3 Amigos--Gene, Barrett, and Buddy

In the aftermath of the Chicago Drum Show, I thought I'd post this picture. Perhaps many of you readers have seen it and are familiar with it, but it's a great picture that captures three drummers who excelled in the art of big band jazz drumming.

The picture is a promotional shot that Barrett used to promote his orchestra's salute to Gene Krupa. I have no idea of the time frame here. I'm guessing middle 1950's, if slightly later. Barrett is sitting behind a Ludwig drum kit. He endorsed Ludwig from 1948 until late 1950's. Buddy, too, was an endorser of Ludwig at the time. Gene, on the other hand, was a Slingerland man all the way.

Older drummers and musicians would have no trouble identifying who is who in the photo. But for younger players, a brief description of each might suffice.

Gene Krupa is in the center of the photo, in between Barrett and Buddy. It was Gene who brought the drums out front and center during the Swing Era. Before Gene, drummers weren't even considered musicians. A big band was described as, " 14 or 15 musicians and a drummer." Gene had such a charismatic presence that it was only a matter of time before he ventured out on his own. He fronted his own big band and he featured great soloists (Roy Eldridge) and singers (Anita O'Day). Gene Krupa was truly an ambassador for drummers everywhere.

Barrett Deems billed himself as "the world's fastest drummer." He played with Louis Armstrong and, as the promotional photo shows, fronted his own orchestra. Barrett played in all sorts of groups in his hometown of Chicago. He played well into his 80's and I remember seeing him hanging out at the Jazz Showcase whenever a famous jazz drummer came into town to play the club.

Buddy Rich is standing next to Gene. If you're a drummer, and you don't know who Buddy Rich is, you're in serious trouble. I still remember the first time I heard him on record. Max Mariash, my teacher, played a tune on his record player with Buddy playing drums. He then asked me to write down what I thought he was playing. I sat there open mouthed. True, I was only 14 at the time and Max did this exercise with other drummers' recordings e.g. Max Roach, Jo Jones. It was a great way to learn about drumming style and technique. More often than not, Buddy Rich, occupied center stage in these listening sessions.

Buddy's history with big bands, both his own and others, is well known and there's no need to rehash it here. Suffice it to say that his technical virtuosity remains unmatched, even in this day and age.

We drummers of today stand on the shoulders of giants

The Super Gene Krupa Radio King Snare Drum

As mentioned in earlier blogs (See blogs dated Dec. 20th and Mar. 21), the Slingerland Drum Company never missed a chance to match the great Gene Krupa with the Radio King nameplate. It was never in doubt who they considered their number one drum ambassador. Gene was THE best salesman Slingerland had, regardless of how many sales reps the company employed. Krupa was loyal to the company and, starting in 1936, his image graced the front of the Slingerland catalog. Indeed, as late as 1967, there was Gene, sitting behind his set of Slingerland Drums on the front cover of the catalog.

The pictured beauty was first introduced in 1955. Production on this model lasted until 1962. Interestingly enough, shortly after the drum hit the marketplace, the Radio King moniker was dropped and the drum was simply known as the " Super Gene Krupa Snare Drum."

This drum came in a variety of sizes both in a lacquer finish and a pearl wrap. In addition to the 5 1/2 x 14, the drum came in a 5 1/2 x 13, 7 x 14, and an 8 x 14 sizes. The strength of this model was in its solid maple shell. It was truly a work of art. Slingerland's main competitors, Ludwig and Leedy, had ceased to make solid wood shells by this time.


The Super Gene Krupa model also came with either stick shredder or stick saver hoops. The stick shredder hoops were engraved with the "Radio King" nameplate. These hoops carried the lifetime guarantee that Slingerland was noted for.

Lastly, the drum came outfitted with Slingerland's Super Strainer. This strainer, also known as the Clamshell strainer, was introduced in the early 1940's. It's Art Deco look was quite attractive, but problems arose with its use. The extension levers would break, sometimes at the most inopportune time. If the lever broke while the snares were disengaged, there would be no way to reengage them. Slingerland soon replaced this strainer with the Zoomatic Strainer and the Clamshell became part of history.

Slingerland Radio King Snare Drum

I think it's probably pretty safe to say that, at one time, the Slingerland Radio King Snare Drum, was the most popular snare drum in the world. Gene Krupa played Slingerland Drums his entire carreer and many other drum stars of the 30's and 40's such as Buddy Rich, Dave Tough, Ben Pollack, Ray McKinley and Barrett Deems played and endorsed these drums.

The 1930's-60's Radio King was made of either metal or solid wood. The solid wood models, which are highly prized, came in two sizes, 5 x 14 and 6 1/2 x 14. It came with the Krupa strainer and double flanged hoops. The top hoop was engraved with the words, "Slingerland Radio King". The drum was offered with either nickel or chrome plating. By the late 1940's, the drum was actually referred to as the Gene Krupa Radio King, such was the influence of this Chicago drummer.

Throughout the 50's and 60's, Slingerland continued to offer the Radio King. The metal model was made of brass, as were the hoops, which were now known as stick saver hoops. The name of the drum changed to the Super Gene Krupa Snare Drum and other models, playing off the Radio King name, were added to the catalog. The Gene Krupa Sound King, the Concert King, and the Super Sound King were made to entice drummers everywhere. These models achieved various degrees of sales success.

The pictured drum is from the 1950's. A few Drum Historians and Collectors believe that these drums from the 50's and early 60's were the finest drums that Slingerland ever made. This drum is also covered in a White Marine Pearl Wrap which was Krupa's favorite finish.

Slingerland is still in existence---now owned by Gibson Guitars. But this drum is from a time that is long passed and will never return.