Edward Donald Rubin was an American jazz and rock drummer, and composer. His repertoire included rock, jazz, pop, R&B, folk, and blues, although he had a preference for jazz drumming. Rubin is best known for his performances and recordings during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s with artists

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington,

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is a retired American musician. He achieved commercial success and popularity throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a singer and guitarist, characterized as a versatile and influential art ...

, Dexter Gordon, Ornette Coleman,

Paul Revere & The Raiders Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for including Revolu ...

and

Don Randi Don Randi (born February 25, 1937) is an American keyboard player, bandleader, and songwriter who was a member of the Wrecking Crew. He's the father of bassist / singer Leah Randi. Career Don was born February 25, 1937, in New York City. He wa ...

Career

1960s

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in early 60s, Rubin performed and recorded with

, a pianist, keyboard player, and composer who moved to

from New York City. In 1962 Rubin was working with Randi as a band member of the Don Randi Trio, and together they recorded the album “Last Night.” “Last Night” was recorded on December 14, 1962, at Sherry's, a club in Hollywood California, and released in December 1963. Rubin also would sometimes perform with Don Randi in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. In 1963, they played at venues such as the Kon Tiki lounge at The Castaways, a Polynesian themed resort on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...

. Later that same year, in 1963, Rubin was contacted by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Johnny Rivers, who made an offer to Rubin to play what was initially thought to be just a two or three-night gig with him. Rivers had relocated to Los Angeles from Baton Rouge Louisiana around 1961. After a couple years without much success making it as a singer and musician, Rivers was asked to perform at Gazzarri's, an Italian restaurant and music venue. Gazzarri's house band was leaving and Bill Gazzarri, the venue owner, had no other band at the time to replace them. Rivers accepted Gazzarri's offer to perform temporarily until a new house band was found. However, Rivers did not have anyone to perform with and needed to find other musicians to put a band together. Rivers met and knew Eddie Rubin from sitting in and watching his performances with the Don Randi Trio at Sherry's Lounge, and decided to contact him to be his drummer. Rubin accepted River's offer. Eddie Rubin and Rivers, with no time to rehearse, performed together as a duo (just guitar and drums) at Gazzarri's and word quickly got out. In the book ''Straight Whisky'', author Erick Quisling states, “The two men set up their instruments at Gazzarri’s,” began playing, and “what happened after that was pure magic.” Much to their surprise, by the second night people watching got up and started dancing. By the third night or later of performing, huge crowds and celebrities started gathering in Gazzarri's to hear them play. In his book ''The Music of Johnny Rivers'', Robert Reynolds described the sound of the music as “being driven with a catchy pulsating rhythm.” After initial success, Gazzarri offered Rivers more work and allowed bassist Joe Osborn to join him and Rubin. Elmer Valentine, a club promoter, caught on to Rubin and Rivers’ popularity at Gazarri's, and asked the band to perform on opening night at his new club he was planning to open on the Sunset Strip. The new club planning to open was called the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...

. The band accepted. On opening night Eddie Rubin and Johnny Rivers were the very first artists to ever perform at the Whisky a Go Go, which sparked the Whisky's rise to one of the most famous music venues worldwide. On opening night on January 15, 1964, the line of people waiting to get in stretched all the way around the block. Inside, there were go-go dancers in cages on an elevated platform above the stage. Rubin and Rivers became the Whisky's house band for the next two years with a packed house every night, attracting both locals and numerous celebrities. The Beatles showed up to the Whisky a Go Go one evening in the summer of 1964 after performing at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

, during their first tour in the United States. The Beatles were visiting

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western bord ...

and wanted to see what all the hype about Eddie Rubin and Johnny Rivers at the newly opened

was all about. During this first year run at the Whisky in 1964, Eddie and Johnny recorded two albums together live at the Whisky. The first live album, '' At the Whisky a Go Go'', was released in February 1964 just one month after the Whisky's opening. The album received a Gold award, and the hit single “ Memphis,” included on the album, was certified as a Gold single. The second live album, '' Here We a Go Go Again!'', was released in April 1964, and included the hit single “

Maybellene "Maybellene" is a rock and roll song by American artist Chuck Berry, adapted in part from the western swing fiddle tune " Ida Red". Released in 1955, Berry’s song tells the story of a hot rod race and a broken romance, the lyrics describing ...

.”

1970s

After years of performing and touring with Johnny Rivers throughout the United States and foreign countries, Eddie Rubin was in demand as a drummer. From 1969 to 1971, Eddie Rubin performed and recorded with singer and songwriter

. Neil Diamond wrote his famous hit song “

Sweet Caroline "Sweet Caroline" (also titled "Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)") is a song written and performed by American singer Neil Diamond and released as a single in May 1969. It was arranged by Charles Calello, and recorded at Americ ...

