview
One line he said sums it up. - 'The others were bangers... Buddy was SMOOTH.'
Great interview God bless you
Priceless Insight.
Thank you very much.
Great insight! Thank you very much for bringing this to the world!
2 of his longtime musicians friends were
both
Steve Marcus and Andy Fusco
Sadly both gone.
I had a band that played weddings and lounges.
Whenever either was available they would fill in dates with my band and others.
To work with them was such a treat and boy did they have great Buddy stories.
All told with love.
I saw Buddy in Vancouver, 1972. Drums before the machines took over. Good to hear these stories of music made by people touched by people. I'm gonna find that "Hague gig" knowing this old, toeless guys watches like it was the reason he was born: to take care of Buddy Rich for a little while. I'm getting close to tears just thinking about it. And Carl Palmer, in Toronto, know Buddy was in the crowd. Oh, to be a fly-on-the-wall for that one. Thanks, man. Love your channel.
lol Thanks Geoff. Enjoy buddy at the Hague :)
Pianist Lee Musiker recorded Buddy Rich on the tour bus with his Sony Walkman cassette recorder, hidden in a rolled up newspaper, that he used to record his performances with the band in order to review them after the gig.
Thanks for the great info! The tapes have certainly become a part of history
@@DrumHistoryPodcast No doubt. Buddy's quotes even appeared in a few "Seinfeld" episodes.
I was lucky enough to see Buddy and the band a couple of times before Howie was with him. In 70 or 71 at a club in Pittsburgh, my drummer friend and I double dated (we were 18 or 19) to see him. I think Buddy knew my friend's father who was a weekend musician. Buddy stopped at the table between sets to say hello and give my friend a set of brushes. Very cool!
Great interview thanks
17 times I saw him play with killer force, I will die happy😂
Great video-thank you!
Wow! Praise from Caesar!
Thanks Terry!
Wow, what a fantastic interview Bart. You need to get Howie back to chat about his experience in seeing the band she talked about in during the interview, ie Led Zeppelin etc. and ask him what was it like seeing those bands and what he his emotional experience was, being at the concerts. Keep up the great work.
Had to laugh at the story about going to Miller's Pub in Chicago for ribs. Basically a couple doors down from Frank's Drum Shop. Spent a lot of time on that street and had more than a few lunches at Miller's as an aspiring young drummer.
Thats awesome!
In the 70-80's? The Buddy Rich Band worked summers at Disneyland -- the Carnation Bandstand if I recall? In those days you could buy a general admission ticket real cheap like under 5 bucks. These were tickets that did not include ride coupons.I knew he was special but now I realize how amazing he was. I saw him 10+ times and looking back on it now I should have gone 50 times. He did have a temper but when the band was tight -- amazing. GREAT date night too...Chicks dug Buddy and the band...lol...
That is awesome! I would've loved to see Buddy at Disneyland
High five, I saw probably all of those great summer night Disneyland Buddy gigs at the oldschool Carnation Plaza pavilion where we all sat cross legged on the cement dance floor!
Hard to believe this guy was ever the same size as Buddy Rich 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Back in 1978, my parents and I were waiting in line, on the tarmac of LAX, to board a flight to SFO. I noticed a number of passengers were carrying instrument cases. As I scanned the line, I was shocked to see Buddy Rich standing a few yards ahead of us. Once we got onboard, I summoned up enough courage to ask Buddy for his autograph. He was very nice to me and signed my ticket jacket. I told him that I had just seen him at Summerfest earlier that summer. He replied "Milwaukee, right?.......that's a great town!"
That is super cool! Great Buddy Story, thanks for sharing
Great interview.
Thank you!
I love hearing about buddy he was truly the greatest and believe me I know all the other drummers and I’ve listen to them and they’re great but buddy is one of a kind
Drum history?😃 He’ll yeah! You just reminded me that I’ve known how to play drums for 35 years!! It’s been about two years since I’ve played. Got other irons burning but I should hit something hollow!! Thanx!
