The History of Drumheads with Ben O'Brien Smith

Gene Krupa's 1954 Slingerland Radio King drum set was recently discovered and rescued from sitting in a wet basement for the last few decades via an online auction that caught the drum world by storm. I am joined today by the winner of this iconic set, Steve, and GK authentication expert, Brooks Tegler, to hear the full story of this legendary kit. This drum set was featured on the cover of the Drummin' Men book, the Krupa and Rich album, it was used in The Benny Goodman Story Film, and was used by Gene extensively around the world for 3 years! This drum set is as iconic as it gets and is possibly the last full Gene Krupa drum set to be found. Enjoy this incredible piece of history and thanks to Brooks and Steve for sharing this story with me! Here are Brooks' other episodes and YouTube videos that he has done with me: "Whats wrong with the Gene Krupa Story (YouTube only): https://youtu.be/E9wbyrzRs7Q EP84 The Ultimate Gene Krupa Gear Guide with Brooks Tegler: https://www.drumhistorypodcast.com/post/ep-84-the-ultimate-gene-krupa-gear-guide-with-brooks-tegler EP 14 - Discovering Gene Krupa's Lost Drum Collection with Brooks Tegler: https://www.drumhistorypodcast.com/post/ep-14-discovering-gene-krupa-s-lost-drum-collection-with-brooks-tegler EP 7 - Gene Krupa: The Father of Modern Drumming with Brooks Tegler: https://www.drumhistorypodcast.com/post/ep-7-gene-krupa-the-father-of-modern-drumming-with-brooks-tegler Thanks to Mono for sponsoring this episode - Check out the MONO M80 Classic FlyBy Ultra Backpack HERE: sweetwater.sjv.io/q4ZGL5 I also have this Mono Messenger bag that is really cool: sweetwater.sjv.io/AW2YQj Mono Cymbal Bags: sweetwater.sjv.io/VmBjKA Mono Stick Bags: sweetwater.sjv.io/ZQBezq (See more at www.monocreators.com) **DRUM HISTORY MERCH** https://www.teepublic.com/stores/drum-history-podcast?ref_id=26024 ** CHECK OUT MY GEAR ON SWEETWATER ** https://imp.i114863.net/yRYRGN ** 30 DAY FREE DRUMEO TRIAL ** https://drumeo.pxf.io/c/3607735/1268414/14652 **JOIN PATREON** https://www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast

15 Aug 20231h 20min

Ebenor Percussion is a Quebec based drum brand that makes everything from the Lugs to the hoops to the shells in-house! William Leclerc started Ebenor Drums 10 years ago and has grown it to be one of the most well respected names in the world of boutique drums. He started the brand when he was just 21 years old and has climbed his way up the ladder to being an extremely respected builder of wood and metal drums with some of the best looking snares on the market. This is a great story of how hard work and dedication pays off and is a really neat look at drums that are made proudly in Canada! Check out Ebenor Drums here: https://www.ebenorpercussion.com/ and here is Ebenors YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@ebenorpercussion3197 **DRUM HISTORY MERCH** https://www.teepublic.com/stores/drum-history-podcast?ref_id=26024 ** CHECK OUT MY GEAR ON SWEETWATER ** https://imp.i114863.net/yRYRGN ** 30 DAY FREE DRUMEO TRIAL ** https://drumeo.pxf.io/c/3607735/1268414/14652 **JOIN PATREON** https://www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast

8 Aug 20231h 5min

This is a 5 person mega episode all about the history of Simmons Drums, the iconic hexagonal electronic drums that changed the face of music in the 1980's. The sound, look and spirit of Simmons drums can be heard on most every recording of the 1980's across all genres including rock, pop, rap, metal, and everything in between! My guests include two of the original employees of the company: Steve Watts and Pat Casey, The author of "The Complete Simmons Drum Guide": Steve Graham, a master restorer of high level Simmons Drums: The Simmons Guy aka Ed Rose, and Daren Pfeifer who is a Simmons enthusiast and collector and helped to arrange this entire episode. Learn even more at www.simmonsmuseum.com and here is the facebook Simmons group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/203518359856348 Here are eveneryones links and social media handles: Daren Pfeifer - www.pfeiferdrumco.com and @darenpfeifer on IG Ed Rose / The Simmons Guy - https://thesimmonsguy.com/ and @thesimmonsguy on IG Here is Steve Grahams Simmons Book: https://amzn.to/3KlTKzy Steve Watts Big D Studios - http://bigdstudios.co.uk/

1 Aug 20231h 20min

(EP 80 - 12/2020) Cocktail drum kits date back to post World War 2 in an orchestra pit in England where space is at a premium and the drums needed to grow taller, as opposed to wider. the "stand up drum set" evolved from there and became a staple of jazz lounges, street performers, comedy acts and many great drummers who wanted a unique look and feel to the drums they play. John Mettam is the founder of cocktaildrum.com and a longtime performer and cocktail kit enthusiast. He shares the full story of these iconic drum sets with us year by year as we go through the catalogs of Slingerland, Gretsch, Leedy, Rogers, and Ludwig. This is a great history filled episode with tons of fun stories throughout. follow along at www.cocktaildrum.com under the catalogs tab Enjoy this episode!

