Roy Burns (November 30, 1935 – May 2, 2018) was an American drummer, teacher, and percussion manufacturer.

Career

Burns was born in

Emporia, Kansas Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka, Kansas, Topeka and Wichita, Kansas, Wichita ...

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer ...

heard him play in Kansas City and advised him to study in New York City. In August 1955, at the age of 20, Burns left Kansas with $300 and a drum set to study drumming in New York City. Within a year, he was

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

's drummer. Shortly after, he left to join

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

's band, which was having a resurgence due to the film ''

The Benny Goodman Story ''The Benny Goodman Story'' is a 1956 American musical film, musical biographical film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, written and directed by Valentine Davies, and released by Universal-International. The film was intended as a follow-up t ...

'' (1956). In 1958, Burns was with Goodman's band as they toured Europe and recorded several albums at the Brussels World's Fair. In 1960, he was a teacher and studio musician with the NBC Orchestra, ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series had runs on two different networks on NBC (1962–1963) and CBS (1969–1972) but is most known for its run on first-run syndication from 1965 to 1 ...

'', and ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

''. From 1968 to 1980, he worked for the Rogers Drum Company and traveled the world as a clinician. For nine years, during the 1970s, he was the house drummer for the Monterey Jazz Festival. In 1980, he began writing a column in ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, columns offering advice on technique, and information for the general public. ''Modern Dru ...

'' magazine which ran until 1992. In 1980, he and Ron Marquez started Aquarian Accessories to manufacture percussion equipment. Burns is a member of the

Percussive Arts Society The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) is a non-profit organization for professional percussionists and percussion educators. It was founded in 1961 in the United States and has over 5,000 members in 40 American chapters, with another 28 chapters abr ...

Hall of Fame. Burns died on May 2, 2018, at the age of 82.

Discography

As leader

* ''Skin Burns'' (Roulette, 1963) * ''Big, Bad & Beautiful'' (FPM, 1973)

As sideman

Roland Hanna Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 – November 13, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. Biography Hanna studied classical piano from the age of 11, but was strongly interested in jazz, having been introduced to i ...

, ''

Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Her ...

'' (ATCO, 1959) * Roland Hanna, '' Easy to Love'' (ATCO, 1960) *

Chubby Jackson Greig Stewart "Chubby" Jackson (October 25, 1918 – October 1, 2003) was an American jazz double-bassist and band leader. Biography Born in New York City, Jackson began at the age of seventeen as a clarinetist, but quickly changed to bass in ...

, ''Chubby Jackson Discovers Maria Marshall'' (Crown, 1961) *

Charlie Shavers Charles James Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8, 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams, Tommy Dorsey, and Billie Holiday. He ...

, ''Girl of My Dreams'' (Everest, 1960)

Bibliography

* ''Developing Finger Control'' (1958) with Lewis Malin * ''Elementary Drum Method'' (1961) * ''Intermediate Drum Method'' (1967) with Sandy Feldstein * ''Studio Funk Drumming'' (1981) With Joey Farris * ''Elementary Rock and Roll Drumming'' (1985) with Howard Halpern * ''New Orleans Drumming'' (1990) With Joey Farris * ''One Surface Learning'' (1995) With Joey Farris * ''Advanced Rock Drumming'' (1997) * ''Relaxed Hand Technique (''2012) * ''Solo Secrets of the Left Hand and bass drum'' (2012) * ''The Creative Drum Set Workbook'' (2012) * ''Single Strokes Made Easy: A Drummer’s Approach for Developing Speed and Endurance'' (2018)

References

External links

At Drummerworld

NAMM Oral History Interview
1935 births 2018 deaths People from Emporia, Kansas Drummers from Kansas 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male drummers {{US-drummer-stub