This is great!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!
Hey Howie, I met you in Hayward, California, 1981. Buddy was doing a show and You actually used one of my cymbal stands for the show.
I sat about 15 feet away from Buddy about a year before he passed away. Got to go on the bus for an autograph afterwards. I could tell the crowd annoyed him for some reason and I told him that I wished that the crowd had been a little bit better, he said “Me too babe” lol
Haha wow that is great. RIP to Buddy!
Funny Buddy Rich story: around the time I was born in 1985 or 1986 my dad was playing trumpet in the de Anza big band in San Jose CA. Buddy came to town and played with the de Anza big band at de anza. My dad stepped up to play first chair trumpet because everyone else was scared of Buddy and my dad and my uncle are huge fans of his, as am I. When they finished up buddy congratulated my dad on doing a great job and my dad asked if he would sign one of the tickets from the event for, me his son. Buddy said sure and my dad handed him the ticket. While buddy was signing it my dad asked if he could make it out to "Ian" (that's me!)
Buddy slowly looked up from the ticket and said "don't push your luck..." He signed the ticket but not to me!
A good guy but a hard guy. I still have the ticket but the ink has almost disappeared now. I love jazz music and totally look up to Buddy!!! Elvin and Buddy are my two heros
Putting Buddy in the same room as Jerry Lewis would have been a spectacle to behold.
Jerry could play a bit himself!
I like the original recording on his tour bus!
Hey Howie just found you guys this looks like fun
Buddy took shit from no one. He was opening for Johnny Carson when one night he played longer than Carson wanted. Later Johnny asked Buddy to cut his act just a few minutes. Next night Buddy played only what he closed his shows with got up and left. It was 45 minutes before Carson was to go on. Johnny said he never told or asked Buddy anything again. Buddy was all pro and insisted on perfection and he interpreted Johnnys request as an insult. Short fuse but one of the greatest ever.
I’ve learned loooooooooong ago that; we’re given two ears and one mouth and to use them accordingly. Many folks talk when they should listen first.
Buddy had ridiculous power. Watch him as a young man playing blazing fast triplets at the end of "Hawaiian War Chant" from 1942. He could play hard and play soft. He had dynamics, power, speed, ridiculous left hand.
I bet Howie ws with Buddy when I saw him open for Sinatra at The Arie Crown in Chicago. What a band, wow.
You are probably right! A young Howie was likely sitting in the wings waiting for Buddy to finish :)
I played drums 4 Don Menza the father of Nick Meza megadeath drummer and recorded with Art pepper . Art and Don were the featured soloists on Buddy"s Caesar's palace album I heard stories of Buddy. from them and Freddie gruber famous drum teacher guru and Don Menza told me that the band would have a drummer learn a chart like westside story and have Buddy come in after the drummer learned the chart Buddy would hear the chart 1 time and get on the drums and play it perfectly without the chart cuz Buddy didn't read music UNBELIEVABLE no musicians have done that
Wow that is incredible. Buddy was definitely one of a kind. Thanks for watching and sharing that info Steve!
Despite Howie not being a drummer, I thought it was very perceptive how he distinguished Buddy's playing finesse compared to other drummers. Too often Buddy is thought of strictly as a powerhouse with incredible speed but with the smoothness, the finesse, overlooked.
I bought an LP album in the 50s called “King of the vibes. It featured Lionel Hampton on vibes, Oscar Peterson piano, Ray Brown bass, Buddy de Franco clarinet and Buddy Rich on drums. There are only 4 cuts on the record and all basically had the drum parts played with brushes. The drumming is very subdued and tasteful.
Nuff said
THE BUS TAPES!!!
