April 1977 - Modern Drummer - Roy Burns

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• APRIL 1977 $1.25MODERN DRUMMER A Contemporary Publication Exclusively for Drummers
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• Editor's OverviewWelcome to the second issue of Modern Drummer Magazine. The re- sponse to our premier issue was beyond all our expectations. Mail from readers in all of the fifty states and from every corner of the globe has flooded our office. We thank you all for your many kind words, and we'll continually look forward to hearing from you. Only, in this way, can we truly ascertain the likes, dislikes, preferences and needs of our most valuable commodity you, the drummer reader. This issue continues to look at the world of drums via several special fea- tures. Drum aficionados John Mc- Garrity and Dan Wiedman continue their journey through the maze of shells, heads and hardware with a close- up of Gretsch, Slingerland, Fibes, and Premier in Part II of our Drum Set Shoppers Guide. Very interesting read- ing for (he equipment conscious.
• On the clinic trail with ROY BURNS by BOB ALLANRoy Burns is the kind of guy. who on first meeting, makes you feel as though you've known him for twenty - five years. He's sincere, outgoing, personable, and totally dedicated to his chosen profession. A mid-westerner • from Emporia, Kansas to be exact • his natural inclination for drumming got him on the bands of Woody Herman and Benny Goodman while still practically a teenager. noble feat, to say the least.
• Page 5did the clinic and two rehearsals with two college stage bands and some guy says to me, Gee, it's a shame you don't get to play anymore. I do a whole bunch of playing at once - then I'll take a week off and work inside Rogers - then go back out again. It gives me a chance to relax, practice, work on new things and then go back out and play. MD: To watch you do a clinic, it seems as though you truly love your work. RB: I think that's pretty obvious and I think it's important that I do. To me, it's essential that young people see that you can be a professional, understand your instruments, still play well, and still take time out to answer a question for a young guy. When I get too important to answer a young guys question - then I think I ought to get out of the business. I'm really grateful that God's been good to me, along with so many wonderful people. Without people helping you - it's pretty hard. I don't think anybody does it all by themselves. I remember all the many people who helped me over the years, and that's why I try to be nice to all the young guys who come to my clinics. I remember how helpful Louie Bellson and Sonny Igoe were to me. They were very encouraging and maybe without their help and encouragement, I might not be here today. I figure if I can encourage some other young guy, maybe he'll do well and I can say - well, I didn't do the work he did - but maybe I helped him feel more positive about himself.
• by JOHN McGARRITY and DANWIEDMAN S L I N G E R L A N D 6633 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, Illinois 60648
• Page 7G R E T S C H 630 Eden Park Drive Cincinnati,Ohio 45202 The Gretsch Company, for many years on Broadway in Brooklyn, is still very much alive and well. Gretsch doesn't care to move out of the wood shell market and takes great pains in maintaining their excellence in that department. Shells are 6-ply maple with each ply finger locked resulting in a very resonant and hard shell, guaranteed for the life of the drum. Finishes are stunning ranging from natural maple and ebony, to walnut and cherry redwood, all brought to an exceptionally high lustre via a painstaking eleven step process. Gretsch also uses solid die-cast counter hoops.
• SFT690 SNARE DRUMUNIBALL TOM TOM HOLDERS FIBES CF Martin Organization Box 329 Nazareth, Pa. 18064
• THIS PICTURE MADE DRUMHISTORY. We asked Alex Acuna, star drummer of "Weather Report", to put his Rogers outfit to the tape measure test. He set up-took apart-and then reassembled his complete Londoner Seven outfit plus his extra floor tom, sets of bongos and timbales, and his pair of hi-hats and five cymbals. The result: a precise duplication of height and angle that was never before possible. It means that a drummer can quickly and easily match each set-up every time-so he plays the same "Instrument" for every performance! The "Memri" gives more accurate set-ups In less time. The "Loc" keeps it there. MemriLoc hardware: it gives you more time to do what you enjoy most... drumming. See it now at your Rogers dealer.
• Page 10E L G E R C O M P A N Y 1 7 1 6 Winchester Road. P.O. Box 469 Cornwells Heights, Pa. 19020 M I K E DOUGLAS' RON DISTEFANO CHOOSES TAMA DRUMS
• Page 11P E T E R M A G A D I N I JOINS NORLIN C A N A D A AS P E A R L C L I N I C I A N Norlin Musical is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Magadini as Canada's first Pearl Drum Clinician.
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