Slingerland Tom Tom, used by Buddy Rich
date: label: Date made
content: 1938-1940
name: label: user
content: Rich, Bernard "Buddy"
label: maker
content: Slingerland Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This drum was made by Slingerland in Chicago, Illinois, around 1938-1940. It is a Floor Tom Tom, Radio King Series, tunable, with a wood ply shell covered with a White Marine Pearl finish, chrome plate hoops, 12 key tension self-aligning separate tension lugs, and 3 adjustable legs attached to shell. There is an engraved medallion on the shell:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>SLINGERLAND<br>RADIO KINGS<br>BUDDY RICH</p>
label: Description
content: <p>This drum is from a drumset used by Buddy Rich in 1983-1987. The drumset was put together, restored, and given to Buddy Rich in 1983 by Mr. Joseph MacSweeney, owner of the Eames Drumshell Company of Saugus, Massachusetts.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>Bernard "Buddy" Rich (1917-1987) began his professional career as a drummer, tap dancer, and singer with his parents' vaudeville act before the age of two. By the time he was six, "Traps, the Boy Wonder," had performed on Broadway and toured the United States and Australia.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>With the demise of the vaudeville circuit and the popularity of the swing era, Buddy became an orchestra musician. His talents as a drummer landed him a job offer with Joe Marsala's band at the Hickory House in New York City in 1937. This led to a long line of high-profile performances with Bunny Berrigan, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Benny Carter. Buddy's playing style was characterized by phenomenal speed, four-way independence, and an uncanny way of driving a big band.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Percussion
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Cathy and Marie Rich
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1988.0665.01
label: accession number
content: 1988.0665
label: catalog number
content: 1988.0665.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: drum
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 19 1/2 in; x 49.53 cm
label: Measurements
content: drum: 18 in x 21 1/4 in x 17 3/4 in; 45.72 cm x 53.975 cm x 45.085 cm
label: Measurements
content: drum head: 1/2 in x 16 1/2 in; 1.27 cm x 41.91 cm