Tag Archives: Modern Drummer

Hal Blaine: You Gotta Watch, Learn, Listen

SKF NOTE: Hal Blaine was a great friend to Modern Drummer magazine while I was on staff. It would not surprise me to know Hal is still a great friend to MD. In the early 1980’s, when I was writing The History … Continue reading

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Michael Carvin: Motown is the Bebop of Rock

SKF NOTE: I hate sounding like a broken record (no pun intended), but for the sake of readers visiting Life Beyond the Cymbals for the first time: I conducted a series of backgrounder interviews in the early 1980s for a … Continue reading

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Al Duncan: Big Ears and a Good Memory

SKF NOTE: This backgrounder phone interview with drummer Al Duncan is among several I did for a multi-part Modern Drummer feature series, The History of Rock Drumming. The entire interview is published here for the first time. And you can … Continue reading

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Fred Below: The Drum is a Beautiful Instrument if Played Correctly

SKF NOTE: This is an excerpt from my interview with drummer Fred Below, arguably the father of Chicago electric blues drumming. Mr. Below recorded with Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, The Aces, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, and other pivotal blues … Continue reading

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Frankie Dunlop: We Never Rehearsed with Monk

SKF NOTE: A snippet from my 1983-84 interview with Frankie Dunlop. What’s missing here is the sound of Frankie’s voice. He was an amazing impersonator. When he was quoting Thelonious Monk here, he became Thelonious Monk in speech and manner. Very … Continue reading

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