I saw Bubby Rich at the Penthouse disco in Bay Ridge Bklyn. On Valentines day.
saw Buddy once. it was a privilege. he gave the lighting guy at balcony level a hard time, hey, don't blind me w/ it! something like that. early '80's or so...I knew I was in the presence of greatness .I got high as a kite, while begging my neighbor to go, but no dice. it was 10 blocks away, at my former High school. very respectable auditorium, tho. Ray Charles later did a gig there that I went to. and drum roll, please, when I attended school there in '73...., Stevie Wonder showed up out of the blue, during my art class. again the venue was nice, but he had to settle on our ancient piano. my homeroom teacher, a lovely black woman(thank you Ms. Phillips)., asked him to come to help raise awareness of Sickle Cell Anemia. true story. he'd done a gig in Boston ,and she went backstage to speak w/ the gracious superstar of the day. he was at the height of his fame, but still, a veteran. he was winning Grammy's left & right. but he made time. he did a medley of his hits at Jenkins Auditorium, and then spoke. kids who were home sick, or skipped school, missed out. sorry, I digress.
Stories about what a great guy Buddy was have a way of pointing you in the other direction.
I loved this! The interview was way too short. Howie really did know how to not ramble.
Buddy rich firing a trumpet player for joking a response to giving an A demonstrates how asshole he was. What lesson can we learn from this story as musicians? What lesson in values had buddy rich on his side behind that move? Great musician and drumming historical figure. An example of cold heartedness too when one digs deeper. I've heard stories of James Brown, Prince and some others being unnecessarily harsh on musicians in a world where musicians have it tough anyways. Want the best from your band when you are the boss, fine. Being especially ruthless outside the parameters of music I cannot appreciate on a personal level. Most musicians are creative artists. Those who achieve a life employed in music did so against a world of normal employment where boss and employee dynamics exsisted. See how Alan Holdsworth treated his musicians or Frank Zappa for that matter. Tough with musical challenges but fair with creative input and say and also fair with pay and credit
Life was tougher back then and people were tougher. You had to grow a thick skin and tow what ever the line was. Clearly he was a beautiful human. He just had to rule with iron to keep a show on the road for 200 days and nights a year. The times are not comparable.
I'm willing to bet that this particular incident is not totally accurate. When I was on the band and a now infamous scene took place and Buddy fired a band member while on the bus driving to a gig in California, it didn't happen. When we got to the gig, the musician in question still played the gig and all was calm. That's because of the nice guy that Buddy was in spite of the situation that occurred just hours prior.
Howie says he was present when Buddy's rants were discreetly recorded, but the most notable of those took place in the fall of 1983. I know this because I was on the band a few feet away from Buddy when they went down. Howie was there from 1978- 80, so unless a similar situation with a trombone player and Buddy saying to shut the door took place, that is not quite accurate. Buddy's valet in 1983 was a young guy by the name of Mark Ratner. Still very interesting to relive those days via this video interview.
Andy Gravish. Just listened to you on Joy Spring with Buddy. Must have been quite the experience to play in that band. Take care.
Buddy Rich's left hand seemed twice as fast as his right hand - I don't think never seen a drummer with such a fast left hand .
I think that was Buddy's secret weapon.
If ,You ever seen Buddy 'Live' .It was'nt just His left hand . It, was all encompassing ,dexterity ,smoothness ,power etc. All put together ...
He doesn’t get a weird reputation. The tapes and stories tell it all. You get stories like that when you are an asshole. Not complicated.
I'm a musician. One of my jazz professors in music school was in the Glen Miller Orchestra in the 1970's and his college roommate was in Buddy Rich's band. The roommate told us the story of the time Buddy's piano player had an injury and he had to pick up another pianist quickly. The man Buddy chose was also an evangelical Christian. Buddy Rich was Jewish and many claim he was also an "agnostic/atheist Jew". According to the roommate, while they were on the bus the piano player asked several of the band members if Buddy was a Christian to which they adamantly told the piano player, "Under no circumstances should you ever discuss Jesus with Buddy!" The piano player did not take his bandmates' advice. The roommate said the piano player sat down next to buddy and began talking. According to the roommate, "We don't know what he said, but suddenly Buddy yelled at the driver to stop the bus. Then he made the piano player grab his suitcase. Buddy then said, 'You're done, mother-f*cker!' and threw him off the bus...in the dead of night...in the middle of nowhere. Buddy then stood up and screamed, 'Any of you other mother-f*ckers want to talk to me about Jesus?!" My professor and his roommate refer to these stories as "Gigs From Hell!" LOL.
