Buddy Rich made one of his many appearances on the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson (Nov. 15, 1984) and I was working for my eighth year out of twenty as a Musical Production Assistant. One of the many perks of this job was to get to work alongside and talk to greats such as Johnny Carson and Buddy Rich.
Buddy and I were both boasting about our sets of drums. I owned a set of Slingerland drums I had since 1966. Although Buddy had an endorsement deal with Ludwig Drums, he told me he had just obtained a set of vintage Slingerland Radio Kings (made in 1934). Buddy thought he owned these drums in the 1930s and bought them back. Buddy was appearing Saturday and Sunday with Frank Sinatra that weekend at the Universal Amphitheatre and invited me to drop by backstage and see the show. I told him I had a gig Saturday night, but that I would be there on Sunday.
Saturday I did my gig and was too tired to unload my truck full of equipment that night and planned to unload it in the morning. Sunday morning I came out to find my truck had been broken in to and all of my band equipment had been stolen. All my P.A. equipment, microphones, music stands, mic stands, cables and the Slingerland drum set I had boasted to Buddy Rich about two nights before.
A few days after my loss I ran into Johnny Carson as he was coming into work at NBC. Johnny had heard of the theft of my drums and offered me a set of drums he had out at his beach house in Malibu. I knew about this drum set he had. I remembered a set of drums that the Ludwig Drum Company brought to the Tonight Show on one of Buddy's appearances. I watched them take this pristine set out of the boxes and set it for Buddy without tuning the heads. As beautiful as it was, it sounded like the cardboard boxes it came in. After the show, Buddy had the drum set sent over to Johnny's house. This was the drum set Johnny was offering to me.
I went out to Johnny's house on Pacific Coast Highway and picked up the drums. Johnny had them prominently displayed in his living room near a sliding glass window overlooking the beach. The salty beach air ate away at the drum set over the years. The chrome rims and stands were pitted from the salt air and the brass cymbals were as green as the Statue of Liberty. A set of brushes laid upon one of the floor toms. When I picked them off the drum there was a rust stain on the head from where the brushes were (that stain is still there today). But the one thing that stood out on this drum set was the "BR" logo on the bass drum head. This was not just another set of drums.
My band played at the Tonight Show Anniversary Parties each year that Johnny Carson would throw for the staff after each Anniversary Show. At the next Anniversary Party I pointed out to Johnny that I was using the drums he lent to me. Johnny was amazed at how good the drums looked. I had scrubbed them until the shine was back. I explained to Johnny that I had ordered a new set of drums and would be returning his set. Johnny replied, "Why don't you just keep them as a second set." That's what Johnny Carson was really like.
From that time on, I would bring that drum set into the Tonight Show whenever Buddy Rich appeared on the show. The next time Buddy was on and rehearsing with the band, Ed Shaughnessy and I were standing on the sidelines watching Buddy play. In between takes, Shaughnessy says to Buddy, "You know, those are the drums you gave to Carson and Carson gave them to Sweeney." I thought that Buddy was going to take them back. After all, they were originally given to him from Ludwig. Buddy thought for a moment and looked at the drums and looked at me and said, "Oh yeah. Well you can keep them."
I only play these drums on special occasions and I never take them on the road. But every time I play these drums, they cause me to play better. It's hard to explain, but even other drummers who have played on them have said the same thing before I tell them the history of the drum set. These drums truly have the spirit of Buddy Rich, and now, Johnny Carson whenever I use them.
Incedentally, for those who find these things amusing. If you look on the Buddy Rich DVD "Rich At The Top," there is a segment listed as the bonus drum solo. This is a clip from is the show when the Ludwig executives set the drums for Buddy straight out of the box. That is the set I am talking about, when they were brand spankin' new. They sound terrible, but Buddy was such an unbelievable drummer, he managed to make them sound like a symphony.
Thank you, Johnny.
Buddy and I were both boasting about our sets of drums. I owned a set of Slingerland drums I had since 1966. Although Buddy had an endorsement deal with Ludwig Drums, he told me he had just obtained a set of vintage Slingerland Radio Kings (made in 1934). Buddy thought he owned these drums in the 1930s and bought them back. Buddy was appearing Saturday and Sunday with Frank Sinatra that weekend at the Universal Amphitheatre and invited me to drop by backstage and see the show. I told him I had a gig Saturday night, but that I would be there on Sunday.
Saturday I did my gig and was too tired to unload my truck full of equipment that night and planned to unload it in the morning. Sunday morning I came out to find my truck had been broken in to and all of my band equipment had been stolen. All my P.A. equipment, microphones, music stands, mic stands, cables and the Slingerland drum set I had boasted to Buddy Rich about two nights before.
A few days after my loss I ran into Johnny Carson as he was coming into work at NBC. Johnny had heard of the theft of my drums and offered me a set of drums he had out at his beach house in Malibu. I knew about this drum set he had. I remembered a set of drums that the Ludwig Drum Company brought to the Tonight Show on one of Buddy's appearances. I watched them take this pristine set out of the boxes and set it for Buddy without tuning the heads. As beautiful as it was, it sounded like the cardboard boxes it came in. After the show, Buddy had the drum set sent over to Johnny's house. This was the drum set Johnny was offering to me. I went out to Johnny's house on Pacific Coast Highway and picked up the drums. Johnny had them prominently displayed in his living room near a sliding glass window overlooking the beach. The salty beach air ate away at the drum set over the years. The chrome rims and stands were pitted from the salt air and the brass cymbals were as green as the Statue of Liberty. A set of brushes laid upon one of the floor toms. When I picked them off the drum there was a rust stain on the head from where the brushes were (that stain is still there today). But the one thing that stood out on this drum set was the "BR" logo on the bass drum head. This was not just another set of drums.
My band played at the Tonight Show Anniversary Parties each year that Johnny Carson would throw for the staff after each Anniversary Show. At the next Anniversary Party I pointed out to Johnny that I was using the drums he lent to me. Johnny was amazed at how good the drums looked. I had scrubbed them until the shine was back. I explained to Johnny that I had ordered a new set of drums and would be returning his set. Johnny replied, "Why don't you just keep them as a second set." That's what Johnny Carson was really like.
From that time on, I would bring that drum set into the Tonight Show whenever Buddy Rich appeared on the show. The next time Buddy was on and rehearsing with the band, Ed Shaughnessy and I were standing on the sidelines watching Buddy play. In between takes, Shaughnessy says to Buddy, "You know, those are the drums you gave to Carson and Carson gave them to Sweeney." I thought that Buddy was going to take them back. After all, they were originally given to him from Ludwig. Buddy thought for a moment and looked at the drums and looked at me and said, "Oh yeah. Well you can keep them."
I only play these drums on special occasions and I never take them on the road. But every time I play these drums, they cause me to play better. It's hard to explain, but even other drummers who have played on them have said the same thing before I tell them the history of the drum set. These drums truly have the spirit of Buddy Rich, and now, Johnny Carson whenever I use them.
Incedentally, for those who find these things amusing. If you look on the Buddy Rich DVD "Rich At The Top," there is a segment listed as the bonus drum solo. This is a clip from is the show when the Ludwig executives set the drums for Buddy straight out of the box. That is the set I am talking about, when they were brand spankin' new. They sound terrible, but Buddy was such an unbelievable drummer, he managed to make them sound like a symphony.
Thank you, Johnny.