SKF NOTE: Neil Peart sent me this curious note in early 1982.

Why curious? Well, the note is curious to me for these reasons:

1. Until I reread Neil’s note, I hadn’t given any thought to physical awards to Modern Drummer Readers Poll winners.

I have a memory of seeing two award plaques in Buddy Rich’s apartment. I wouldn’t swear to it in a court of law, especially after reading this note, but I was pretty sure those were Modern Drummer Readers Poll Awards.

My friend and former MD Features Editor Rick Mattingly tells me the magazine did present award plaques. One well-known drummer, who shall remain nameless, “won more than one category one year, so they sent him a single plaque that listed all of the awards. He thought he should have gotten a separate plaque for each award,” said Mattingly.

It was not Neil Peart.

2. That Neil thought of this MD Readers Poll Award as “probably my proudest achievement personally,” surprises me in a good way.

MD’s 1982 Readers Poll voters awarded Neil Peart first place for Best Rock Drummer, Percussion Instrumentalist, and Recorded Performance for Rush’s “Exit: Stage Left” album.