Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Bernard (Buddy) Rich (1917–1987) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as the world's greatest drummer (a billing many consider to be fair), and was known for his technique, speed, and ability to improvise. He began playing drums in vaudeville when he was 18 months old, billed as Traps the Drum Wonder. At eleven he was performing as a bandleader. He received no professional drum instruction. In 1937 he entered jazz with Joe Marsala's group, then played with Bunny Berigan (1938), Artie Shaw (1939), Tommy Dorsey (1939–1942, 1945, 1954–1955), Benny Carter (1942), Harry James (1953–1956), Les Brown, Charlie Ventura, and Jazz at the Philharmonic, as well as leading his own band and performing with all-star groups. For most of the period from 1966 until his death he led a successful big band in an era when big bands were no longer popular. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.