The Story Is Told
Buddy Rich
"Traps" The Drum Wonder
Bernard Rich was born in Brooklyn, New York in September 1917. His parents, Bess and Robert, both worked in Vaudeville and even from the age of eighteen months Buddy appeared with his parents’ act dressed in a sailor suit behind a large bass and snare drum. By two years old he was playing the drums and his act included him coming out from behind the drums tap dancing. By four years old he was being featured as “Baby Traps the Drum Wonder”.
Unfortunately we do not have video footage from those days but audio recordings do exist (here) and another below:
By the time Buddy reached his teens he was leading his own band – at fifteen, he was the second highest paid child entertainer in the 1930s earning $1,000 a week (actor Jackie Coogan was the highest paid child entertainer). By his twenties, Buddy had fully embraced Jazz and was playing with bands such as those of Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie and Harry James. The rest is history …..
The ‘Drum Wonder’ toured and performed until the end of his life in 1987 when he died of “unexpected respiratory and cardiac failure after a treatment related to a malignant brain tumour”. Buddy’s last televised appearance was on The Michael Parkinson Show in 1987 (here) and his last public appearance in 1987 was filmed here. It is hard to imagine how he was able to achieve those gigs. A drum wonder.
© Sandy Brown Jazz 2026.5