As we look at the history of the three leading American drum companies of the 1920s and 30s, Leedy, Ludwig, and Slingerland; their story leads us to the creation of the very rare drum kit in this article. In 1896, UG Leedy was a professional theater drummer who invented the first folding snare drum stand. Prior to this invention, the snare drum was placed on a chair or wore on a sling. By 1902, the Leedy Manufacturing Company in Indianapolis, Indiana was making drums and percussion instruments for the working drummer. In 1909, Chicago’s William F. Ludwig manufactured the first folding, portable bass drum pedal and founded the Ludwig and Ludwig drum company. In 1923, H.H. Slingerland purchased his first factory building in Chicago to produce banjos. By 1927, Slingerland was an established banjo maker but saw the declining sales of banjos and decided to get into the drum business. […]