Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Chick Webb: The First True Drumming Idol
Chick was born in Baltimore, Maryland on February 10, 1907. He suffered from tuberculosis of the spine, which left him badly crippled. It wasn’t until he underwent a painful operation as a child that he was able to use his…
Jaguar Club’s Jeremiah Joyce
Hello, Modern Drummer! I want to use this little time with you all to do two things: 1) to let you know about my band, the Jaguar Club, and our new record, And We Wake Up Slowly, and 2) to…
William "Cozy" Cole: The Father Of Coordinated Independence
Cozy Cole, an incredibly adept player, was strongly rooted in the rudimental style, but he contributed much to jazz drumming. One of the first players to develop his own brand of hand and foot coordination, he mastered the technique thoroughly,…
Sugar Hill’s Clarence Alonzo Oliver
Hello to all the modern drummers around the world! For those of you who don’t know of me, I got my first big break as the touring drummer for the famous vocal group the Moments, aka Ray, Goodman & Brown.…
The Greats: Art Blakey
The origins of Blakey’s hard-swinging style can be traced back to his early years as the drummer in Fletcher Henderson’s big band, as well as his three-year tenure in the mid-’40s with Billy Eckstine’s experimental large bop band (featuring future…
Steve Tyrell’s Kevin Winard
Hello, all! This is my first blog for MD, and I thought I would take a little time to let you know who I am and what I’ve been up to. As for my background, I have toured with Doc…
Offspring's Pete Parada (Video)
More from the Offspring's Pete Parada on his unique setup. Clips of Pete live and on stage. Video by Sayre Berman.
Drum Therapy: An Introduction
by Pat Gesualdo This monthly column is designed to assist drum instructors, doctors, and teachers in helping their special-needs students and patients develop physical and cognitive functioning via the drumming art form. Each month I’ll guide you through the Drum…
What Do You Know About...Richie Hayward?
by Bob Girouard Classic Hayward A hallmark of Richie Hayward’s style is his feel. The New Orleans influence is all over his playing, especially in the way he approaches shuffles and second-line rhythms. Here are a few of the drummer’s…
Listen to Sound Files of Ludwig’s Vistalite Jason Bonham Zep Kit
Hear audio from the kit here.
"Papa" Jo Jones: Drumming’s Fearsome Father Figure
It’s been said that modern drumming made its first step towards maturity when Jo Jones arrived in New York in 1936 with the Count Basie band. Within a few years, “Papa” Jo became the idol of hundreds of drummers across…
Michael McManus
Hello, Modern Drummer readers! My name is Michael McManus and I am a twenty-three-year-old drummer from Memphis, TN. First and foremost, I would like to say that I am honored to be writing something that will be featured on the…
Roy Haynes: The Hippest Of The Hip
It’s taken the jazz community nearly half a century to catch up with the inventive and super-hip stylings of Roy Haynes — the oft-proclaimed “father of modern drumming.” Nowadays, you don’t have to look too hard to spot Haynes’ influence…
Arthur "Zutty" Singleton: True Jazz Drumming Pioneer
“We just kept the rhythm going and hardly ever took a solo.” —Zutty Singleton Zutty Singleton was born in Bunkie, Louisiana in 1898, and was basically a self-taught drummer. During his illustrious career he worked with Steve Louis, The Tuxedo…