25 Juli 20231h 6min

Rob Hart was fortunate enough to take lessons with the great Steve Smith for over 20 years and he recorded many of them on his Sony Walkman or Steve's studio rig! Rob shares 7 great clips from his lessons with Steve Smith that cover things such as playing in odd time signatures, perfecting your hi-hat foot, maximizing time on your drum set and much more! Rob Hart has taken lessons with many great players and we will cover more on future episodes of this mini-series, but this particular episode gives you a glimpse of what it was like to take lessons with Steve Smith at his personal recording studio in the mid 1980's! Check out Rob Harts Drum Studio on his website: https://www.robhartdrumstudio.com/ Rob Hart's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@robharttrio Here is Steve Smith's website: https://www.vitalinformation.com/ Steve Smith on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@SteveSmithChannel and here is a link to Rob's original episode of the podcast which breaks down a Tony Williams clinic from 1982: https://www.drumhistorypodcast.com/episodes/search/rob%20hart Thank you to my friends at Bloo Goose Classical Percussion / Atlanta Drum Shop for sponsoring this episode! - https://bloogoose.com/ **DRUM HISTORY MERCH** https://www.teepublic.com/stores/drum-history-podcast?ref_id=26024 ** CHECK OUT MY GEAR ON SWEETWATER ** https://imp.i114863.net/yRYRGN ** 30 DAY FREE DRUMEO TRIAL ** https://drumeo.pxf.io/c/3607735/1268414/14652 **JOIN PATREON** https://www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast

18 Juli 20231h 3min

Independent Drum Lab has become one of the most innovative brands in the drum industry since its launch in 2015. Josh Allen used his Industrial Design Degree at Ludwig to create many innovative designs and products, but he then decided he wanted to go off on his own and create INDē Drums. This is a an interesting episode with a unique point of view from a truly innovative person in our industry. Check out Independent Drum Lab on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IndependentDrumLab and keep up with them on their website at https://www.indedrum.com/ **DRUM HISTORY MERCH** https://www.teepublic.com/stores/drum-history-podcast?ref_id=26024 ** CHECK OUT MY GEAR ON SWEETWATER ** https://imp.i114863.net/yRYRGN ** 30 DAY FREE DRUMEO TRIAL ** https://drumeo.pxf.io/c/3607735/1268414/14652 **JOIN PATREON** https://www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast

11 Juli 202348min

John Densmore of The Doors is truly a drumming icon of the 1960's and his Ludwig Mod Orange Drum Set is just as important in the history of Rock and Roll. My guest is Kurt Ekstrom who is a diehard fan of Densmore and also extremely passionate and knowledgable about Mod Orange drums. This episode is both a look at John Densmore's life and career with The Doors and a deep dive into his drum gear. We talk various drum kits, cymbals, hardware, heads and everything along the way including Kurts hunt for what happened to the famous Mod Orange drum set! Did you know John Densmore never changed his Mod Orange floor tom head throughout his entire career!? Here is Kurts article for Not So Modern Drummer about the hunt for the kit: https://www.notsomoderndrummer.com/not-so-modern-drummer/tag/Ludwig+Mod+Orange Thanks to GM Designs Cymbals for sponsoring this episode: https://gmdcymbals.com/ **DRUM HISTORY MERCH** https://www.teepublic.com/stores/drum-history-podcast?ref_id=26024 ** CHECK OUT MY GEAR ON SWEETWATER ** https://imp.i114863.net/yRYRGN ** 30 DAY FREE DRUMEO TRIAL ** https://drumeo.pxf.io/c/3607735/1268414/14652 **JOIN PATREON** https://www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast

4 Juli 20231h 55min

Alfonso created and shipped the first "Acoustically Formatted Electronic Drum Kits" in 1991 which was a game changer in the electronic drum world, and helped shaped the e-drum industry since then. He has been a staple of the drum industry for over 30 decades, but flys under the radar as much of the work he has done involves triggering the drums for some of the biggest names int he drum industry. What you see on stage might not be what you are actually hearing! Al talks all about that process and many of his patents and innovations in the world of electronic drums. Al is full of interesting stories and is a very cool guy that I think everyone will learn a lot from his incredible experiences! Boom Theory Website: http://www.boomtheory.com/ The Boom Theory Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BoomTheoryCorp Here is the video Al made about his snare he is raffling off for the Ukrainian relief auction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m21yu7BpuQ8 **Thanks to everyone who has purchased my friend Barry James' book, feel free to shoot me an email at drumhistorypodcast@gmail.com and I can get you set up with Barry's PayPal and get you a book!** **DRUM HISTORY MERCH** https://www.teepublic.com/stores/drum-history-podcast?ref_id=26024 ** CHECK OUT MY GEAR ON SWEETWATER ** https://imp.i114863.net/yRYRGN ** 30 DAY FREE DRUMEO TRIAL ** https://drumeo.pxf.io/c/3607735/1268414/14652 **JOIN PATREON** https://www.patreon.com/drumhistorypodcast

27 Juni 20231h 3min