In Memoriam
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.
Robin Tolleson
For forty years, the MD writer epitomized the role of drum journalist. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
In Memoriam: Avant-Garde Jazz Drummer Alvin Fielder
The jazz and experimental music world lost a giant this past January 5 when drummer, pharmacologist, drum historian, Alvin Fielder passed away.
In Memoriam: Joel Smith
Remembering the hugely influential and multifaceted gospel drummer. Joel Smith, one of the most prolific drummers in the gospel music scene, passed away this past September 8 at the age of fifty-eight. Beginning in the mid ’70s, Smith carved out…
Kenny Clare and Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clare British drummer Kenny Clare died on January 11 at the Westminster Hospital in London, at the age of 55. Kenny had been hospitalized for eight weeks and had several operations for the removal of cancer from the esophagus.…
Frankie Dunlop
Francis “Frankie” Dunlop, a great jazz drummer of precision, sensitivity, inventiveness, and deep swing, passed away this past July at age eighty-five, after a long struggle with illness. Born December 6, 1928, into a musical family, Dunlop possessed determination that…
Chuck “Palito” Silverman
The drum community suffered an immense loss this past May 1, when teacher, mentor, and percussion ambassador Chuck “Palito” Silverman passed away at age sixty-two. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Ricky Lawson
Michael Jackson. Whitney Houston. Eric Clapton. Lionel Richie. Phil Collins. Steely Dan. What do these artists all have in common? TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Ronald Shannon Jackson
“As you know, this is only about having fun,” Ronald Shannon Jackson told the audience in his warm Texas drawl at the 1991 Skopje Jazz Festival, a performance archived on YouTube. “We’re here to have a little pleasure and bring…
Marvin McQuitty Jr.
He worked with nearly every major artist in the gospel genre, including Fred Hammond, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, Israel Houghton, Maurette Brown Clark, and Kirk Franklin. Modern Drummer contributor Stephen Styles explains, from the head and from the heart, just…
In Memoriam - Johnny Craviotto
Johnny Craviotto, who died on July 15 at age sixty-nine, may have passed on, but his legacy isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Craviotto thrived in the music industry as an innovator and a dear friend to many. His handcrafted solid-shell…
In Memoriam - Dennis Davis
There’s much to love about every drummer who played behind David Bowie. From Mick Woodmansey’s workmanlike chops to slick groove merchants like Andy Newmark and Omar Hakim to Mark Guiliana’s envelope-pushing concepts, all did amazing work with Bowie. TO READ…