” in 1969 and after its massive success that same year, Diamond's success was taking off. Diamond relocated to Los Angeles from New York in 1969 and was in need of a promising new band he could tour with. In July 1969 Eddie Rubin was contacted by Diamond and his manager, who wanted Rubin as the band's drummer. Rubin agreed to join, and immediately Rubin, Diamond, and the rest of the band prepared to go on tour. In late September 1969 they did a six-night performance at the Troubadour nightclub in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and before the end of the year toured throughout the United States in Maryland, Utah, Texas, Pennsylvania, and many other states throughout the south. In the beginning of 1970, Rubin toured more states with Diamond and then in March 1970 throughout

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Later in the summer, July 1970, Eddie Rubin performed with Diamond at the

Troubadour (West Hollywood, California) The Troubadour is a nightclub located in West Hollywood, California, United States, at 9081 Santa Monica Boulevard just east of Doheny Drive and the border of Beverly Hills. Inspired by a visit to the newly opened Troubadour café in London, ...

once again. It was here at the Troubadour on July 15, 1970, that Rubin recorded the hit live album '' Gold: Recorded Live at the Troubadour'' with Diamond's band. This album, released on August 22, 1970, included the hit songs “

,” “ Solitary Man,” and “ Cherry Cherry.” The album was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in November 1970, and eventually went 2x Multi-Platinum.

Discography

Albums

* 1963: ''Last Night'', Don Randi Trio * 1964: '' At the Whisky a Go Go'',

* 1964: '' Here We a Go Go Again!'', Johnny Rivers * 1964: ''John Lee Hooker'', Johnny Rivers * 1967: ''Whisky A Go-Go Revisited'', Johnny Rivers * 1970: '' Gold: Recorded Live at the Troubadour'',

* 1979: ''MUH Vol. 1 Live Aus Dem Musikalischen Unter Holz In München'' (LP), Various * 1982: ''1966'',

The Leaves The Leaves were an American garage rock band formed in the San Fernando Valley, California, in 1964. They are best known for their version of the song "Hey Joe", which was a hit in 1966. Theirs is the earliest release of this song, which became ...

* 1998: ''The Yellow Balloon'', The Yellow Balloon

References

Sources

#Clash, Jim. �
ohnny Rivers On Whiskey a Go Go Club, Bob Dylan as First Rapper
” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 16 May 2015. #Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2019, from http://louisianamusichalloffame.org/content/view/95/114/ . #Harris, George W. �
Johnny Rivers: A Life of Danger
” Jazzweekly.com, 1 Mar. 2014. #�

” #Junior, Chris. �
Johnny Rivers Lets the Whisky Flow
” Goldmine Magazine, 25 Sept. 2012. #Kelemen, Matt. �
Q&A: Johnny Rivers
” The Magazine - Las Vegas Weekly, 19 Feb. 2016. #Lowman, Rob. �
Johnny Rivers, Jimmy Webb Celebrate Whisky a Go Go’s 50th Anniversary, plus a Look Back at the Sunset Strip
” Daily News, Daily News, 10 Jan. 2014. #Martino, Alison. �
Vintage Los Angeles: How Go Go Dancing Took Off at the Whisky
” Los Angeles Magazine, 13 Jan. 2014. #Phill. �
Will Johnny Rivers Ever Flow into The Rock Hall of Fame?
�� Goldmine Magazine, 14 Apr. 2011. #Ragogna, Mike. �
From Whisky a Go Go to the Royal Studios: Conversations with Johnny Rivers and Paul Rodgers, Plus Roy Orbison Reissued
” HuffPost, HuffPost, 31 Dec. 2013. #Randi, Don, and Karen Nishimura. You've Heard These Hands: From the Wall of Sound to the Wrecking Crew and Other Incredible Stories. Hal Leonard Books, 2015 #“Rock & Roll Geography: Whisky a Go Go.” Mind Smoke Music, https://msmokemusic.com/blog/blog/rock-roll-geography-whisky-a-go-go-los-angeles-ca #“Secret Agent Man.” Jerry Reuss Las Vegas, NV Jerry Reuss, 2009, https://www.jerryreuss.com/johnnyriverssecretagentman.html. #“The Original Neil Diamond Home Page, since 1995.” The Original Neil Diamond Home Page, since 1995, http://www.neildiamondhomepage.com/band.htm.

External links

Eddie Rubin
en

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rubin, Eddie 1935 births 2014 deaths American jazz drummers American rock drummers 20th-century American composers West Coast jazz drummers Drummers from Cleveland Drummers from Los Angeles American male drummers American male jazz musicians 20th-century American male musicians Rock and roll musicians 20th-century American drummers American jazz percussionists 21st-century American male musicians