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The "Purdie Shuffle"

One of the great joys of being a traveling clinician is that a couple of times a year, I run into Bernard Purdie. In addition to being a living legend, Bernard is a super warm and personable fellow. Invariably, we end up talking about old skool soul, and he regales everyone with incredible stories about the glory years of the New York session scene.

In 2013, I was able to capture many of Bernard's stories in the book, "The Roots of Rock Drumming," a wonderful project I worked on with Steve Smith and the guys at Hudson Music.  One of the things that Bernard clarified in the book was the origin of his famous "Purdie Shuffle" groove. The video below shares the story of that evolution, and shows the step-by-step journey that led Bernard to his famous groove through the innumerable studio sessions he played on in the 1960s and '70s.

About The Roots of Rock Drumming

Over 12 years in the making, Hudson Music proudly presents The Roots of Rock Drumming, a book/DVD package that takes a behind -the-scenes look at the origins of rock n roll drumming (1948-1965), told by many of the groundbreaking drummers who were there and took part in the creation of the music. This history is presented through the eyes of the players themselves, in detailed interviews with 22 of the pioneers who invented rock drumming.

Featured drummers include: Bobby Morris (Louis Prima), Dick Richards (Bill Haley and His Comets), Earl Palmer (Little Richard, New Orleans & LA studio), DJ Fontana (Elvis Presley), JM Van Eaton (Sun Records studio), Buddy Harman (Roy Orbison, Nashville studio), Jerry J.I. Allison (Buddy Holly and The Crickets), Hal Blaine (LA studio), Idris Muhammad (Curtis Mayfield, NY Studio), Sam Lay (Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chicago Studio), Bernard Purdie (NY studio), Roger Hawkins (Muscle Shoals studio), Sandy Nelson (drum solo hits), and New Orleans stylists Smokey Johnson and John Boudreaux, along with British rock session players Brian Bennett, Bobby Graham, and Clem Cattini, followed by a younger generation of commentators who witnessed the rise of rock in their youth: Jaimoe, Carmine Appice, Steve Gadd, and Jim Keltner.

With interviews conducted by drumming great Steve Smith and Hudson Music founders Rob Wallis and Paul Siegel, and editing and additional interviews by noted drummer/historian Daniel Glass, this is easily one of the most important books on the history of drumming ever published. The text is presented in a coffee-table style with tons of rare photographs in a beautiful layout, and the included DVD contains nearly three hours of excerpts from the interviews, taking the viewer on an engaging, informative, funny, and sometimes poignant trip through the history of rock music. It should be noted that this book contains no music notation, which makes it accessible to an even wider audience.

Order "The Roots of Rock Drumming"