Few drummers in history command the same awe as Buddy Rich (1917–1987). Born in Brooklyn to vaudeville performers, Rich was a child prodigy who could play drums almost before he could read. By the time he was two, he was performing as “Traps, the Drum Wonder” on the vaudeville circuit, and by his teens he was already working with established bandleaders. Rich’s career spanned the big band era, bebop, swing, and even television. He played with Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Harry James, and he app