A Ludwig Drum Company Ad from 1970

As I've stated in previous blogs, the Ludwig Drum Company in the 1960's and 70's always seemed to be a step ahead of their competitors in the advertising world. Thanks in no small measure to Ringo Starr and other British Invasion drummers, Ludwig executives realized the importance of aligning their company with the "Now Generation." Ludwig did everything it could to convince aspiring drummers that their drums were "hip" and that their brand was preferable to any other.  Slingerland, Rogers, Camco, and Gretsch were left at the starting gate. They all, eventually, took notice, but none of them could approach the visibility of the Ludwig name.

The pictured ad is just one of many that Ludwig placed in various periodicals. This ad appeared in Jazz and Pop magazine in 1970. Jazz and Pop was the main competitor to Downbeat at the time. Unlike Downbeat, the editors fully embraced the Rock, Pop, and Free Jazz scene that was happening across the country.

This ad is interesting in that it attempted to merge Roy Haynes and his Hip Ensemble with current rock cultural references. Although perhaps Ludwig's version of the rock scene wasn't that current. Light My Fire was already a few years old by this time. Nevertheless, the Doors and this particular song were one of the staples of the 60's music scene.  It also didn't make any difference that the music Roy's band was performing had absolutely nothing to do with the Doors, Light My Fire, or rock music in general.  It was the connection that was important, however tenuous. The implication was clear. You could light your own fire by playing Ludwig Drums....just like Roy Haynes.

Ludwig continued to pursue this advertising course throughout the 1970's. As I mentioned earlier, other drum companies soon caught on, but no other company did it quite like Ludwig.

Hal Blaine

I remember sitting in the family sedan and listening to the radio in the early 60's and being totally blown away by, what was then called, "Surf Music." I lived in the Midwest and the whole California culture thing was tempting....exotic even. Hell, I wouldn't of recognized a surf board if it hit me in the head, but the music....that was a different story. It was the drumming that did it. A real up front sound, real fat and propulsive. When tunes like "Surf City", "Drag City","Surfer Girl", and "Surfin'USA", were played on the air, I would play "air drums" and imagine myself leading the band.
At the same time, Phil Spector, the legendary record producer, was introducing his Wall of Sound recording artistry to the public. The drumming wasn't as up front on these recordings, but you couldn't mistake the drive. Tunes like "Be my Baby" by the Ronettes and " He's a Rebel" by the Crystals, affected me in much the same way that Surf Music did.
It wasn't until a few years later did I realize who Hal Blaine was and how he contributed to the sound of these records. It was also then that I learned that the great Earl Palmer played drums with Hal on some of my favorite Surf records. They played double drums, writing out all their parts and then playing them together. Thus, the incredible fat sound.
Hal played on over 350 Top Ten records, 40 Number One records, and 8 Grammy Records of the Year. He seems to have worked with just about anyone who recorded in the 60's. His drumming on the Mama's and Papa's records and with the Fifth Dimension are textbook examples of how to play drums in the pop music genre.
Hal played Rogers Drums at first, but switched to Ludwig Drums in the 60's. He actually invented a monster drum kit that later became known as the Ludwig Octaplus kit. In addition to a standard 4 piece kit, the Octaplus configuration added 7 toms.
The pictured book is required reading for Drummers of any discipline.....hell, it should be required reading for anyone interested in American culture. It's a wild and wonderful story. It captures a time that we will never see again.

Max Mariash and WFL Drums

The pictured ad is courtesy of Scott Mariash, Max's son. Max Mariash endorsed Ludwig Drums from 1950 to 1956. This ad is from somewhere in that period. I was simply thrilled to see it, for I didn't even know it existed. Max can be seen just below Buddy Rich and right next to Cozy Cole---select company indeed.

I studied with Max for 6 years. To those of you who have visited my site, my feelings about Max are no secret. I was lucky to have met him, but perhaps, even more importantly, I was lucky that he kept me on as a student. At first, I was a terrible student--mad at the world and constantly battling with my father about each and every little thing. My father was, and still is, a very conservative man. He's a World War 2 survivor, a veteran of the Guadalcanal campaign. For him, being a musician, and a drummer too boot, was simply taboo.

Max occupied the opposite pole of my father. Max was a lifelong musician, who know many famous players and associated with them. He was constantly talking about drums and drumming. He was no way dogmatic in his teaching philosophy. But he would constantly push me and he pushed me a lot. His favorite word was "invent". It's written all over my lessons. I remember one time in particular when Max told me to " take out my dick and hit the snare drum if that was the effect I was looking for". Needless to say, I turned beet red. I never forgot that. I also never tried it, but he had made his point.

Max charged me 5.00 a lesson. At first the lessons were 1/2 hour. Then they went to 45 minutes. Then 1 hour. We would go through the rudiments and then listen to records and Max would dissect what was going on. It was a wonderful experience.

Max would always tell me, "You'll get out of this, what you put into it." No truer words were ever spoken. I'm still pushing myself with those words ringing in my ears.