Drum Stick, used by Buddy Rich
date: label: date made
content: early 1980s
name: label: user
content: Rich, Bernard "Buddy"
label: maker
content: Balter, Mike
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This drum stick was made by Mike Balter in Prospect Heights, Illinois, early 1980s. It is a 5A drum stick, made of hickory. This drum stick is stamped:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>MIKE BALTER 5A</p>
label: Description
content: <p>This drum stick is from a drumset used by Buddy Rich in 1983-1987.</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, Prospect Heights
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: 1988.0665.19
label: accession number
content: 1988.0665
label: catalog number
content: 1988.0665.19
objectType: label: Object Name
content: drum stick
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: hickory (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 16 in x 5/8 in; 40.64 cm x 1.5875 cm