It was twenty years ago this month that Modern Drummer Founder and Publisher Ron Spagnardi succumbed from his battle with cancer. Although Ron wasn’t comfortable with the term “visionary,” that’s exactly what he was. Every drummer around the world owes a debt of gratitude to Ron Spagnardi. The creation of Modern Drummer Magazine unified drummers and gathered the drum industry into one monthly meeting place; between the covers of “The World’s Most Widely Read Drum Magazine.” It was in those pages that we all read and learned about new drummers, established pros, and drumming legends. But it wasn’t just about the drummers, it was also the art of drumming from legendary teachers and instructors like Joe Morello, Gary Chester, Rod Morgenstein, David Garibaldi, John Riley, and Billy Ward. Modern Drummer was the readers’ conduit to their favorite drummers with the monthly Ask a Pro department, and questions about the industry […]

September 2023 Issue