Wow thanks for sharing Scott - that is pretty dark stuff
When Buddy died and went to judgment, he was very surprised.
Well you know most likely the evangelist piano player Bringing up the subject Of Jesus may Have been an attempt to try to convert buddy to Christianity that’s what a lot of these evangelistic types do! And buddy would have none of it he wasn’t religious l but he was a damn proud JEW! He was a secular Jew if you will!
Anyway personally I don’t think it’s cool it’s not cool at all to screw with another person‘s religion! If people of different religions had respect for people and other religions different from their own I think we all get along a lot better on this planet! “Live and let Live” I I say and don’t try to change someone’s way of looking at the world even if you think you’re doing them a favor because most times you’re not! What might work for you may be disastrous and not work for someone else? Play it close to the vest!
@@raylombardo4186 : I don’t think so! I think he’s in heaven right now! God probably wants to take drum lessons from him!
@@nealsausen4651 I agree...don't try to change.... But, we are commissioned to spread the good news...if someone doesn't want to hear, that's their choice. Share the gospel once, let the Holy Spirit work, if the person is closed to the message, that's all we can do. The rest is in God's hands.
BR was a Secular jew though which means he's an atheist. Jews believe they are gods and can save themselves. Who did Buddy thank for his talent?
Super cool that he is Sid Bernsteins nephew
Ha, very cool!
I went to BGSU and played with Rich Perry, Tim Hagans, and future Buddy Rich bass player Tom Warrington. I hooked up years later with Tom and I can only say he was a changed man! You're barely scratching the surface here, very entertaining but otherwise a huge load of "not much".
Have a nice day
Would be amazing to get Tom Warrington on hear to talk about old Buddy tales.
I wish he would have talked more about Emerson Lake and Palmer. BR opinion of their music.
I'm sure Buddy would have appreciated Carl Palmer's use of a traditional drumstick grip.
Buddy and Carl were very close in that Carl went out with Buddy's daughter. That's the way I understand it. It was about that time the ELP "Works" came out with Carls big band sound@@7karlheinz
I always wondered if there were any members of his bands that he actually liked and respected. Or did he just consider the members of his band his bands of grunts?
They were all expendable. King Buddy and his slaves.
Sounds like Buddy could be a real asshole.
@@Malama_Ki Not entirely true. He was very close to pianist Barry Keiner, very close with Tenor player Steve Marcus and they used to drive together when Buddy at times drove his own car. They also went to movies together. Over the years I'm sure there were others that Buddy considered friends...not just "slaves". But I know that there was always a an employee/employer relationship at the same time.
Oh, I think there were musicians in his bands he respected. Guys like Pat LaBarbera,, Rick Stepton, Andy Fusco, Tom Garling and others he spoke highly of. When he discovered a guy could really play, he featured him. But yes, he was tough to work for.
Don Menza & Pete Christaleib were with Buddy a long time ...
My Dad was a guitarist who played for Jimmy Wakely, and Hank Thompson. Dad told me that Buddy had problems with people. That’s all he would say.
@ 27:12 And Chick Webb?
The upside down cage was featured on I’ve got a secret aTV game show
He demanded you play in time, in tune and be on time and if you did that He Loved You
Smoking can make you a little paranoid. It has to do with depletion og signal carriers in the brain (sorry, I'm danish I'm not sure of the right words), it could factor in.
This man sounds like Jimmy Hoffa's side man handler in The Irishmen.Robert DeNiro 's character, with AL Pacino, who killed Hoffa in the end.😮😮😮
Danny Carey from Tool is also my favourite drummer.
