Hall of Fame

by Frederick D. Fairchild James Blades, renowned percussionist and scholar, and for many years Professor of Percussion at the Royal Academy of Music, received wide acclaim for his 1970 book Percussion Instruments and Their History. Always in demand as one of England’s finest players, he played under the most prestigious conductors in the world. For…

by Frederick D. Fairchild Paul Price was a native of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. After his early percussion studies, he attended the New England Conservatory of Music where his exposure to the works of Varese and contact with visiting artist Henry Cowell aroused his interest in percussion ensemble music. Upon receiving his diploma in 1942, he spent…

by Frederick D. Fairchild Eugene Burtram Krupa was born in Chicago in 1909. Drumming since the age of 12, he joined a grouop of young musicians called the Frivolians, working summer jobs in Wisconsin. At sixteen he enered St. Joseph’s College to study for the priesthood, but he quit after one year to become a…

by Frederick D. Fairchild William G. Street was Professor of Percussion at the Eastman School of Music from 1927 to 1967. Street began his professional career at the age of 15, playing in motion-picture theaters, finally taking the Eastman Theater job in 1922. Seven years later Howard Hanson recruited him for the Eastman faculty. Always…

by Jim Atwood As the timpanist of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1942 until his retirement in 1981, Cloyd Duff earned a reputation as one of the finest timpanists of the twentieth century, known the world over for his beautiful, singing sound and his flawless musicianship. He was an absolute master of touch, finesse, and intonation,…

by Frederick D. Fairchild Alfred P. Friese, a graduate of Leipzig Royal Conservatory, was originally trained as a violinist, and his musical proficiency on this instrument won him the prized Artist Diploma and subsequently a position in the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. It was during this time at Leipzig that he became interested in the timpani…

by Rick Mattingly Best known as a big band drummer with phenomenal technique, Louie Bellson is also credited with popularizing the use of double bass drums. During his career he worked with such leaders as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and his wife, singer Pearl Bailey. He also led his own big…

by Frederick D. Fairchild (b. Vienna, Austria September 26, 1904) Prof. Richard Hochrainer, renowned timpanist, percussionist, teacher, percussion authority, and instrument designer, studied with Prof. Hans Schneller. His early career included orchestral work throughout Austria, Switzerland, France, and Germany, always returning to play in Vienna. In 1939 he took the position for which he would…

By Jonathan Plazonja As difficult as it may be for today’s drummers to believe, cymbals were hardly heard at all in popular music in the early part of this century. Instead, even as the seeds of jazz were being sown, cymbals were primarily used at the end of a number for a single big crash….