Bernard "Pretty" Purdie

I didn't do this guy justice in class. The point was to show an example of continuity and the development of an idea and its transference across time. Secondarily, it was to introduce you to a great artist's work.

Here's the people he's recorded music with: James Brown, Grover Washington, Jr., George Benson, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Steely Dan, Toto, Louis Armstrong, and he claims that some of the Beatles' drum tracks are his, not Ringo Starr's. The drumming on Beck's "Devil's Haircut" is a sample of this guy's work.

One addendum: He's not dead. He's currently the drummer for the musical "Hair" on Broadway and is 68 years old.