Danny Carey is great
What about Buddy's derogatory comment to Allan Holdsworth after playing a gig with him? Anyone know about that incident? He didn't seem to be open to gifted and unique artists, no?
Buddy, for all his talent, was an asshole. Megalomaniac.
@@Malama_Ki Yeah, I saw an interview with Holdsworth some years ago where he said that after the gig, Buddy said something to him like "Did you like the gig? Hope you did, because that's the last gig you'll ever play with me." As you said, MEGALOMANIAC!! People make all sorts of excuses for people with terrible toxic behaviors because they are so "gifted." I think that's BS. An asshole is an ASSHOLE, and a jerk is a JERK...
@@ichikaba amen! And that’s why I can’t stand Carmine Appice: no humility. He the best, just ask him…
Please relate that incident; I've never heard about it !
Ginger Baker makes Appice seem like a saint.
Buddy gave Gerry Gibbs his drum set when he was 6.
Lucky guy!
Imagine how much faster he would have been if he didn’t smoke weed!😂
First.. Buddy played his fastest when he was relaxed. Second..Name 1 drummer who never smoked weed.
I grew up playing drums out of the Buddy Rich rudiment book. I have a lot of respect for Buddy he's one of the best. I know he got a little cocky with his people sometimes, but that's the norm with virtuosos to be expected. I know Buddy Rich used to like to take a little taste once in awhile a lot of musicians do. What gets me is the terrible things that Gene Krupa went through, these guys are kinda two peas in a pod, so to speak. I'm not sure what I'm getting at but I don't think it's fair what Krupa went through. Buddy was a bigger pot head than Krupa.
I love BR’s drumming, but I have zero tolerance for his BS. I have no time for tantrums & power plays. Subbed to the podcast, good sir. Thanks!
Thank you!
Is Howie doing this from his hospital room?
Yeah, Howie had some trouble with his foot/leg but now has a prosthetic and is doing well
Coaches and drill sergeants chew asses. No one dies…
Buddy taught Judo in the Marines.
Definitely not a man to mess with.
Why is saying Merry Christmas so difficult?
What do you mean Mitch?
You mean Merry Christmas.
the dude was Buddy's weed dealer
heard about Mel Torme and Buddy on the same date. Mel was out front on the mic doing his set and Buddy came up behind him with a giant cream pie and pied him in the face in the middle of his set. Mel had to do the rest of the set with cream pie smeared all over his face and suit.. haha holy crap
Howie looks like a cartoon character...in real life.
didn't ask a question about setting up his drums ~ or did you./.
Sid Bernsteins brother Stan dropped us... he was a mean manager.
This guy is not my kinda of guy...Buddy Rich...don't blow clams ! Buddy was awesome 👌
I'll show you what it's like!
@@MarceloRomero360"
"let's take it outside"
Buddy liked me. Kent Vogel A.S.C.A.P WBD
this puts me in mind of a story I heard last nite on YT about LBJ peeing (on purpose) on a secret service agent. he wasn't even in a men's room! I know he was low, but that takes the cake.
Gordon Ramsay is the only one who can cut this gig.😮
That was a great interview. But Buddy was no Lars Ulrich.
I love Buddy so much. He’s my top influence. But I don’t like hearing about him. Never meet your hero’s …
Rich was a nut case......!
Get to the content! Intro too long! Get to the CONTENT!
I’ve only watched Rich several times on various television appearances, but he seemed to have an exaggerated sense of self importance. And, he was critical of rock drummers that used a matched grip. He claimed that they couldn’t play as proficiently as he did because of his use of standard grip. Tell that to Neil Peart. In other words, he seemed like a dick.
He could tell Neil that and Neil would respond with thank you sir, i want to work on that
Looks like he's in hospital room.
Aaaaa! 😂
This seemed like an awkward interview
I hope not! Howie is a great guy, we still talk regularly and he will be back on the show soon to share more stories.
biased interview-ee, curious to know what religion he practices
What I got out of this video is Buddy Rich is a jerk.
STIPID !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!