Shelly Manne Ad for Leedy Drums

This ad appeared in Downbeat Magazine on March 28th, 1963. I still remember the first time I saw it many years ago. It literally caused me to burst out laughing. But first before we get into that, a little drum history is in order.

The Leedy Drum Company in the 30's and 40's was one of the premier drum manufacturers of the time. Based out of Elkhart Indiana, Leedy introduced the world to the "X" lug and the Broadway series of snare drums. The legendary George Way, who later had a hand in starting Camco, was the prime mover in the manufacture and promotion of the Leedy Drum  line.

The Conn Instrument Company owned both the Ludwig and Leedy brand names and manufactured drums with the Leedy & Ludwig name plate. In the middle 50's, Conn decided to get out ot the drum business and sold both lines. William Ludwig, who at the time was selling drums under the WFL badge, bought back the Ludwig badge. Bud Slingerland, sensing an opportunity to cut into the Ludwig market share, bought all the Leedy patents and equipment.  Slingerland was manufacturing drums out of its Chicago factory .in the 50's and Bud Slingerland simply added Leedy Drums to the company's line up. Thus, Leedy Drums from Chicago  became a reality..

Even though both Slingerland and Leedy were manufactured in the same factory using the same mahogany shells, the idea was to offer two separate drum lines with  different endorsers. Which brings us to this very humorous ad.

The ad is certainly a product of its time. It's a spoof of the Tony award winning play, Lil' Abner. The play was made into a very successful film in 1959 using some of the same actors and actresses who appeared on Broadway. The play is about a fictional hillbilly town called Dogpatch. The women in the film, particularly Daisy Mae the lead female role, are portrayed as clever, buxom, and very aggressive in pursuing men. The model in the ad is clearly chasing Shelly. He, of course, loves his Leedy Drums more than "anything".

Leedy considered Shelly Manne one of their main endorsers. Interestingly enough, there was a Shelly Manne model snare drum, but it was a chrome over brass metal shell, not a wood shell as pictured in the ad.

The Slingerland Leedy marriage was not a successful one. It died after a few years.  Leedy simply faded away until Fred Gretsch bought the line in the 1990's..

The Leedy Reliance Snare Drum

For many drummers, mention of the Leedy Drum Company will draw blank stares. But this was not always the case. Leedy's motto was the "World's finest Drummers Instruments," and, during the 1920's, 30's, and 40's, Leedy built some of the finest drums that money could buy.
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Leedy was originally based in Indianapolis. In 1930, the Conn Instrument Company bought Leedy and moved it lock, stock, and barrel to Elkhart, Indiana. In the 1920's, the company offered 16 different sized snare drums. The customer had a choice of a solid maple, mahogany, or walnut shell. In addition to the wood shells, Leedy also sold a heavy double inverted brass shell. The company even sold a floating head 8 lug snare drum.

The beautiful little drum you see pictured is from the late 1920's. Known as the Reliance or Utility Snare drum, this cutie pie sports a heavy brass shell, 6 tube lugs, and steel single flanged stick shredder hoops with clips. Initially, the drum had 8 lugs, but then became a 6 lug. In the early 1930's, the drum reverted back to 8 lugs.

The snare strainer on the Reliance was called the Utility Snare Strainer. If this drum has a weakness, this is it. The strainer is balky and none too solid. It is definitely not user friendly. Thus, this drum would need more than a fair amount of tweaking to make it usable in today's musical environment. Nevertheless, the drum oozes quality, and when it was made, it was one of the finest drums then available.

Leedy went through numerous twists and turns in its lifetime. At one time, Leedy was partnered with Ludwig. In the 1950's, Slingerland bought the company. Slowly, but surely, Leedy faded into the background, yet another casualty of the "Drum Wars" between competing companies.

But all is not lost. Leedy, currently owned by Fred Gretsch of the Gretsch Drum Company, is alive and kicking, at least on the web. Leedy has also maintained a booth at the winter NAMM show the last few years. The company that was founded by Ulysses Grant Leedy in 1895 still has life in 2012.

The Leedy Broadway Standard Snare Drum

The story of the Leedy Drum Company is convoluted and intrinsically connected to the histories of both the Ludwig Drum Company and the Slingerland Drum Company. It would take a small book to give the complete picture, but I will try to give a general overview. For a more complete and exhaustive story, the reader should seek out the excellent book, The Great American Drums, by Harry Cangany.

The Leedy Drum Company story begins with Ulysses Grant Leedy. It was he who started it all in 1895 in Indianapolis. The company motto was, "The Worlds Finest Drummers Instruments," and Ulysses was very successful throughout the roaring 20s. But the crash of 1929 changed everything and Leedy sold his company to the Conn Musical Instruments Company.

At the same time, Bill Ludwig Sr., who owned the Ludwig and Ludwig Drum Company, was also affected by the crash. He also decided to sell to Conn Instruments, but he retained a small interest in the company.

In 1936, Bill Sr., having had quite enough of the Conn executives, sold his share and started the WFL (William F. Ludwig) Drum Company. Meanwhile, Conn made both Leedy Drums and Ludwig and Ludwig Drums out of the same factory in Indiana.

The pictured drum was the flagship Snare Drum of the Leedy Drum Company. This Beauty, called the Broadway Standard, dates from the late 1940s. She has 16 Beavertail lugs, thick Stick Shredder hoops, and the Broadway Snare Strainer. The craftmanship of this drum is beyond compare. A number of famous players used these drums including Sonny Greer with Duke Ellington and Zutty Singleton with Louis Armstrong.

In 1951, Conn merged both lines and the Leedy and Ludwig Drum Company was born. This lasted until 1955, when Bill Ludwig bought his old company back, dropped the WFL moniker, and named his company simply, The Ludwig Drum Company.

Meanwhile, Bud Slingerland, not wanting to be left out, purchased the Leedy Drum Company from Conn and began to market them as a separate line. This was not a success and soon Leedy Drums faded into obscurity.

But the line didn't die. Collectors sought these drums out and drummers who played them, swore by them. Ginger Baker, while with Cream, endorsed Ludwig, but played a Leedy Snare Drum.

In more recent times, Fred Gretsch, of the Gretsch Drum Company, bought the line and the Broadway Standard Snare Drum lives again. The new Leedy motto is, "For Drummers Who Care." Tre Cool, the drummer with Green Day, plays Leedy.